February 2011 - Vol 8, No 2
For those of you who don’t think it is particularly romantic to fight crowds of cranky lovers for reservations, parking spaces and limited entrees, dining in on the 14th may be a good option. Leave the eating out to the amorous amateurs and consider cooking up your own gourmet lovefest chez vous.
Anticipating my own in-house date with cupid, I recently did a trial run for the big meal. Since I suspect the way to my husband’s heart is indeed through his stomach, I knew I needed to start with the best ingredients and advice from the experts. I am here to share what I learned with you.
Hedging my culinary bets, I decided on “surf and turf” and began my search at Bodean Fish Market on 51st Street, just east of Harvard, in Tulsa. Colin, one of the managers, told me that the market always stocks lobsters, king crab legs, shrimp, and shellfish, all of which are popular for Valentine’s Day meals. I chose two frozen Australian lobster tails, which were remarkably easy to prepare. Simply rinse and thaw the tails, then split the top side of the shell with kitchen shears and separate the meat from the shell along the split. Spoon a mix of melted butter and lemon juice onto the meat and broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven, add more butter, and then return them for another 4 minutes. Serve them with more melted butter, of course!
Tulsa is blessed with a number of good meat markets. For this meal, I went to Perry’s Food Store at 10th and Lewis. If you’ve never been, it is definitely worth a visit. The store was hopping. At least six people behind the counter were yelling out numbers and efficiently serving the patient, diverse crowd. Although a hand-lettered sign informed me, “sorry, no oxtail today”, they seemed to have every other meat known to man. Debbie helped me select two 7 ounce filets, assuring me that it was “impossible to ruin such a good piece of meat.”
I left the manly grilling duties to my manly man, who liberally seasoned the meat with garlic powder, salt and pepper (with emphasis on the pepper) and cooked them for six minutes per side over a medium hot charcoal fire, adding a chunk of blue cheese to the top at the last minute. Our medium rare steaks were then left to “sit” for ten minutes to complete the cooking process. LaDonna’s Fancy Foods on Cherry Street offers an amazing cheese selection and even has a fantastic blue cheese butter that can be used to finish off a steak.
We added a side of risotto, an Italian rice dish that is cooked in broth. It is inexpensive, easy to make and can feed hoards. Recipes abound on the internet, but the basic process involves sautéing chopped onions in olive oil and butter, then toasting the rice in the same pan before slowly adding warm broth (we used a box of chicken broth) until the rice is cooked to a nice chewy texture. The traditional recipe calls for Arborio rice, but I find that most any short grain rice works. I love to add a generous splash of whatever wine I have open for additional flavor (you know, “one for the pan, one for me...”). A side salad is also great. We simply sliced a stalk of Belgian endive, which is deliciously bitter, and dressed it with some olive oil, sea salt, and balsamic vinegar.
Because my spouse is a beer drinker, I consulted Tim Brophy, a brewer at Marshall Brewing Company, about possible beer parings. Tim proposed the Sundown Wheat for the lobster, as the citrus flavors of the beer would nicely cut through the buttery-ness of the seafood. For the steak, he suggested the Pub Ale, “a classic meat and potatoes type beer.” We substituted the Atlas IPA since it was readily available in our basement beer fridge. For those who prefer wine, Toni at Grand Vin in Utica Square recommended a nice Chardonnay or even Champagne for the lobster and a Cabernet Sauvignon for the filet.
Don’t forget your soundtrack! If you are stumped, start with anything by Gregory Isaacs, Marvin Gaye or Chris Isaak and go from there. The rest is up to you. Happy Valentine’s Day!