Week 6- Results from Valentine's Day Dinner

I was very excited about this weeks recipes not only because it was for a holiday, but because I had never tried Gorgonzola before. Whenever there is a holiday or any special occasion, my mind always goes to the same question first..."what am I going to make?" My life often times revolves around food. Now that can be a good thing, and that can be a bad thing (still trying to get in shape after the 3rd baby), so thank goodness my other passion has become exercising. Focusing back on the food, I was disappointed in the outcome of the dinner! I am very sad to say this. It wasn't that the food was bad, it was all the Gorgonzola together that made it a bit much. I am still new in my passion for cooking (and maybe this is where cooking school would help) & I think I was trying to pair up foods that had similar ingredients, but probably should have gone a different direction in my choice for a side dish. I will break it down for you recipe by recipe now.

The Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary Gorgonzola butter was my husband's favorite of the evening. It was not hard to make and not too time consuming. The Gorgonzola was a little on the expensive side, but you only need 3 ounces of it, so it isn't terrible. The beef was the most expensive, but I got it on sale so that was not too bad. Would have cost more if we had gone out to a restaurant to get it. It also helped that I used my beloved new AllClad D-5 Stainless Steel saute & simmer pan. That was my Valentine's Day present & I must say it cooks wonderfully. Now, you don't need this particular pan, but I am just saying it did help to have a pan that wasn't a non-stick pan. The dish did turn out quite good (with me being a not-so-lover of meat.) The wine sauce was tasty & the Rosemary Gorgonzola butter complemented the wine sauce beautifully. I must say it did make A LOT of the butter, so next time I would cut the recipe in half. I also served steamed asparagus with the Rosemary Gorgonzola butter on top & that was VERY good!

The Gorgonzola and Porcini Mushroom Risotto was an interesting experience. I had gotten this mushroom risotto from the store a few weeks ago (before I found the Giada Risotto recipe), so when I had found it, I thought I could combine the 2 recipes. Well, it may have worked out okay except I started the Risotto too late (it should have been the first thing I started because the steak was done well before the Risotto), I was trying to figure out how to make the 2 recipes work together & cut it in half (I am never good at this) & stressed because all the other food was done just as I was starting the Risotto. I had never made Risotto before, but it really wasn't hard at all. A little time consuming, but the overall recipe was not complex. It probably would have been okay except I forgot that I had cut the recipe in half & added the amount of Gorgonzola for a full recipe. Needless to say it was VERY Gorgonzola tasting. I also didn't use dried Porcini mushrooms because I couldn't find them. I used crimini instead & just sauteed them with the onion. I must admit it was too much flavor that night, but I had some for lunch today & it wasn't that bad. I really like risotto a lot, but if I were to make this recipe again, I would remember to cut down the Gorgonzola amount!

The Brownie Pudding was without a doubt THE BEST THING OF THE NIGHT! It was really easy to make & didn't require anything too out of the ordinary as far as ingredients went. I always have cocoa powder in my pantry, but if you don't you can find it at your local grocery store (hopefully!) The batter was to die for (and I am not one to eat batter.) When we ate it, it was warm and gooey goodness. It had a harder crust, but when you got to the middle it was a cross between a brownie and a mousse. It was so good. It was very rich so do serve it with vanilla ice cream to off-set the richness of the chocolate. You have to make this dessert! It is one of the best I have ever made! I hope you enjoy making it as much as I did eating it. Bon Appetit!

Side note- sorry there are no pictures for this week. I really wanted to take some, but our camera broke on Valentine's Day, so I tried with my phone, but it didn't do the food any justice. Sorry! Next time I make the pudding, I will take a picture of it I promise!