Category: Date Night

Date Night!!!! It has been about a month since we have had one. Last date night, I vowed to make a special homemade dinner to save money so we could go out every month or so to a fancy or hip cool restaurant. We have had sick kids, an out of town trip, and a casual friend get together, so no date night has happened since then.

Tonight there were no excuses. I am making dinner, and it will be epic. I wanted to make a fish dish of some sort, so I looked up a few recipes. My husband only likes white fish, so I found this awesome recipe by Saver Magazine for Sole Meuniere, which is Sole with butter sauce with lemon and parsley.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Classic-Sole-Meuniere

No sole at the store, so I went with another white fish, Mahi Mahi. I used the exact recipe except with the kind of fish and how much fish I used. I only made 2 pieces of fish. It turned out EPIC! The fish was perfectly cooked; succulent and flaky. The lemon butter sauce was a perfect balance of acid and richness.

Mahi Meunire
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless filets of Mahi Mahi
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup flour
10 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
½ lemon, thinly sliced crosswise

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Season filets on both sides with salt and pepper. Place flour on a plate and set aside. Heat 4 tbsp. butter in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dust filets in flour, shaking off excess, and then place in skillet; cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer filets to warm serving platter or individual plates; sprinkle with parsley.

2. Wipe skillet clean and return to heat with remaining butter; cook, swirling pan, until butter begins to brown. Add lemon slices, cook until heated through, and then pour evenly over filets. Serve immediately with lemon slices.

What side dish can you make? Well, you could make a nice risotto, or you could make this…
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Johnny-Schmitts-Potato-Gratin

Johnny Schmitts Potato Gratin

INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Chicken Stock
4 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly grated nutmeg —I didn’t have red pepper flakes or nutmeg, but it was still delicious! Adding them would have been an added bonus.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large russet potatoes, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 cup grated gruyère cheese—-I also added about 1/2 cup Parmesan. I felt it needed more cheese =)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat cream, stock, butter, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, some nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, layer an 8″ × 12″ baking dish alternately with potatoes and ¾ cup of the cheese to form about 6 layers, finishing with potatoes.

3. Carefully strain heated cream over assembled potatoes, then sprinkle potatoes with remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until potatoes are tender and gratin is golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Allow gratin to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

I hope you make this or at least have the confidence to open a fancy cooking magazine or research an amazing food blog and just try it! Cooking is an adventure that I have found to be fulfilling and relaxing! It is so amazing to see all your efforts pay off! What if it doesn’t work? Who the hell cares??? You tried something and you can try again another time! Get in your kitchen and make some memories!