This past Valentine’s Day was the BEST we’ve had. We went food crazy, wine and sparkling wine crazy, and dessert crazy. CRAZY, right?

I prepped almost everything Monday night so Tuesday would mainly just be drinking wine and throwing things in the oven or on the stove. We took a trip to Farm Boy to get the makings for our appetizer and main course. The appetizer: pancetta wrapped scallops in a leek and brown butter sauce topped with pine nuts. The main course: herbed garlic butter lobster, seared pepper steak, and goat cheese whipped mashed potatoes. Everything was paired with Beringer Knights Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ingredients for the appetizer: 6 fresh scallops, 6 slices pancetta, 2 cups chopped leeks, 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup cream, 1/3 cup of pine nuts

Instructions for appetizer: start by wrapping each individual scallop in a slice of pancetta. Heat the butter in a pan on medium heat until a brown colour, return to low. While the butter is browning, fry the leeks in a pan until cooked.  Place butter and leeks into a food processor to blend. Add cream. Return mixture to a pan to keep warm. While sauce is warming, pan sear the scallops until opaque white. Place 3 dollops of sauce on each plate using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure, place a scallop over each dollop. Sprinkle pine nuts over the dish.

Ingredients for the main course: 2 lobster tails (our were frozen), 2 steaks (whatever cut you prefer), 3 potatoes, 1/2 cup of goat cheese, 1/2 cup of herbed garlic butter, 1/4 cup of steak spices and pepper mixture, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup cream

Instructions for the main course: preheat oven to 140 degrees. Something I did the night before was tried to ‘butterfly’ the lobster using scissors to cut the shell to allow easier access to the meat, however it’s a lot harder than it look and I was unsuccessful! Start boiling the potatoes immediately (I peeled and sliced them into smaller pieces prior). Dip the steak into the steak spice/pepper mixture around the edges (or cover fully depending on what you prefer). Brush the lobster tail with 1/4 cup of herbed garlic butter and cook the lobster tails in the oven for 15-20 minutes. While the lobster is cooking, sear the steak in a pan until cooked to your preference (I did ours medium rare, which meant essentially 2 minutes per side). Drain potatoes and mash with cream, butter and goat cheese. Use beaters to whip potatoes after they are mashed. Place the rest of the herbed garlic butter (melted) in an extra side dish.

I should mention that I was super spoiled because Eric made us homemade chocolate lava cake and had made me heart-shaped pancakes for my breakfast in bed! We also enjoyed a beautiful skate on the canal before treating ourselves to this dinner.

Eric’s recipe for the chocolate lava cake remains a secret to me, but as soon as I find out exactly what he did, I will share it. He served the dessert with the celebratory and delicious Tawse Spark Brut Sparkling Wine.

I hope everyone’s Valentine’s was also filled with delicious food, wine, champagne and love.

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