We are products of that era of cooking in which surf-and-turf was the end-all, the epitome of gourmet cuisine, the go-to meal for all special occasions (except those at which Chateaubriand was served, of course). Perhaps that is why we chose it for this year's Valentine's dinner, because something in each of our brains is wired to think "Surf-n-turf equals romance." Whatever the reason, we didn't want to come up with anything extraordinary, nothing molecular or involving strange or hard-to-find ingredients. Yes, we went retro with that oh-so-classic combination: surf and turf. 
Melted butter, garlic, shallots, cayenne, salt and pepper...
...whisked together
The "surf" was two 1 1/4-pound lobsters, flash boiled, picked, then returned to the (cleaned out) shell to be baked in a garlic, shallot, pepper and cayenne compound butter. These were moist, succulent and completely drenched in spicy, garlicky buttery yumminess.
Spread butter into the clean lobster shells...
...and fill with bite-sized pieces of par-cooked lobster meat.
The "turf" was two 6-ounce filet mignon steaks, generously seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, seared to perfection, tender, juicy and delicious in their simplicity.
Nicely seasoned and seared filet mignon
The side dish was red potatoes tossed in olive oil and herbs de Provence, then baked at 425 for a half hour.
The dessert? Well, you'll just have to check out our next post to find out about that.
The outcome? Classically romantic.
Hope your Valentine's Day dinner was just as wonderful, shared with the one you love the most.
Valentine's Day Surf and Turf
The Side:
Ingredients:
4 red potatoes, cut into a large dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread onto a baking sheet and place in oven to roast.
The Surf:
Ingredients:
2 1 1/4-pound lobsters
3 tablespoons kosher salt
6 quarts water
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
4 small cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup plain breadcrumbs, divided
In a large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Put the lobsters in head-first, cover and cook for 3 minutes only. Remove the lobsters from the water and let cool enough to handle. Pick the lobster meat and cut it into bite-sized chunks; set aside. Clean out the empty body and tail shells and place in a baking dish. Put the butter in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, until mostly melted. Add the shallots, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and whisk to incorporate. Spread 1/4 of the butter into the bottom of each lobster shell. Fill each tail shell with 1/2 of the lobster meat and the head of each lobster with 1/2 of the breadcrumbs. Top the lobster meat and breadcrumbs with the remaining butter. Set aside until the "turf" is ready to go into the oven.
The Turf:
Ingredients:
2 6-ounce filet mignon steaks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Generously season each steak with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat until very hot. Add the olive oil and quickly swirl it around the pan. Place the steaks in the pan and sear over high heat until nicely browned, about 4 minutes each side.
The Finish:
Place the baking dish holding the lobster and the cast iron pan holding the steaks into the oven (in which the potatoes are still roasting - check them for doneness). Bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how you like them cooked. Plate and serve with a nice bottle of wine, candlelight and lots of love and romance.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
