Valentine memories

Charlie at work

For Valentines day, Charlie traditionally cooks me something fancy. Since he mastered The Steak a few years ago, that is typically my request. He can cook a filet mignon better than any restaurant I have ever eaten in. First he figured out how to produce perfect just a shade over rare steaks every single time, and once he perfected the art of dusting them with powdered porcini mushrooms before the initial sear, that was the final straw. I will only order it out again under duress.

This year he has been trying to cook more with courses, and I just asked for a surprise. There have been some amazing mushrooms lately at Pike market so those became the theme. And for the second time in my life I ate truffles. We each wore a baby into the market because we knew there was no way to survive in there with a stroller. I was tucked in a corner by the mushrooms while Charlie ordered from our favorite produce stand, and I knew it was him behind the truffle order. One of the guys at the shop came out and was putting various mushrooms in bags and then proceeded to delicately sniff every single northwest truffle before picking the one he thought was best.

First course: porcini truffle mustard with coppa and taleggio cheese

second: oyster mushroom, arugula, and sweet garlic fettucini (full disclosure: I was the pasta maker. That is one of my jobs when Charlie cooks)

third: pork, savoy cabbage ravioli with a crimini/shiitake mushroom sauce

fourth: a salad of raw mushrooms, parsley, shaved truffle, and abbaye de belloc cheese

finally, maple mascarpone cheesecakes with walnuts

Oh, it was so good. Photo credits go to Ido, and tablecloth credits to my grandmother's wedding tablecloth. It's one of those cloths that could only have been made in a previous generation....cream shot through with a shimmer of gold.