I'm looking for a little help from my fellow CF'ers today. My wife was sick earlier this week and I had the work schedule from hell, so I told her instead of trying to cram something in on Tuesday, I would just cook her a nice dinner Friday night. Less to do with Valentine's and more to do with her having an awful week and me trying to do something nice. Anyway, I'm a decent cook, but I am striking out on what the hell to make tonight. Anybody have some decent, somewhat romantic recipes for two?
If you don't want to grill, go get a couple of NY Strips. rub them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Take an oven safe, stainless steel saute pan and get it nice and hot. Sear the steaks for 2-3 min per side, and then pop the whole pan in a 350 degree oven until they're done to your liking. Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest.
In the meantime, put the pan back on the burner and make a pan sauce from the drippings. You could do a roux if you want to make a thicker sauce, but just deglazing with a little flavorful liquid like wine or fruit juice is really good, too. Let it reduce, add some herbs and pour it over the steaks.
Serve with steamed vegetables. Restaurant quality meal that would normally cost you $30 - $40, for about $15.
