Valentime's Day

I have to work tonight, so the wifey and I did our Valentine's Day dinner last night. We started with a some prosecco and my favorite salad - herbed spring mix, orange supremes, toasted almond slices, and an orange-shallot vinaigrette. Then it was on to dinner:

SEARED NY STRIP, CRAB CLAWS, HARICOT VERT,
BACON-CRAB MAC N CHEESE
Obviously, none of this is super high end, but it was delicious. I did make the Mac with a béchamel with aged cheddar and topped it with cave-aged gruyére and panko - yummy. And yes, those are two heart-shaped beets for garnish! <3







The star of the show was the cake I made:













A sponge cake with a hint of almond, iced with a brown sugar buttercream and garnished with toasted almond slices. Notice the intricate piping work! The cake wasn't quite as light and airy as I'd hoped, but it was still delicious.













Happy Valentine's Day everyone!