Chef Jason White of Food for Thought has cooked up a full Valentine’s Day recipe for anyone who knows that a way to your heart is through… a home-cooked meal.

Starter

Warmed Burrata & Parma Ham
shaved fennel salad | toasted ciabatta | pink peppercorn vinaigrette

Entrée

Porterhouse au Poivre for Two
coriander-honey roasted baby carrots | creamy fresh chevre polenta | green peppercorn-cognac sauce

Dessert

Devil’s Kiss Cake
devil’s food chocolate cake | raspberry truffle ganache | vanilla bean whipped cream

or

Passion Pots
passion fruit white chocolate posset | mango compote | strawberry sorbet

Starter

Burrata & Parma Ham
shaved fennel salad | toasted ciabatta | pink peppercorn vinaigrette

Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp.             shallot; minced

1 tsp                 Dijon mustard

1 tsp                 honey

1/4C                 champagne vinegar

¾ C                   grapeseed oil

1/8 tsp             kosher salt

1.25 tsp             pink peppercorns; finely crushed

Make the vinaigrette at least 4 hours ahead of time, preferably a day or two, which allows for the flavors to blend and the shallots to mellow. Peel and finely mince the shallot. Add vinegar and salt, set aside for 10 minutes. Add mustard, honey and peppercorns. Slowly stream in oil while whisking. Cover, chill for at least 4 hours.

8 slices                         parma ham

1 each                          fennel bulb

8 oz                              burrata

8 each                          ¼” sliced ciabatta croutons

Top and tail the fennel bulb and finely slice using a mandolin or peeler. Rinse under running water.

Add sliced fennel to a bowl and toss with the pink peppercorn vinaigrette to coat.

Ribbon the Parma ham slices on the plate. Drain the burrata and tear into chunky pieces and warm over low heat in a nonstick pan. Pour warmed burrata over parma ham and top with shaved fennel salad, drizzle remaining vinaigrette over dish. Serve with toasted ciabatta slices.

Entrée

Porterhouse au Poivre for Two coriander-honey roasted baby carrots | creamy fresh chevre polenta green peppercorn-cognac sauce

Porterhouse au Poivre

1 (1 1/2-pound)            porterhouse steak (1- to 1 1/4-inches thick)

5 Tbsp.                         grapeseed oil; divided

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp.                         unsalted butter; divided

1 each                          large shallot; finely chopped

¼ C                              cognac

1 C                                heavy cream

2 tsp                             coarsely ground black pepper

1 Tbsp.                         green peppercorns in brine

4 each                          garlic cloves; crushed

4 each                          small rosemary sprigs; plus more for serving (optional)

For Sauce

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Cook shallot, stirring often, until golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully add cognac. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cognac is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook, swirling occasionally, until cream is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool slightly.

Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender directly in the pot). Add green peppercorns and pulse just to break up (do not blend completely). Return pepper sauce to saucepan; season with salt. Cover and set aside.

For Steak

Let steak sit at room temperature 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°F.

Pat steak dry and season both sides with kosher salt. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. of butter in skillet over medium heat until butter melts. Add rosemary, thyme, and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until herbs and garlic are fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add steak and cook until nicely browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°F for medium-rare, about 5 minutes (or 120°F for medium, about 10 minutes).

Transfer steak with tongs to a small platter and let rest 10 minutes.

While the steaks are resting, reheat pepper sauce over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until warmed through.

Slice steak and spoon pepper sauce over top. Garnish with more rosemary sprigs if desired.

Coriander-Honey Roasted Baby Carrots

1 Tbsp.                         butter; softened

1 tsp                             honey

¼ tsp                            coriander; ground

½ lbs.                          carrots; medium; with tops; peeled & trimmed

1 Tbsp.                         parsley; flat leaf; chopped fine

Meanwhile, mix honey, coriander, and 1 Tbsp. butter and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl, then brush over carrots. Arrange carrots on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned and fork-tender, 15–20 minutes.

Creamy Fresh Chevre Polenta

3 C                               chicken stock; plus more as needed

1 C                                polenta

3 oz.                             goat cheese; crumbled

1 Tbsp.                         butter

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Bring the stock to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat. Whisk in the polenta in a steady stream, then decrease the heat to medium. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, more constantly than you would think possible, until the polenta begins to thicken, approximately 10 minutes. (Keep stirring; otherwise the polenta will boil up and may splatter on your hand.)

Add the cheese and stir for approximately 2 minutes. Stir in the butter, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. It keeps well on the stove, though it thickens as it rests. If cooking before the steak is done, which is a smart idea, either remove from the heat at a thinner consistency or add a little more stock later.

Devil’s Kiss Cake

devil’s food chocolate cake | raspberry truffle ganache | vanilla bean whipped cream

Yields: 4” layered cake.

Make in advance: Yes, one day before serving if refrigerated or 1 week if frozen.

For chocolate lovers, this rich chocolate cake served warm, with whipped cream or ice cream would be hard to resist. All components can be prepared at least one day in advance and refrigerated until serving time. Cake can be warmed in microwave oven for 50-60 seconds, topped with ganache and served with a scoop of favorite vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream.

Devil’s food cake

7 oz                              water; hot

2 oz                              cocoa powder

8 oz                              AP flour

12 oz                            sugar

1 tsp                             salt

2 tsp                             baking soda

2 tsp                             vegetable oil

8 oz                              buttermilk

2 each                          eggs

¼ tsp                            vanilla extract

Boil water.  Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in mixing bowl and mix until all combined.

Mix wet ingredients together.

Add half of the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix to a paste to get rid of any lumps.

Add the rest of the liquid and mix until incorporated. Scrape bowl.

Scoop batter in individual ramekins, sprinkle mini chocolate chips and/or fresh raspberries and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until top springs back to the touch. Cool cake completely, cover and refrigerate until serving time. Cake can also be made 1 week in advance and kept frozen at this stage. Thaw overnight before needed.

Raspberry truffle ganache

1 C                               heavy cream

1 C                               dark chocolate 70%

2 Tbsp.                         raspberry puree

Puree fresh raspberries, strain and discard the seeds. Set aside.

Bring cream to a gentle boil and add the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes then gently whisk or use a hand blender to homogenize. Add the puree and mix until incorporated. Keep ganache refrigerated until needed.

Passion Pots

passion fruit white chocolate posset | mango compote | strawberry sorbet

Yields: 4 – 8oz cups, ideally glass so the layers and colors can show through.

Make in advance: Yes, one day before serving.

Posset is a silky, thicken cream, traditionally made with lemon and served with slivered almonds and honey. For Valentine’s, we gave it a more exotic flair and kept it light for non-chocolate lovers that still want to indulge without feeling guilty.  Gluten free and nut free.

Custard and compote can be prepared the day before and refrigerated, separately, until serving time. A few hours before serving, custard can be garnished with the compote and refrigerated until serving. Before serving, scoop high quality strawberry sorbet and place on top.

Posset

1 pint                           heavy cream

½ C                               sugar

3 oz                              passion fruit juice (puree)

½ C                               white chocolate

Scoop out the passion fruit pulp with seeds, puree in a blender then strain the seeds removing as much liquid as possible. Discard the seeds. 6-8 passion fruits yield about 3 oz of juice. If you have more than 3 oz save the extra pulp and add it to the mango compote for an extra crunchy texture.

Meanwhile, combine cream and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until sugar dissolves (4-5 minutes).

Add passionfruit juice, simmer to infuse (3-4 minutes), remove from heat and add in the white chocolate, whisking until incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh to ensure is smooth and cool slightly.

Divide custard among four glasses and chill until set, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Mango Compote

2 each                          fresh mangoes

4 Tbsp.                         sugar

½ C                               water

1 Tbsp.                         lime juice; fresh squeezed

Peel mangoes, discard the pit and dice in small pieces. Set aside.

Bring water and sugar to a gentle boil (5-7 minutes). Add diced mango and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the fresh squeezed lime juice. Let cool and keep refrigerated to let the flavors marinate overnight. When ready to serve, spoon the mango with a slotted spoon or if preferred spoon with all the liquid.