Valentine Recipes For Two

 We asked two of Atlanta’s top chefs, Joel Antunes and Shaun Doty, to come up with a romantic three-course menu you could make at home. Both chefs offered up mouth-watering menus full of flavor, texture and color.

Menu courtesy of Chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s Social Club and Restaurant in Inman Park

Tuna Ceviche

2 cups (10 oz) diced sushi-quality tuna

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1 jalapeno pepper

4 shallots minced

1 bunch of cilantro

2 limes

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado

Preparation: Place coconut milk in saucepot with a sliver of jalapeno and minced shallots and simmer until reduced by half. Chill coconut milk then add fish sauce, juice from one lime and three tablespoon minced cilantro leaves.

Place diced tuna in a bowl and combine two ounces of coconut milk mixture and one tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently with a fork. Divide ceviche onto two chilled plates. Slice avocado and arrange as garnish. Arrange sprigs of cilantro around avocado and drizzle with reserved lime juice and avocado.

Ask butcher to custom-cut one French rack of lamb approximately 20 –22 oz.

One cup extra virgin olive oil

One tablespoon fleur de sel

One bunch arugula

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives minced

3 tablespoons good-quality red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

 Combine all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.

Preparation:

Lamb: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Sear lamb on all sides until well-browned. Transfer lamb to baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes to desired doneness (12 minutes for medium rare, 15 minutes for medium).Remove lamb from oven and rest for 15 minutes.

To assemble: Stand the rack of lamb upright and with a sharp knife slice the lamb into chops and transfer to paper towel to absorb excess juices. Divide lamb between both plates. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of fleur de sel and garnish with arugula salad.

Salad: In a salad bowl add one bunch of arugula and mix with three tablespoons black olive vinaigrette. Gently toss to combine.

6 oz bitter chocolate

1 cup of half & half

1/4 cup of light corn syrup

1 oz Chambord (black raspberry liqueur)

Preparation: Pour the half & half and corn syrup into a quart-sized pot and heat on high until the mixture comes to a boil. Mix until smooth. Add Chambord. Pour into fondue pot (or crock-pot if you don’t have a fondue pot) to keep the sauce hot. Arrange a platter of berries, bananas, cookies or cubed pound cake to dip into the chocolate.

4 ounces raw shrimp

1 egg

4 ounces cream

1 ounce mustard

1 ounce Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon of Tabasco

The juice of one lemon

1 pound lump crabmeat

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

Salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning to taste

2 ounces of white bread crumbs

2 apples

2 shallots

2 tomatoes

2 tablespoons of curry madras

5 leaves of cilantro

5 ounces white wine

3 ounces cream

2 ounces butter

Salt and Pepper

Crab cakes: Mix in a bowl the shrimp, egg, cream, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and Tabasco. Stir in crabmeat, scallions, cilantro and spices. Add the bread crumbs to the crab mixture and divide the mixture into 3-inch rounds. Press flat 2/3 inch thick and sear until browned in a non-stick pan with olive oil until ready to serve.

Apple Curry Sauce: Dice the apples, shallots, tomatoes and cook slowly in a pan with olive oil for 5 minutes at medium temperature. Add in curry madras, cilantro leaves, and white wine. Reduce heat to low and add the cream, butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, strain ingredients in a strainer and mix.

To assemble: Place crab cakes in a dish and drizzle apple curry sauce to coat.

Scallops with Tortellinis

Ingredients:

Pasta dough:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup egg yolks
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup milk
3/4 teaspoons salt
Mix all ingredients together in a food processor

Stuffing:
2 cups finely diced leeks that have been sweated in olive oil with salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:
3 tablespoons browned butter
3 tablespoons Parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream

8 scallops

Salt and pepper to taste

Tortellinis: Combine all stuffing ingredients together. Roll pasta dough thinly. Cut out pieces that are two inches in diameter. Place stuffing on each individual pasta cutout, then cover with another pasta cutout and crimp the edges. Boil the pasta for 10 minutes.

Scallops and sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepot and heat through. Saute 8 scallops in clarified butter over moderately high heat until the scallops have turned opaque, about two minutes. Don’t overcook the scallops, just cook them until they’ve lost their translucent look. 

To assemble: In concave plate, place 4 scallops nicely with 6 tortellinis, top off the scallops and tortellini with the sauce, and finish with a pinch of natural sea salt.

Biscuits
2 cups of butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of hazelnut powder
10 egg yolks
3 1/3 cups of flour

Chocolate Cream
1 cup of chocolate
1 2/3 cups of cream
1 vanilla bean

Chocolate leaves
1 pound milk chocolate

Biscuits: Mix all ingredients and keep in fridge for four hours. Spread the dough two millimeters thick. Cut the dough 4"x2" and cook at 350 degrees.

Chocolate cream: Boil the cream with the vanilla bean and pour in the chocolate. Remove mixture from heat and whip the cream for approximately 4 minutes or until it thickens (similar to a chantilly cream.)

Chocolate leaves: Melt the chocolate in a microwave until liquid and. Spread thinly on a plastic-lined cookie sheet. Cool and then cut 4"x2" strips.

To assemble: On one hazelnut biscuit, spread chocolate cream and then add a chocolate leaf. Top off with chocolate cream and an additional chocolate leaf. †Plate and add one scoop of chocolate ice cream.