Rockin Meals Valentine's Day Menu

ROCKIN MEALS VALENTINE’S DAY MENU😍

It’s finally here!! A four-course Valentine’s Day Menu with a free downloadable grocery list just for you! Given the realities of 2021, many of us will be celebrating Valentine’s Day at home this year, so I wanted to help out a bit to still make it feel extra special. I wanted to choose recipes that felt gourmet, yet are still simple in nature to take the stress away of planning a special meal. I know creating a full course meal can be challenging, which is why I wanted to make a menu for you guys of what foods work well together + a timing guide/order of prep, but feel free to just make some of the meals that speak to you the most. 

I know Valentine’s Day evokes different feelings for many, but my mom always raised me to see it as a celebration of love, whatever that may look like: love for your partner, your dog, your parents, your siblings, your grandparents. For me, this Valentine’s Day looks like Facetiming my family members in the morning, then spending the day with my best friend and making dinner and cocktails together - can’t wait! This is also just a great dinner menu to have on hand, even if you’re not making it for Valentine’s Day!

Rockin Meals Valentine’s Day Menu:

Download your free Grocery List and Menu below!

Grocery List PDF

All recipes, with the exception of the tart and ragu, are made to serve 2 people. If you are making for more or less than that, be sure to scale up or down.

Order of Prep:

If you don’t have a ton of cook time day of, the ragu, salad dressing, compound butter for the garlic bread, salted caramel for martinis and the chocolate tart can all be made a day in advance. This way all you need to do day of is make the martinis, toast the bread, wrap the pears, make the pasta, and assemble the salad.

If you are doing everything day of, here’s the order I recommend making the meals in:

1. Flank Steak Ragu (if you are using the InstantPot, make this after the tart) 

2. Salted Chocolate Tart (needs to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours)

3. Salted caramel (for the martinis)

4. Roasted Garlic Compound Butter (for the Garlic Bread)

5. Prosciutto wrapped pears

6. Make the martinis while you are eating the appetizers

7. Garlic bread

8. Pasta 

9. Salad

RECIPES:

COCKTAIL:

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini:

Ingredients:

For the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini:

• 6 oz vodka

• 3 oz kahlua

• 2 shots espresso*

• 6 tsps salted caramel syrup (recipe below)

• Espresso beans for topping (optional)

• Ice 

*If you don’t have an espresso machine, head to your nearest coffee shop and grab espresso shots for later use! It may not be as frothy, but it will still taste great.

Salted Caramel Syrup*:

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1½ cups warm water, divided

• ¼ tsp salt (sea salt preferred)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

*Note: this makes enough for about 1½ cups syrup, so more than you need for this recipe, but you can store it in an airtight jar for about a week and use it in your coffee or other cocktails.

Directions:

For the Salted Caramel Syrup:

• Place sugar and ¾ cup warm water in a small saucepan on medium heat.

• Stir constantly until all sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a rolling boil.

• Stop stirring and let the mixture continue to boil at a rolling pace until it reaches a deep caramel color. This can take anywhere from 25-30 minutes, but start checking it at about 15 minutes as the point to where the mixture is caramel to burnt can be just a few minutes.

• As soon as the mixture turns a caramel color, remove from the heat.

• SLOWLY whisk in the ¾ cup warm water. It will seize up in the beginning, but will continue to loosen up as you add the warm water. If the mixture starts to harden, it’s likely because the water was not warm enough, so just return the pan to heat until smooth. It should still look quite liquidy when it’s done.

• Add in the vanilla and salt. Let cool for 15-20 minutes on stovetop before transferring to a jar with a tight fitting lid.

For the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini:

• Add your martini glasses to the freezer to chill for a few minutes while you put together the cocktail.

• Fill a cocktail shaker or jar with a tight fitting lid with ice and add in vodka, kahlua, espresso, and salted caramel syrup. 

• Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds. Your hand should be very very cold - the more you shake, the better your froth will be.

• Strain the cocktail into your martini glass and top with espresso beans. Enjoy!

APPETIZER:

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears:

Ingredients:

• 2 large pears

• 4 oz package of prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise

• Balsamic Glaze (you can find this at Trader Joe’s or Vons, or you can also reduce ¼ cup balsamic vinegar and ¼ cup sugar in a saucepan until thick)

Directions:

• Cut 2 pears into thin spears leaving the skin on.

• Wrap with prosciutto and lay onto a serving platter.

• Drizzle on top with balsamic glaze and serve!

MAIN:

Flank Steak Ragu:

Crockpot and InstantPot instructions below!

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 pounds flank steak (you could also use skirt steak)

• 1 container mirepoix (or 1 onion chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 2 celery stalks chopped)

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tbsps tomato paste

• 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)

• 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes, pureed or cut with scissors

• 4 oz pappardelle pasta per person (use spaghetti squash or grain free pasta for grain free)

• 2 bay leaves (optional)

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Shredded parmesan for topping

Directions:

For the Instant Pot Ragu:

• Cut the flank steak against the grain into 4-5 even pieces. *against the grain just means perpendicular of where the lines naturally on the beef

• Set the Instant Pot to saute and season the meat with salt and pepper.

• Drizzle oil into the pot and add the steak in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside on a plate while you finish cooking the rest of the steak.

• Add in a bit more oil to the pot and add the mirepoix. Cook for 4-5 minutes until veggies are soft.

• Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

• Pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon.

• Cook on high for 4-5 minutes until red wine has almost reduced.

• Add back in the meat with its juices, along with the canned tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano.

• Stir and lock the lid, ensuring it is set to sealed.

• Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, allowing it to naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing the steam.

• While the pressure is releasing, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.

• Unlock the lid, remove the meat onto a cutting board and shred with two forks. Add back in with the sauce and toss to coat. 

• Add drained pasta + a few spoonfuls of the flank steak ragu to a pot on low heat. Toss to coat, adding a little bit of pasta water to help finish the sauce. 

• Top with parm and serve with some red wine and enjoy!

For the CrockPot Flank Steak Ragu:

• Cut the flank steak against the grain into 4-5 even pieces. *against the grain just means perpendicular of where the lines naturally on the beef

• Add the beef to the crockpot with the mirepoix, wine or beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano.

• Set to low for 8-9 hours.

• With 10-15 minutes to go, cook the pasta according to package instructions.

• Remove the meat onto a cutting board and shred with two forks. Add back in with the sauce and toss to coat. 

• Add drained pasta + a few spoonfuls of the flank steak ragu to a pot on low heat. Toss to coat, adding a little bit of pasta water to help finish the sauce. 

• Top with parm and serve with some red wine and enjoy!

Fennel Arugula Salad:

Ingredients:

For the Fennel Arugula Salad:

• 2 cups arugula

• ¼ cup thinly sliced fennel

• ½ a pear, sliced

• ¼ cup toasted walnuts 

• Goat cheese for topping (optional)

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp grated garlic

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Add dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until emulsified. You can also whisk in a bowl.

• Assemble the salad by adding the arugula, pear, walnuts, fennel, and goat cheese to a large bowl. Pour over dressing just before serving (you may not use all the dressing) and toss with tongs. Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Bread:

Roasted Garlic FAQs: 

I know using roasted garlic adds one more step and takes longer, but I love it for a few reasons:

1. Because garlic bread does not take very long in the oven, it does not allow enough time for the raw garlic to be fully cooked, which often results in too sharp of a garlicky taste. If you are pressed for time, they sell roasted garlic paste at most major grocery stores, or you can make the roasted garlic up to 3 days in advance, or you can grate 2 cloves raw garlic which will help soften the raw garlic taste.

2. Roasted garlic is one of my favorite secret weapons in the kitchen. It gets soft, slightly sweet, and a little jammy when it’s roasted, which adds a layer of flavor you don’t get from straight garlic. 

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf ciabatta or French baguette

• ¼ cup salted butter (I like Kerrigold), softened to room temperature

• 2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tbsps chopped fresh basil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan

• 1 head garlic

• 1 tsp olive oil

• Salt to taste

Directions:

For the Roasted Garlic:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• Cut the top ⅓ off the garlic head to expose the garlic cloves. Place in the middle of a piece of tin foil large enough to wrap the garlic in and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and wrap the foil around the garlic, tying at the top like a little purse.

• Roast at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the garlic is soft.

• Set aside to cool.
  

For the Roasted Garlic Bread:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

• Remove the butter from the fridge 20-30 minutes prior to starting to soften.

• Add the butter to a bowl with the chopped parsley, basil, and garlic powder.

• Squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl and mix with a fork until well combined.

• Cut your loaf of bread in half lengthwise, place on a baking sheet, and evenly spread the compound butter over each slice. 

• Top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until bread is golden brown around the edges. Watch closely as it can burn very fast!

• Serve immediately and enjoy!

DESSERT:

No-Bake Salted Chocolate Tart:

Ingredients:

For the Vegan, Gluten-Free Crust:

• 1 cup almonds

• ½ cup pecans or walnuts

• ½ cup coconut flakes

• 3 tbsps coconut oil

• 24-26 pitted dates

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp salt (omit if using salted nuts)

For the No-Bake Salted Chocolate Tart:

• 12 oz good quality milk or dark chocolate + more for chocolate shavings

• 1 12.5oz can coconut milk (Chaokoh brand preferred)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ tsp salt

• Flaky sea salt for topping

• Coconut whipped cream for topping (optional)

Directions:

• In a blender or food processor, add the dates and pulse for a few seconds to start to break down the dates.

• Add the nuts, coconut flakes, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until a crust is formed. It will still be a bit crumbly, but as long as it holds together when you pinch it, it’s done. If it does not hold together, continue adding dates until the crust holds together.

• Grease a tart pan or square glass pan and pour in the crust, using your fingers to push the crust into the pan, forming some up the sides as well.

• Freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30.

• Add coconut milk to a small saucepan and heat on medium until warm (not bubbling - just a gentle simmer).

• Chop the chocolate and add to a heatproof bowl.

• Pour coconut milk over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds, then stir until mixed through.

• Add vanilla extract and salt and mix to combine.

• Pour filling into tart base and refrigerate at least 2 ½ hours or until firm.

• To serve, top with flakey sea salt, coconut whipped cream, and chocolate shavings (just use a vegetable peeler on a chocolate bar). Enjoy!

Enjoy this feast! And remember, if you make any meals of mine, please tag me on Instagram @rockinmeals so I can see your creations! Enjoy!