Bones and I have had many wonderful meals out, but some of our most romantic dinners have been enjoyed at home. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. If you’ve decided to stay in, N.N. Light is here with some tips for turning out a perfect, restaurant quality steak dinner.
Don’t forget to scroll down and check out her book, Princess of the Light. I’m thrilled to feature this book because a portion of the proceeds go directly to food banks in order to feed the hungry and help those in need.
If you make it all the way to the bottom of the page, you can enter my $25 Amazon gift card give-away.
Enjoy!
N.N Light:
“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” ―M.F.K. Fisher
Food and romance go hand-in-hand. I have had a love affair with food ever since I could remember and in my opinion, there is nothing more romantic than sharing a delectable meal with someone. Whether it is the triple A Angus steak or a roasted chicken breast, eating together is an intimate experience.
I am the luckiest woman on the planet because my husband is a retired chef and he loves to cook for me. He creates the most amazing food for me, better than any restaurant. I remember last year, he made the most amazing porterhouse steak dinner for Valentine’s Day. Here is a picture of the steak:
I sat down with him and asked him to give a few pointers for cooking a romantic porterhouse steak dinner. As he tells me, it’s not about getting the most expensive products but getting quality products and making them sing. Here are his tips:
For this steak dinner, I wanted to bring out the flavor so the first thing I did was bring the steaks to room temperature. This can take up to an hour. It’s very important for the meat to not be cold when it hits the sizzling dry pan. I seasoned each side of the porterhouse steak with Hawaiian sea salt (you can use regular sea salt or kosher salt) and cracked black pepper. You don’t want to over season or you will lose the amazing flavor of the meat.
I then pre-heated a stainless steel dry pan until it was hot, 5-20 minutes depending on your stove top. To test if it is hot enough, wet your finger and flick a droplet of water in the pan. If it sizzles and steam appears, it is ready. Place the steak in the pan and sear each side. You will know when it is time to flip when the meat releases itself from the pan. Be patient. After searing, place pan in a 350 degrees oven and set the timer for approximately 30-35 minutes, depending on how you want your steak. Because the steaks were almost two inches thick and we like our steaks medium, I cooked them for 35 minutes.
You have some time before the steaks are done so this is the perfect time to create an appetizer, pour drinks and look after your side dishes. It’s all about timing. I had already pre-cut the broccoli, mushrooms and orange bell peppers. I tossed them in my finest extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. I seasoned them lightly before sautéing them in a pan.
Plating is a very important part of creating an unforgettable meal and you want your special guest to have his/her mouth water even before taking a bite. I use large white plates for aesthetic reasons. Food looks better on a blank canvas. Place the steak in the center (you’ll see in the picture that the steak was as big as the plate), placing the blue cheese butter on top in order to melt it properly. Arrange the side dish (orange peppers, mushrooms and broccoli) around the steak like a wreath. If any juice or oil spills on the lip of the plate, take a paper towel and wipe it clean.
The most important pointer I can offer is to be organized. Take out all your ingredients, seasonings, and pans ahead of time. Write down the steps and schedule each task so everything is ready at the same time and nothing gets cold. Finally, enjoy yourself. Cooking for another is the most romantic thing in the world and all your hand work will pay off when they taste your food.
A portion of proceeds benefit food banks.
Princess of the Light
Gabriel, the Archangel and Messenger of God – yeah that Gabriel, visited Mary Miller. He told her, as the key she is destined to spread the Light and vanquish the Darkness. Her first assignment is to restore the soul of the Walking Man. Sounds simple enough until she’s thrown in the face of evil, and then Joe Deacons enters her heart. This battle just got a lot more complicated. She must complete her mission without losing all she loves.
Excerpt:
After Catalina left, Joe and I looked at each other. We were both starving and wanted to dig in but I think we both wanted to appear polite so…
“Wow that looks amazing!” I said all the while inhaling the smells. I grabbed a piece of warm bread, dipped it in the aromatic olive oil and placed a piece of Monterey Jack cheese on top. I leaned forward and placed it on Joe’s plate.
“There you go.” Then, made myself the same combo leaned back a little and surveyed my good work. “Should we taste it?”
Joe raised his eyebrows in agreement.
It tasted as good as it smelled.
Joe handed me the next slice of bread with whipped butter, Gruyere cheese, and a green olive on top. “So… You were telling me more about yourself, Mary?”
“Stop that,” I giggled, then looked down at my wine glass and saw that I had drained my wine. Maybe I should stop that.
“Can I freshen up your wine?” Why not? I nodded and Joe refilled my glass then topped his own.
Joe intertwined his fingers with mine. My breath caught in my throat. I watched as Joe took the piece of bread in his other hand and set it on my plate. He still had my other hand in his, our fingers intertwined. I bit my lip hard and a small moan escaped my lips when I tasted the bread.
Where to Buy Princess of the Light:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Createspace
About N. N. Light
N. N. Light was born in Minnesota, lived in Southern California only to move to chilly Ontario, Canada to marry her beloved husband MR N. She is blissfully happy and loves all things chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports and baking. She has been telling stories since the age of five and her mantra is to spread the Light. Most of the time you can find her on Twitter or getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. She is a proud member of ASMSG, Independent Author Network and Marketing for Romance Writers.
Part of the proceeds of Princess of the Light will go directly to food banks in order to feed the hungry and help those in need. With only 7,500 books sold, N. N. Light will be able to set up a monthly endowment for the local food bank
Make sure to visit N.N. online:
PrincessOfTheLight.com |Blog |Goodreads | Twitter |Pinterest |Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Triberr | Amazon | Independent Author Network | | iAuthor
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today for Foodie Friday! I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine’s Day! 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by. I have to tell you, Bones does a pretty mean steak, so I compared methods. The only major difference is that he uses our massive cast-iron skillet (It will be my weapon of choice during the zombie apocalypse).
Recently he heard about a new “backwards” method where you do the oven first then sear. We waffled over trying it on some New York strips, recently. But why take a chance on something new when this yields perfection?
Ah yes, the cast iron is a classic. We much prefer the stainless steel pans.
Backwards method? O-o That sounds like it wouldn’t work as the whole point to searing is to “sear” in the juices and give the meat a crust. If you cook it in the oven first, it defeats the whole point. Good call on not going for it. 🙂
** Will have to remember the cast iron pan for the weapon in a zombie apocalypse. We have an old baseball bat of MR N’s we call “the Lumber” and it is our weapon of choice. Doesn’t hurt to have two. 😉 **