Lobsta' Killa' (take 2)

Want to see what I made for Valentine's Day this year? I had success making lobster in 2010, which was the first Valentine's Day after we got married (picture below) so I gave it another shot this year. This time I decided to make a surf and turf. I bought one lobster and one filet mignon, and Greg and I split them. It ended up being the perfect amount!

A bit wary: 2010

Still wary in 2012

Below is the process from start to finish:

1 hour until serving time:

  I started with some organic baby red potatoes and carrots. I washed and peeled them and then chopped the carrots.

Then I seasoned the potatoes. I like to use salt and pepper, parsley, and a pinch of basil and rosemary mixed with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I also added a bit of garlic powder this time (about a shake or two). Then I roasted them at 400 for 35 minutes on a cookie sheet. I put a silpat on the cookie sheet so the potatoes didn't stick, which they will, even coated in olive oil.

Next, I boiled the carrots for 10 minutes in a sauce pan and then drained them. I put them aside until about 10 minutes before serving dinner. I eventually caramelized them using butter and brown sugar.

 Meanwhile, I marinated my filet for 10-15 minutes. I rubbed some salt, pepper, and  balsamic vinegar on both sides (about 2 tablespoons). I also added a few drops of soy sauce for another dimension of flavor, but not enough to give it a really Asian flavor.

  

Before searing the filet, I got my pan really hot and poured 2 cups of red wine into the pan to let it reduce. I waited until it got thick and almost syrupy and then poured the wine-sauce into a small bowl.

30 minutes until serving time:

Right before putting my steak into the pan, I poured a bit of olive oil over it. I seared both sides for about 3 minutes each. While it was searing, I ladled the wine syrup over it, just a small spoonful at a time, trying not to get too much in the pan. I didn't want it to burn.While it was searing, my potatoes were baking, so the oven was nice and hot for me to put the steak in afterward. If you aren't cooking something else, you would need to be preheating the oven while your steak is marinating. I put the steak in the oven on 400 for 10 minutes, but after cutting it, I realized it had needed more time. I probably would have cooked it for about 15-18 minutes instead, because it was so thick. Greg doesn't like rare steaks (although I do) so I ended up cooking his portion for about 10 minutes more, but by that time the oven must have cooled down from opening the over door so much, and the 10 minutes more didn't do a lot. I think adding up to 10 minutes during the initial cook time would have made a big difference.

 I took the potatoes out of the oven and put them in a covered dish with a tiny slab of unsalted butter. Since the steak was in the oven, I had a few minutes to clear all the junk off of our dining room table and get it set up.

I also dug out the flatware that Greg and I received for our wedding, which we still hadn't opened. It was so fun to use the "fancy" stuff instead of our IKEA set that's all beat up from 5 years of use, getting stuck in the garbage disposal, and going through the dishwasher.

Lastly, I prepared the lobster. I washed it under cold water and check the pot to make sure the water was at a rolling boil. Then, I put the lobster into the pot and put the lid on top. I set a timer for 15 minutes.




15 minutes until serving time. 

 I realized right before serving that I was out of sticks of butter, so I used the whipped butter that we have in the tub. I lit the tea candles and melted the butter, but I had to skim the milky part off of the top. Underneath was the clarified butter- yum!

 

Then I checked on the lobster. It looked done, so I turned off the burner, took it out, and set it on a large plate to let the water seep out.

 I also put the carrots back into the small saucepan and cooked them  in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and a tablespoon of  brown sugar. I let them caramelize for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while, so they didn't burn.I also stuck the potatoes back in the oven for a few minutes to warm up.

 Then I took the steak out to let it rest for a few minutes. Although, like I mentioned, I should have let it cook a few minutes longer. No biggie, it all worked out.

Dinner Time!
These are the totally not-fancy shots of our dinner. At this point, we were both starving and ready to stop taking pictures, and start eating. It was so worth it. Greg and I had decided that when we had two lobsters a few years ago, it was sort of overkill. He doesn't really love seafood, but he loves steak, and I would rather not have just a huge hunk of steak for dinner. That worked out perfectly, because I had most of the lobster and he had most of the steak and vice versa. (We're perfect food matches for each other, apparently!)

 Here is Greg's plate of filet mignon, roasted baby potatoes, caramelized carrots, and a piece of lobster tail.

 
This is all he wanted of the lobster tail, which was fine...more for me!

This is my plate of 2 lobster claws (my favorite part), some tail, a piece of the filet mignon, roasted potatoes and caramelized carrots. Words cannot describe how incredible this meal tasted after smelling it for over an hour. The filet was so tender, I almost could have cut it with my fork. I'm glad I didn't have my own steak because I wouldn't have been able to stop eating it and I would have felt sick after. This was the perfect amount of food because, although we were stuffed afterwards, we didn't get to the point of having upset stomachs or indigestion, which can happen to us when we eat a lot of really rich food. After dinner we took a little break from eating and cleaned up the disastrous kitchen. Then, I made some coffee and we had my homemade chocolate caramel covered pretzels. I'll post a little bit about that tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my thoughts about food! I hope you had a lovely and romantic Valentine's Day!