Hosting a Fun & Flirty Valentine's Day Party

I've been thinking lately how fun it would be to host a Valentine's Day Party. I don't know anyone that has actually ever had one, so I think I should be the first to start this tradition. You should only either invite couples or invite couples and an even amount of singles of the opposite sex. This way you can encourage mingling of the singles (and you don't have to worry about single friends whining that they don't have a date on Valentine's Day).

We have a lot of things to cover to have a great party. Some things include:
-Atmosphere
-Food
-Drinks
-Fun Friends
-The Right Day

Atmosphere:
To set the perfect Valentine's Day mood, great music and decor have to invite the guests into the theme. Choose music that isn't too cheesy(step away from Barry White), but is mello, happy and fun all in one. Make sure the music doesn't overpower your room, you want guests to enjoy themselves and mingle; they can't do it if they have to shout over the music.

Atmosphere also means the right decor. Small things can sometimes bring the biggest impact. On a Coffee Table place a book that invokes thoughts of love or romance and toss some chocolate kisses ontop of it. Fill shallow crystal or glass bowls with pink and red candy. In my previous post I added how to create pretty "fortune cookies" out of paper. You may also use pink and red felt for this. Go to any craft store and get fortune cookie boxes in pretty patterns to match your theme. You can do really fun things with these "cookies" You can play games where people open up the fortune cookies and have to do or say something based on the paper inside, perhaps charades. You can just have cute notes and quotes about love and use the take out boxes as party favors.

Cover the table in either pinks or reds. Once again scatter chocolate kisses over it. Add some pink throw pillows to couches. To dress up chairs buy some inexpensive pink or red tulle and make big bows on the backs of the chairs with the tulle. Use a Red or Pink Charger plate under your serving plates.

Food:
Purchase sheets of paper slightly larger than 81/2 by 11" (maybe 9 x 12) that are either a pink or red color. Print off menus from your computer in a fancy font and attach this white sheet to the front of the colored sheet of paper. Place one menu on each guests plate.
Make sure your menu invokes "love" by either choosing cute twists on names or just going with traditional romantic foods.

Example Menu:
appetizer -
Mozzarella, Basil & Tomato
Slice up your (FRESH!!!)Mozzarella into thin circles and cover your plate with them. Now slice up your tomato into circles as well and place on top of the cheese. Take leaves of basil and place one leaf ontop of each tomato. Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Salad - Mesclun Greens topped with Goat Cheese Croutons, Roasted Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Vermont Salad topped with Spiced Pecans and Cider Vinaigrette, Baby Spinach Salad with Bacon, Gorgonzola Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers and Balsamic Vinaigrette, or Classic Caesar Salad.

Entree -

1.) Roasted Rack of Lamb with Rosemary jus and a wild mushroom and Merlot demiglaze

2 racks domestic lamb, chine removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons shallot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 cups Merlot
2 cups demi-glace
Arrowroot
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

Serving suggestions:
Garlic Bread Pudding, recipe follows
Sauteed wild mushrooms and seasonal green vegetable

Remove the fat cap from the lamb racks, leaving a thin layer of fat on top of the meat, and clean the fat and skin from the bones and wrap the bones in aluminum foil. Cut the racks in half (leaving you with 4 (4-bone) servings).

Heat a large skillet over high heat, season the racks with salt and pepper and sear fat side down in the hot skillet until well browned. Turn the racks, fat side up and place in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. You can use a probe thermometer to check the temperature. (At Siro's we roast the racks in a 325 degrees F convection, 20 to 25 minutes to get to medium).

When the racks are at the desired temperature, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the lamb is roasting, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the Merlot, turn the heat down to medium, and reduce by half.

Heat the demi glace and rosemary in another saucepan and let simmer slowly for twenty minutes. Stir in the reduced Merlot mixture a little at a time into the simmering demi-glace until you can just begin to taste the wine in the sauce.

At this time we combine a little arrow root with cold water and stir it into the sauce to give the sauce a little bit of a shine and some thickening. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the sauce onto 4warm plates, cut the lamb in half and serve with Roasted Garlic Bread Pudding, Sauteed wild mushrooms, and a seasonal green vegetable.

Roasted Garlic Bread Pudding:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
8 whole eggs
3 eggs, separated
1 quart heavy cream
2 heads roasted garlic, recipe follows
3 cups sourdough bread, crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes, and air-dried overnightSet a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When hot add the onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, scallion, and minced garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, mince the rosemary and briefly rub in your hand before adding to the vegetables. Cook for 2 more minutes, season with salt and pepper and let cool.

Combine the whole eggs with the egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the heavy cream and the roasted garlic puree until well blended. Combine the cream mixture with the vegetables and the dried bread cubes and mix well.

Allow the mixture to stand overnight, covered in the refrigerator.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the bread pudding one third at a time and mound in a greased large muffin tin (you should get 4 to 6). Bake in a 350 degree F oven 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown.

Roasted Garlic:
2 heads garlic
1 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oilTo roast garlic, cut the tops off the garlic heads and simmer in 1 cup of milk for 10 minutes. Drain, season with salt and pepper, and combine garlic with 3/4 cup oil. Place in a tightly covered pan and roast for 2 hours in a 275 degree F oven. Uncover and let cool. Strain the oil to remove unwanted garlic skin. Squeeze the garlic from the heads and place in a small blender and puree, adding the strained oil in a slow, steady stream to emulsify the oil into the puree.

Sides: Seasonal Veggies & Herbed Couscous

Dessert: Strawberry & Cream Cake
*Make a white cake
*Slice in half after cooled and set top aside
*Spread cool whip over the bottom piece and add sliced strawberries
*put the top back on and spread the cool whip over the top and sides.
*put strawberries in a heart shape pattern in the center of the cake and drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the cake.

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