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Make an intimate, personal, and romantic Valentine’s dinner at home this year with this
Rose-Themed Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu.

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Dinner for Two

Appetizer: CAMEMBERT

My love mistook me for a Brie: mild, and firm, and buttery. Thus did collide my funky side, my earthy smell – or barnyard-y – with poor assumptions, preconceived, that I might be demure, like Brie. My love! I am a Camembert! I smell like gym socks, true, but pair me with a wine and jam: you’ll find the makings of a love affair so ripe, so strong, so deep, so free, that you’ll forget all about Brie!

Breaded Camembert (bread crumbs, egg, milk) and a baguette. Rosewater-scented raspberry jam. Click the image for the recipe. Serve the cheese with a Strongbow “Gold Apple” sparkling hard cider.

Main Course: PORK CHOPS

Ingredients for Pork Chops

4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh sage
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup salt
½ Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 cups ice water
2 thick-cut, bone-in pork chops, room temperature
1 Tbs unsalted butter, plus more for basting

Directions

1. Combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, and pepper. Combine half of it with the oil and set aside to steep. Combine the other half with the stock, salt, and vinegar in a saucepan and heat on low just until the salt dissolves, stirring occasionally. Off heat, stir in the ice water to cool the brine to under 90ºF. Place the chops in a large resealable bag; pour in the brine. Place the bag into a bowl (in case, God forbid, it should leak) and refrigerate for no less than 30 minutes (or up to several hours, if desired).
2. Remove the chops from the brine. Discard the brine. Pat the chops dry with paper towels.
3. Preheat oven to 450°. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and place on the countertop.
4. Strain the oil through a sieve. Set aside the solids; tomorrow, you can stir them into some butter and make a kick-ass garlic toast. But today, place the strained oil, along with butter, into a preheated cast iron skillet. Once it reaches the sizzling point, add the chops and reduce heat to medium. Cook until chops begin to brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip; cook until second side begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Keep turning chops every 2 minutes until both sides  are deep golden brown. Use tongs to help you brown fatty side of the chop, opposite the bone. 10-12 minutes total.
5. Transfer skillet to oven and roast chops, turning every 2 minutes to prevent them from browning too quickly, until a temperature probe inserted horizontally into center of meat registers 135°F, about 14 minutes. Baste chops with butter, 2-3 minutes.
6. Off oven heat. Transfer chops to prepared rack and let rest for 15 minutes. If they need to be held beyond this point, return them to the oven without turning on the heat.

Rosettes: 4 cups mashed potatoes, 3 Tbs butter. Serve with green beans.

Dessert: LOVE CAKE

Candied rose petals: egg whites, sugar, petals from 1 edible rose.

Cake: cake flour, superfine sugar, baking powder, coarse salt, eggs, oil, lemon zest, cardamom.

Frosting: whipping cream, saffron, powdered sugar, rose water, unsalted pistachios. Click the image for the recipe.

Logistics

1. Start by making or buying the mashed potatoes. Normally, making them is a last-minute prep; but for our purposes, you can make them literally months in advance.
2. The cake can be made and frosted a full day in advance. Keep refrigerated.
3. Ramping up to dinner, brine the chops.
4. Warm the potatoes to room temperature and pipe them.
5. Steam the beans. Once they’re done, keep them warm in the steamer. Get the Camembert all set and ready to go.
6. Cook the pork. Once it goes into the oven, multitask by also cooking the Camembert. As soon as the pork is resting, serve the Camembert. When you’re ready for the main course, broil the potatoes.

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Seasoned oil inspired by Anne Burrell. Brine inspired by How to Cook Meat. Pork cooking method inspired by Bon Appétit.

Credits for all images on this page: hover over image.

You might also like a red-themed Valentine dinner.

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Rose-Themed Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu