A Week of Recipes (2/9-2/15)
Butterflied Branzino, Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb, Chocolate Lava Cake
Happy Sunday everyone and hello to quite a bit of new people! Thank you all for subscribing and supporting the work I do. It brings me so much joy to cook and share all the dishes I make with you all. I’m genuinely so happy with how this beautiful community is growing and creating a life of its own.
This week was focused on “Dishes Made with Love.” With Valentines Day being this past Friday, I was really pushing recipes that are so incredibly simple to make and take hardly any time at all. Even the desserts are really simple to make.
These past few years I have made a point to have my Valentines Dinner at home. I find that most restaurants serve over priced food and it’s always terrible quality. Especially the restaurants that focus too much on their vibe or aesthetic, the quality of food tends to suffer. So I’ve been having fun over the last 6+ years making my Valentines Dinner at home. From ribeye’s to pasta and everything in between, we’ve been having so much fun enjoying our evening at home and at like half the cost!
The recipes I’m sharing here are what I would consider to be very elegant dishes that would be wildly overpriced at a restaurant and are actually quite easy to make at home.
The Butterflied Branzino is a fish I found at Costco of all places. They have a nice pack of 3 fish gutted and descaled so they basically did the hardest part for you. You just need some kitchen sheers and a sharp knife to butterfly it. And from there your dish will be ready within 15 minutes!
The Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb was also a great find at Costco. Believe it or not the whole rack was only $16! Most lamb in the US actually comes from New Zealand so for a nice meaty rack, that’s a steal! And the best part is they only take 15-20 minutes in the oven with the optional 2 min sear if you like a crust on each piece.
The Chocolate Lava Cake is what I consider to be the worlds most popular dessert. Anywhere you go in the world they have some form of this. It’s just so simple, so elegant, and so rich. I can’t think of a better dessert to indulge in with your loved ones or close friends. What I love most about it is that you can prep it a day or two ahead and bake it straight from the fridge in just 15 minutes.
Butterflied Branzino
This is my absolute favorite way to serve fish. It captures the essence of life on the Mediterranean. Fresh fish doused in olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice (my holy trinity). All tied together with bright herbs and some tomatoes. Every ingredient here gets to really stand out and shine. With just salt and pepper used to season everything, you get to r…
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
This is one of those dishes that just screams elegance. It’s very light and delicate, unlike a husky steak, and is packed with so much natural flavor. The idea with this lamb is to compliment it’s natural flavor with fresh herbs and garlic of course, get a nice char on it, and dig in with a tangy yogurt sauce. I fell in love with the first bite, so happ…
Chocolate Lava Cake
I don’t think this needs any introduction. Chocolate lava cake is probably the most popular dessert in the world. First of all it’s gorgeous, the presentation when it arrives to your table is always spectacular. Second, it’s rich beyond belief. I always half regret eating it because I eat too much of it. And last, it’s what I would consider, the ultimat…
Fantastic! Thanks a ton Waleed!