Valentine's Steak Dinner for 2

There's just something delicious about a steak dinner. 

My favorite cut of steak is the rib-eye, but with how expensive steaks are these days, the sirloin cut is just as delicious. Sirloin steak does not have the fat marbling that the rib-eye or the NY Strip have. But that doesn't make them any less delicious or desirable. 

Petite Sirloin with Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Buttered Steamed Green Beans and Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream

I got everything through our local Walmart Superstore.

I sometimes loathe shopping so I use their pick-up service to get groceries. I used it this time for our groceries and the items needed for this dinner. Putting an order in through the app makes it a heck of a lot easier especially when you've been working all day or had a busy day doing things at home to just be able to have someone else shop for you and pick your groceries up on the way home. 

First prepare the Chocolate Mousse, that way it will be set and ready when you and your Valentine are finished with your steak dinner!

For the Chocolate Mousse. 

I used the recipe Chocolate Mousse for Two, I'm not keen on the raw egg in the recipe, but with how eggs are pasteurized, you'll be ok. If you want a recipe without eggs please use this one, Egg-Free, Easy Chocolate Mousse.

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chopped, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 tablespoon of salted butter
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3 tablespoons of sugar, separated. (2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, very cold
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare a pot with an inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and let the water simmer.

Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over the simmering water and let chocolate and butter melt, stirring until smooth.

Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk the egg yolk into the chocolate until smooth and set aside.

Whip the egg white in a separate bowl until foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form.

Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar in slowly and whip until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken, add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and the vanilla, and whip until soft peaks form.

Add the egg white to the chocolate mixture and gently fold until incorporated.

Next, add the whipped cream.

 

Transfer the mousse to your dessert dishes and cover.

 Refrigerate for several hours to set and serve with whipped cream.

For the whipped cream:

• 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar

place all ingredients in a bowl (I use a metal bowl that I have put in the freezer for 15 minutes) and whip until medium to stiff peaks form. Place on top of your mousse and serve. You can dollop the whipped cream like I did here or you can put whipped cream into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe it onto the top of your set mousse to make it a bit fancier. 

Now for the steaks. 

I drizzled them with EVOO, seasoned them with Montreal Steak Seasoning, garlic powder, and coarse ground pepper, and let them sit on the counter to rest, while I prepared the mashed potatoes. Use whatever seasonings you prefer, sometimes I just use salt and pepper.

 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes for Two

I used the recipe from Garlic Mashed Potatoes for Two but adapted it and added a few ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of russet potatoes, peeled (if preferred), and cut into cubes
• (2 large potatoes should equal 1 lb. I used 3 medium-sized and they equaled about 1 1/2 lbs.)
• 3 garlic cloves (I use jarred pre-minced garlic, 3 teaspoons)
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into 8 tablespoons and softened (1 stick equals a half cup.) I always use unsalted butter because you can always add more salt but you can't take it away. 
• 1/4 cup of whole milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of heavy cream

Place potatoes, salt, and garlic into a pot of water, and bring to boil

 

Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and let cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer the potatoes to a mixing bowl and mash. I put mine back in the pot I used and used my hand mixer on the lowest speed to mash, but you can mash by hand or use a potato ricer (if you peeled the potatoes).

Add the butter, cream cheese, milk, cream, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley (I forgot to get fresh parsley).

Mix/mash/beat until all ingredients are melted and incorporated.

 

Taste and add more salt if needed.

Now back to the steaks. 

Heat your pan, typically I use my cast iron, but I need to clean it so I used my non-stick Pioneer Woman pan this time. 

Heat it until it's really hot, add a generous drizzle of EVOO, and add the steaks. Sear on each side until cooked to your desired temperature. 

photo from temp chart

Let your steaks rest for 10 minutes. This is key to keeping your steaks nice and juicy!

boy, are these steaks are tiny!

While you are cooking the steaks, cook your green beans. I picked a steam bag of fine green beans.

Cook as directed on the bag. Transfer to a serving dish, and add butter, salt, and pepper. I added a little garlic powder as well. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Your dinner shouldn't be more than $50, it really shouldn't be more than $30 depending on your ingredients and what you already have in your pantry.

 

You'll spend more on ingredients and spices than you will on the actual meal.

 

To make the mashed potatoes, it's less than $5

To make the chocolate mousse, it's less than $4

To make the green beans, it's less than $3

To make the steaks, it's less than $15

Please let me know how your dinner turned out! 

always,

~a