REAL Exclusive Magazine

Romantic Dinner for Two
By Chef John Zakarian

Speaking of romance is what we are cooking today. The romantic dinner for two in your own home. In my lifetime I had a few of those intoxicating evenings. Nothing is more satisfying than performing (cooking) a meal in front of your loved one or just a friend. It is relatively simple, so get out of the frozen isle and stop calling in the take-out. No Dejourno can match the real you. (I will make sure of that). So let’s begin:

Ingredients:
½ pound of cleaned large shrimp
2 16oz. veal chops
1 lb. Brussels spouts
½ pound baby Bella mushrooms
1 large tomato
2 roma tomatos
½ seedless cucumber
1 large yellow onion
¼ iceberg lettuce
¼ romaine hearts
1 stick of butter
Bunch of parsley
4 cloves of garlic
Extra light olive oil
½ sheet of puff pastry dough
2 branches of fresh thyme
1 lemon

Step One: OVERTURE
Preheat oven 250
Cut the puff pastry dough into 6” rounds.  Place 2 6” rounds on the baking sheet over parchment paper. Put baking sheet in oven until it is raised and golden brown (approx. 10-12 minutes)
In a blender place ½ stick of butter, 3 cloves of garlic, chopped parsley, pinch of salt, and mix until fully blended.
Preheat skillet with a little olive oil, place shrimp in pan and cook for a minute and a half on each side. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut a 5” circle into the center of the pastry puff. Carefully remove the center.
Add 3 large TBSP butter mixture into the shrimp pan melt over medium heat for 1 – 1 ½ minutes.
Place the shrimp into the 2 puff pastry baskets. Pour remaining sauce over the shrimp baskets.
Garnish with parsley
Wine pairing: Dry Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc

Step Two: INTERMEZZO

Chop the large tomato and cucumber into 1 inch cubes. Place into a large bowl.
Add chopped romaine and iceberg to the bowl
Pinch of salt
Fresh grind pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra light olive oil
Optional:  Gorgonzola or goat cheese
Gently fold the ingredients
Chill 5 minutes in refrigerator prior to serving
Wine pairing: pinot noir, or cab.frank

Step Three: CONCERTO

Preheat the grill.
Season the chops with salt and pepper on both sides and place on grill at high heat for 8-10 minutes, turning every two minutes, then remove from grill. (Do not close the lid.)
While the veal is cooking, sauté baby portabella mushrooms in light olive oil in a preheated skillet.
Add chopped onions, roma tomatoes and two branches of thyme.
Add 1/8 stick of butter, and 4 oz white wine.
Allow to simmer for one minute.
To serve, arrange veal chops in the center of a large dinner platter and pour the sautéed vegetables over the top.

Step Four: ACCOMPANIMENT

Wash the Brussels sprouts and boil for about three minutes.  Strain and rinse under cold water to retain bright green color, then half them.
Heat large sauté pan with olive oil.
Add Brussels sprouts and remaining onions, and sauté over medium heat, turning every one to two minutes, until golden brown.
Add remaining butter and chopped parsley with salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for a minute and a half.
Remove from heat and serve.
Wine pairing: Barolo or any Bordeaux blend. Oh, don’t forget the candles!

See you next month
Chef John

BIO
In great performances, the performer is the center of attention. Cooking is like a symphony, like a painting or sculpture, like a novel or poetry. The greater the performance, the greater the attention. I never hesitated to compare the chefs of this world to the kind of Chopin, Rubens, Caruso, even Led Zeppelin or Dali (the latter is the short lived nouvelle cuisine). The chef in his atelier (kitchen) is the MASTER PERFORMER- fingers gliding over piano notes, throwing colors on the canvas, writing a romance, mixing fresh and exotic ingredients on his way to a grand chef d’oeuvre. Yes you can compare the great chefs of all time to great masters of all time.

Publisher’s Note: John Zakarian is the chef/owner of Zak’s Prime Steakhouse.