Coaching Cooking

AB marked the beginning of our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple by opening the Rosenbaum 2005 Paso Robles Zinfandel:

Then we preceded to regale the day with a delicious Dungeness Crab cocktail and AB’s special, oven roasted prosciutto-wrapped asparagus:

The slight crunch and saltiness of the prosciutto (that had been roasted in the oven) perfectly complemented the asparagus and the wine (thanks for the recommendation, Farley!). Then we moved on to the main course: beef fondue. Here’s the wok heating up (we used a combination of peanut and canola oils). The wok we used is electric with a nice rack (yeah, ha ha) that really comes in handy for slightly cooling the meats and vegetables after they are cooked. We also opted to use chopsticks instead of fondue forks so we wouldn’t scratch the wok.

In addition to beef cubes, I also prepped mushrooms and AB prepped broccoli (which turned out to be the second most popular part of the meal). We cooked the beef and ate it with dijon mustard, tarragon/mustard sauce, barbeque sauce and a special balsamic reduction that AB made just for today.

We rounded out the meal with some roasted potatoes (from Trader Joe’s) and some shrimp (also cooked in the wok) along with Pellegrino and Moet & Chandon’s White Star (our fav champagne). Then AB used his fabulous barista skills to make lattes which we drank with these exquisite chocolates:

Thus, bellies full and foodie souls sated, we toast you to a wonderful February night while we lick the chocolate from our lips! Happy Valentine’s to you and yours…