Forget going out this Valentine’s Day. Instead, stay in and enjoy a romantic, homemade meal. Here, chef Ingrid Hoffmann shares her romantic recipes for seafood noodle paella, Catalan cream and a citrus basil infused sangria.
Recipe: Seafood noodle paella (on this page) Recipe: Catalan cream (on this page) Recipe: Citrus and basil infused sangria (on this page)Heat the oil in a paella pan or large (12- to 14-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook, turning with tongs, until the pasta begins to soften and brown slightly, 2-3 minutes.
Push the pasta to one side of the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, sherry, paprika, saffron, and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, calamari, peas, and parsley. Cover and simmer until the pasta is tender, the mussels begin to open, and the calamari is opaque, 8-10 minutes. Remove and discard any mussels that do not open. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes; Serves 8-10
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, and salt to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes to infuse the flavors.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Remove and discard the orange zest and cinnamon sticks from the milk. Whisking constantly, gradually add the milk to the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, to thicken the mixture, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the custard into a large bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Divide the custard between 10 five-ounce ramekins and smooth the surfaces. Cool the custards slightly, then cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until the custard is cold, at least 8 hours or up to 24.
To serve, sprinkle each ramekin evenly with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until browned and crusty. Serve immediately.
Serves 10
1. Pour two cups of orange juice into ice cube trays. Freeze. (Optional: Add basil or mint leaves in the cubes.)
2. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into saucepan along with bean pods. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for another 2 minutes until syrup thickens. Stir in basil and refrigerate until cool.
3. In a large pitcher combine wine, orange liquor, lime juice, remaining orange juice, vanilla-basil syrup, and fruit. Allow sangria to chill for up to 6 hours.
4. Serve over orange juice ice cubes with a splash of soda and fresh basil.
Preparation time: 20 minutes; Total time: 3 hours; Serves 6-8
© 2012 MSNBC Interactive
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