Love and Stroganoff are in the air

Until about an hour ago, I had intended to write about our Valentine's weekend in London. Then we ate dinner...

The weekly meal planning has been hard to keep up with between weekends away, Paul working late, and primetime telly. This week, we did our shopping in two hapharzard trips and I cobbled together a meal plan in my head while looping around the store. We had quite a few ingredients that needed to get used - mushrooms, shallots, and creme fraiche were at the top of the list. Knowing that there was 3+ lbs of ground beef in the freezer the lightbulb went on and I thought: Stroganoff!

A few weeks ago I made a recipe called 'Mock Stroganoff' that I had gotten from one of Grandma's cooking magazines but had never made. It's basically just an easy version of Beef Strogranoff with ground beef and instant gravy that takes about 20 minutes to make. We both loved it and I added it to the list of options for our weekly meal plans.

The original recipe calls for onions which I replaced with the shallots. These are sauteed with the ground beef and mushrooms. Once cooked you are meant to drain it. This would probably be a good thing for us to do - especially considering how often we moan about our bellies getting bigger - but you lose so much flavor I just couldn't bring myself to do it. To the pot you then add the water and instant gravy powder or granules and let it thicken. The recipe says you only need about two minutes but I found I had to add quite a bit more granules to get it thick enough and also let it simmer quite a bit longer to really soak up the flavor of the beef and shallots. Once thickened, you add sour cream to the gravy and serve. Since I had creme fraiche from one of last week's recipes, I used that instead. My final touch - also an edit to the original recipe - was to add two teaspoons of dijon mustard to give it a little oomph.

As any good chef, I tasted the results to check whether more seasoning was needed and I almost swooned in delight. My first Stroganoff had been good but this - this was a masterpiece! If I don't mind saying so myself... I really think the shallots and creme fraiche made all the difference. Plus, the first time around, I used too much mustard and it overpowered the gravy far too much. I really wouldn't have thought that such a quick-cook recipe using INSTANT gravy could be so delicious.

Paul and I both praised the Stroganoff with almost every bite and stood over the pot of leftovers debating whether or not to finish it off. It took everything we had not to dig in and Paul selflessly gave up seconds so I could take the rest for lunch tomorrow. What a guy!

And the romance doesn't stop there... For Valentine's Weekend (which also doubled as our 2nd Anniversary celebration) we made the short trip up to London. We had an ideal schedule of activities - a little something for everyone! The festivities kicked off with an afternoon match at the Emirates Stadium between Arsenal and Wolverhampton. Happily, Arsenal won and Paul didn't have to force himself to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The match was followed by a nap - cheering, chanting, and singing at a football match really takes it out of you! Then it was off to the Swan Restaurant at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I had been to the Swan on a recon visit with one of the girl's from the Marketing Department to check out their venue hire prices and options. We both absolutely loved the look and feel of the restaurant - it has this great rustic yet sophisticated style and a bank of leaded windows runs one whole side of the dining room looking out over the Thames. The menu also looked excellent without being too pricey for a London establishment. I knew the combination of its great atmosphere, made cosier by lowlighting and candles, and a well-planned menu would make for a perfect Valentine's dinner.

As usual, we both ordered starters. I went for the Scallops in a Sweet Onion Gratin while Paul went for the Shetland Mussels. My scallops were very well prepared and I loved the creamy gratin. Paul preferred his mussels which were very good but not as good as others we've had. In my opinion, the broth wasn't quite as flavorful as it might have been.

For the mains I had Sirloin Steak with Chips and Paul had Lamb Rump, Grilled Liver, and Haricot Beans. It wasn't until they arrived that we realized we hadn't ordered any veg. We were both surprised that our server had not asked us if we wanted any. Paul looked longingly at his plate for a few moments, perhaps hoping it might magically appear; he does love his veg. But then he reconciled himself to its absence and began his meal.

I took the opportunity to try liver for the first time... and I have to say, I have not been missing out. I now know why Liver and Onions is so villified. Paul is not a great lover of liver either but gave it a bite just to confirm his dislike. And no, he still does not like liver.

Otherwise, we were both quite satisfied with our meals. Paul's lamb was tender and flavorful. My steak was cooked perfectly medium and was accompanied by a nicely roasted onion. And that was exactly the problem: we were only satisfied. But then, with each bite, they seemed to get better and better. By the last bite, we both were savoring our meals and regretting that they were coming to an end. I still can't quite comprehend how it could have been that way. At the start, both meals were good but somehow they became very good and then really good and then excellent. Maybe the liver initially dulled our tastebuds... or maybe it was the wine finally taking effect...

There was just one course to go and I had already picked my selection and predicted Paul's. I went for the Honeycomb Cheesecake while Paul chose the Apple and Blackberry Crumble with Ice Cream. Paul's crumble was just as a crumble should be: warm, lovely, and perfectly paired with the light vanilla ice cream. My cheesecake was almost like a preview of the Modern art we would see the following morning at the Tate: random, confusing, but still sort of enjoyable. I, as I think most would, expected a slice of cheesecake featuring honeycomb pieces in and/or on the dessert. Instead I was presented with a cheesecake-like mousse, piped thickly in a spiral around the plate, and then sprinkled with pieces of honeycomb and crispy chocolate pieces. Now I am not opposed to thinking outside the box or reinterpreting a classic but in my mind, calling a rope of mousse cheeseCAKE is a big misrepresentation and, therefore, a big disappointment.

But, have no fear, I did not let my dessert failure ruin our lovely evening and of course, I ate it all.

Our last eating experience of note in London of the weekend was breakfast in the cafe at the Tate Modern. I am currently working at my third museum and have been to countless others - at many of which I have sampled the cafes - and I have to say, this was my best museum cafe experience yet. Paul had the Full English Breakfast which he found a bit difficult to eat in the method he is accustomed to. Paul likes everything to be in its own quandrant and to take little bites of everything and put them together into one. He felt it was "too all over the place" somehow. But he still enjoyed it and the sausage was particularly nice. My breakfast was Mushrooms and Spinach on Toast with a Duck Egg. I can say without hesitation that it was outstanding. The toast is perhaps what made the meal. Rather than your bog-standard white or brown bread toast, they served my mushrooms, spinach, and egg on a beautiful, rustic bread lightly buttered. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly and the egg was just right - well-cooked but still with the loveliest of runny yokes. It all came together to be a delight on a plate. And to think I was just going to order a bacon sandwich!

We left London well-fed and happy to be starting our third year together together :)

Coming up next week... Adventures with our new crockpot!