Wow Your Valentine with this Romantic Valentine’s Date Night Meal

RisottoThe big day is fast approaching! We know what we’ll be eating this Valentine’s Day, do you? If you haven’t secured a coveted spot at that trendy romantic restaurant (or one of our couples cooking classes), you may feel a slight tightening in your chest. Put down that stress ball, breathe, and check out this delicious risotto recipe. You’ll impress your date with your culinary prowess AND discover how easy it is to create a gourmet meal at home!

Menu Tips:
Serve this dreamy creamy risotto with a light dish like poached prawns or chicken breast. OR… Go big with hearty skirt steak, balsamic marinated or spiced. Finally, don’t forget a sweet finale! This can be as simple as strawberries and chocolate, or as decadent as this Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding. Basically, you have options.

Bread Pudding

Creamy Risotto with Tuscan Kale and Goat Cheese
Other great side dishes can be found in our recipe library.

Ingredients
RisottoRisotto:
5 cups water, can substitute with stock of choice if preferred
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bunch Tuscan kale (about ¾ lb. or a 10oz bag of fresh cut up kale), washed
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (you may want more)
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (you may want more)
Zest of 1 lemon
6 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Freshly grated nutmeg to garnish

Methods/Steps
Prepare Kale Puree and Broth: Bring water up to a boil in a large sauce pan or pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and sliced garlic. Roughly chop the rinsed kale, stems and all, into small pieces. Blanch the kale in the water for about 7 minutes or until the stems are very tender. Remove the kale and garlic with a spider (not the scary kind) and place into the jar of a blender. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking water to the blender and puree until the kale is very smooth. Save the broth in the pot and keep it hot. Set the puree aside until the end.

Sauté the Onion: Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large sauce pan set over medium heat. When shimmering, add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Cook the Rice: Add the rice and cook, stirring until the rice is coated with olive oil and looks chalky, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine is absorbed (Note: it happens very quickly). When the wine is absorbed, add enough broth to just cover the rice, about ¾-1 cup depending on size of pan, bring back to a simmer and stir frequently until the rice has absorbed most of the broth, about 2 minutes. Repeat this process, stirring frequently between additions, until the risotto is done. It is done when the rice grains are just tender but still have a bite, like al dente pasta, about 15-20 minutes. Not when the broth is gone. You must taste a grain often. You will have extra broth. Hold onto it and keep it warm. You may have to use it again before serving the risotto.

“Spin” the Risotto: When the rice is ready, turn off the flame and add the butter and Parmigiano cheese. Stir aggressively or “spin” the risotto to really make it creamy. Add the kale puree and continue to mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and re-season with more butter, Parmigiano cheese or salt. The risotto should be loose and a little soupy, not tight and clumpy.

Plate the Risotto: Lay out the first course bowls on to the work surface. Check the risotto. If it has tightened up at all, add some of the hot broth to loosen it up a bit. Spoon a 1/2 cup of risotto into each bowl. Top with a little crumbled goat cheese and a grate of fresh nutmeg. Wipe the rims clean and serve.

Serves/Makes
Serves 10

Surprise Marriage Proposal at a Couples Cooking Class

Date Night Proposal GroupLast May, we received a very unexpected lead notification. The inquiry came from a man, Roswell, wanting to propose to his long-time girlfriend. He wanted it to be special, and knew we had done it before:

Me and my girlfriend of 4 years love food. I wanted to propose at one of your Bay Area cooking classes, but I just read that it has already been done. Regardless, I’d like to see if we can make that special moment happen. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your response.

I manage our public cooking classes, and the moment I saw this request, I knew who to turn to. Our Executive Chef, Tanya, was heavily involved in our last Date Night proposal — she loves this stuff! Tanya came up with a game plan for this surprise proposal, and everything was set.

The Drama: 
Fast-forward to July 19, the morning of the big event. I received an email from a different Date Night attendee that read, “My girlfriend doesn’t know I am going to propose to her…”. I nearly had a heart attack! Before I could collect myself enough to continue reading, I was overwhelmed with anxiety. We couldn’t pull off two proposals on the same night!

The proposal that would happen LATER

The proposal that would happen LATER

Luckily my overly dramatic panic attack was short-lived. The very next sentence clarified that he would NOT be proposing that night. This guest would be filming the class, collecting video for his own elaborate proposal project. Whew!

The Proposal:
That evening, Chef Tanya needed time to set the scene. She told Roswell to stall his girlfriend and come to class late. Before the pair showed up, Tanya recruited two fantastic volunteers to serve as decoys and help dupe Roswell’s gal. All other guests were kept in the dark (sorry, guys!). When our target couple arrived, Tanya could tell Roswell was nervous and his unsuspecting girlfriend was less than pleased they were late.

Date Night Proposal Decoy Couple

Date Night Proposal Decoy Couple

During her usual cooking demo, Tanya asked the decoy couple to stand in front of the class and help demonstrate knife skills. Behind our decoys, another PTC staff member held up a series of large signs that read:

“A marriage proposal is about to happen.”

“She has no idea!!”

“Everyone follow the directions on the next card!”

“Turn around…”
Obviously a little confused, the guests needed a little prodding by Tanya before they turned away from “the action”. Roswell took his cue, and got down on one knee. Success! His now-fiance said YES and everyone cheered. We are so happy to have been involved in this special moment, and hope all our guests remember that night forever. I know we will!

Date Night Proposal Couple

The Happy Couple