Valentines Main Course

OK, now after we have a great soup, we do something nice for main course. I am not sure which dish to choose as there is such a variety one could do to impress the loved one. So I thought lets go save and do a surf and turf....boring? OK, then we go for a veal tenderloin on root vegetables. Something not too difficult and nice. But for all the non meat eaters, next blog will be a fish dish which goes well on Valentine.

But before the recipe a little update of what happened in the past couple of days. Yes we have been busy, what else do you expect with 2000 guest on board, but I was able to hop off the ship for a short while in St. John and will go off again tomorrow in Barbados. The weather is great and it is nice and warm. I have to say so that St. John is very touristy, at least were all the cruise lines anchor, but otherwise beautiful. Even with all the work we have there is time to explore a little bit, usually an hour or two in the afternoon. Today we were in Castries, St. Lucia, I had no time to go out as we were busy with photographing food, but I remembered that an old friend of mine is living here, so I sent him an email and hopefully in 2 weeks, when we are back here I can meet up with him and have a drink.

Anyway, lets go back to the recipe:

Valentines Surf and Turf
360 g (15 oz) Potatoes
80 ml (3oz) Milk
80 ml (3 oz) Cream
4 g (0.2 oz) salt
5 g (0.2 oz) Garlic
25 g (1 oz) Parmesan
25 g (1 oz) Gruyere
15 g (0.5 oz) Butter
Nutmeg

1) Put potatoes in heavy based pot
2) Add milk, cream, garlic and seasoning
3) Bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the times
4) Transfer into gratin form and bake in oven 365 F for 30 min
5) Top with Parmesan and bake another 30 min at 365 F
6) Cool in blast chiller
7) Cut rounds of 1.5 inch, re heat in the oven as required

100 g (3 oz) Baby green beans
50 g (1.5 oz) Bacon, streaky
Oil
100 g (3 oz) Carrots
30 g (1 oz) Onions
30 g (1 oz) Butter
10 g (0.3 oz)Sugar
30 ml (1 oz) Vegetable stock
Salt, pepper

1) Wrap the beans in bacon, trim on both sides
2) Cut carrots slightly diagonal in 0.1 inch slices
3) Melt butter in a pan, add onions and fry till translucent
4) Add carrots and sugar, glace for 5 minutes
5) Add vegetable stock, boil up and cook till carrots are soft
The cooking liquid should be nearly evaporated and creamy
6) Season to taste

1) Saute vegetables in butter without getting any color
2) Add white wine, reduce to half
3) Add fish stock, clam juice and cream
4) Simmer for 20 minutes
5) Mix corn starch with a little water, thicken the sauce.
6) Season to taste
7) Strain through Chinoise strainer
8) Fry shallots in a little oil without butter
9) Add red wine and reduce to half
10) Add demi glace, boil up and season to taste
11) Strain through Chinoise strainer and thicken if needed
with corn starch

Beef fillet
Oil, cooking
Salt, pepper

Jumbo Shrimp
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

1) Sear the fillet on all sides
2) Season to taste
3) Finish the cooking in the oven as required by guest

4) Peel the tail, leaving the head and tail end
5) Fry in olive oil and season to taste

Plate the gratin slightly off centre on hot plate
Next to it place the two vegetables
Then plate the meat and the prawn
Add the two sauces for both meat and prawn

Garnish the beef with thyme, the prawn with dill and enjoy!!!!