Valentine’s Day Menu

Nothing says I LOVE YOU like a romantic dinner for two, but for many of us the expense of a fancy restaurant meal is just not part of our budget. I’ve created an easy Valentine’s Day Menu for folks on a budget who may also have limited cooking skills and kitchen resources.

The menu features a few recipes I’ve published this week. You’ll find the direct links within the detailed instructions in this post. I’m also including a free shopping list and a copy of the menu shown below. The files are in a standard ZIP file which you should be able to open, but please contact me in the comments if you have any difficulty. I hope you find them useful. Click on the menu below to download the printables.

Click on the image to download your shopping list and 5 x 7″ printable menu.

For starters a salad of baby greens topped with a simple vinaigrette, followed by the main course of Pan Braised Pork Medallions with Sherry Gravy, peas and Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes. For a happy ending, an Easy Chocolate Mousse will be served for dessert.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Plan to take an hour to an hour and a half to make the meal from start to finish; less if you do a little prep the night before. There’s nothing on the menu that a beginning cook can’t handle and the instructions will help you pull the meal together.

A romantic meal such as this is a great occasion to bring out your best plates, silverware and glasses. Use your prettiest tablecloth and napkins. If you don’t have any of that stuff– and can’t borrow any– don’t fret about it. Enjoy the company of your beloved, who will appreciate any effort you make. {As you will see from the photos, Rick and I have a small table in a small apartment and use our everyday plates for every occasion…}.

The recipes will make enough for a romantic dinner for two with second helpings as desired. Let’s get started with the planning.

Equipment and Activities

Valentine’s Day is on Friday February 14, 2014. Make sure to allow plenty of time before Friday for shopping, cleaning, and gathering the dinnerware and tablecloths.

To cook the meal itself, it’s assumed you have a stove and an oven. You’ll need a large skillet with a lid for the pork medallions, a baking sheet for the potatoes, and a mixer for whipping cream for the mousse (you can whip cream with a whisk, but it takes a lot longer than you might think…ask me how I know…). You’ll also need ramekins or small bowls for the mousse and plastic wrap to cover them in the fridge.

A potato peeler, good knife, a couple spoons and a decent spatula will all come in handy. Decide if you need a salad bowl and perhaps a small sauce pan for cooking the peas. Serving bowls and platters are nice but if you don’t have them arrange the food on the plates in the kitchen and bring them to the table, restaurant style.

Shopping

Before heading to the store, read through the entire plan and make notes. Go through your kitchen and pantry and check off any items on the list which you may already have on hand. There’s no point in buying more rosemary for the potatoes if you already have some in the cupboard. On the other hand, don’t assume you have butter in the fridge or enough olive oil for cooking. CHECK and make sure. There’s nothing more frustrating than to begin cooking a meal only to realize you’re missing something critical. It just adds unnecessary stress.

The most expensive item on the list will probably be the pork tenderloin. For two people, a pound is more than enough. If you’re not buying from the butcher look for a plain, unseasoned tenderloin that looks to be fairly regular in shape.

Save yourself some trouble by purchasing bagged greens and microwaveable peas. Three or four fist sized potatoes will serve two people. Buy whichever variety you prefer. A bottle of sparkling mineral water adds a fancy touch to the meal. Don’t forget a nice crusty loaf of bread and a bottle of wine if you like .

Make sure you buy heavy cream or whipping cream for the mousse. You’ll need 100 grams (about 4 ounces) of good quality chocolate, at least 70% cocoa. (This affiliate link shows the brand I purchased from my local grocery store. I like the 85% kind.)

Double check the cart before you check out of the store to make sure you have everything you need.

Preparation

From here on out, I’m only going to address the meal itself. I will assume you have made whatever arrangements you need to ensure you’re alone with your beloved and have the table setting, equipment and cleaning situations under control.

The night before the dinner (Thursday) wash the greens in cold water, remove the excess water, loosely wrap them in towels and place inside a baggie. Store the greens in the fridge. If you have a salad spinner as shown, you can put the entire thing in there. Make the vinaigrette (here’s a couple recipes you can try) if not using a prepared salad dressing.

Put the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer. Make sure the cream is in the coldest part of the fridge. Allow at least an hour for them to cool if making the mousse the night before.

On Friday, as soon as possible, make the mousse if you haven’t already done so. Follow the directions in this post.

Next, trim the tenderloin and cut it into medallions as shown in this post. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to start cooking.

With the mousse ready to go in the fridge, and the pork prepped to cook, you’ll hopefully have some time to yourself before you need to start cooking. Plan to begin the potatoes about an hour before you want to serve. Give yourself more time if you think you’ll need it.

When ready to start cooking preheat the oven to 400°F, then prepare the potatoes as shown in this post. With the potatoes roasting, start to brown the pork medallions and prepare the sauce as shown here.

Check the potatoes regularly and use a spatula to move them around so they don’t get too brown. It’s OK to take them out of the oven before the pork is done if you need to. You can always turn the oven down to a low temperature to keep them warm if necessary. Likewise, if the pork finishes before the potatoes, turn the heat down as low as you can and put the lid on the pan.

About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, cook the peas according to the directions on the package. Cut the bread and open the wine (if you haven’t already done so 🙂 ).

If you’re going to serve family style, put the food into the serving vessels. Bring them to the table then serve the salad. If you’re going to serve restaurant style, serve the salad, then prepare the plates and bring them to the table at the same time.

It’s up to you if you want to serve dessert as soon as dinner is over or if you’d rather clear the table first. Either way, garnish the mousse as desired before bringing the bowls to the table.

If you can stand it, save the dishes for Saturday and enjoy the evening with your beloved.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen! Rick and I hope you feel loved ♥