Marin Mommies presents a sponsored article from our Food Section Sponsor, Whole Foods Market, with a Valentine's dinner meal plan from their head Northern California Chef Trent Page.

Create an easy chef-inspired Valentine's dinner at home with Chef Trent's menu, recipes and time-saving tips—no guesswork, no reservations!

Steak with Red Wine Jus

Ingredients

• 2 New York Strip Steaks, at least 1 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• ¼ cup red wine
• ¼ tsp Worcestershire (optional)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions
Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 40 minutes and up to 2 hours before cooking.

Heat the oil in a large Stainless Steel Pan over high heat until smoking. Carefully add the steaks to the pan and lower flame to medium-high.  Continue to cook, flipping every 1–2 minutes with tongs until the internal temperature has reached 120°F for medium rare or 130°F for medium (steak will continue to cook for a bit), 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.  Remove from pan and tent loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.  Make sure to reserve any juice or drippings.

For the pan sauce, remove the pan from the heat and discard excess oil in the pan. Add minced shallots and sweat for 1–2 min.  Add ¼ cup of red wine. Return pan to stove and reduce the wine by half, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once reduced, add butter to the pan. Gently swirl pan with butter until halfway melted. Turn off heat completely, and continue to swirl pan until butter is completely melted. Add the excess juice from the resting steaks back into the pan with the Worcestershire sauce and taste for seasoning. Spoon sauce over steaks.

Scallops with Citrus Brown Butter

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh dry sea scallops (about 10pcs)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt plus ½ teaspoon for sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ meyer lemon (about 1.5 tablespoons juice)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions
Place scallops on a layer of paper towels, thoroughly pat dry and season with salt on all sides. Place in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes and then pat dry again. Season lightly with more salt. Heat the oil in a large stainless steel pan over high heat until lightly smoking. Add scallops, being careful not to crowd the pan.

Sear scallops without moving them until well browned on the first side, about 1 minute. Carefully flip scallops and cook 1 minute, then add butter and baste for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a paper towel to drain, leaving the butter in the pan. Butter should be golden brown and smell sweet and nutty. Add juice of half of meyer lemon, ½ tsp salt and the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning.

Place cooked scallops on a plate, spoon browned butter sauce and serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower with Wild Mushrooms and Truffle Cream

Ingredients

• Cauliflower “Steak”
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 Container Truffle Cream Sauce
• Wild Mushroom Pack (Mycopia)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tsp salt. Spread evenly on a baking tray and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large stainless steel pan over high heat until lightly smoking. Season cauliflower with 2 tsp salt, place in pan and sear until dark golden brown (approximately 2 minutes). Flip cauliflower and place in oven for 20 minutes or tender when pierced with a paring knife.

Place mushrooms in the oven with the cauliflower and roast 15 minutes or until golden brown.

When cauliflower is tender, pour truffle cream sauce over the top and simmer 2 minutes on the stove top. Place the cauliflower on a plate, top with sauce from the pan, roasted mushrooms, chopped parsley and fresh grated parmesan.

Truffled Cauliflower Puree Reheat Instructions:
Stove-top: Place cauliflower puree in a small pot. Turn stove on low to medium heat. Stir occasionally until puree is hot.
Microwave:  Place cauliflower puree in a microwave safe container. On high power, microwave for 1 minute. Check puree and mix thoroughly. Place back in microwave for another 45 seconds.

Roasted Carrots Reheat Instructions:
Microwave: Place carrots in a microwave safe container. Microwave on high power for 2 minutes.
Oven: Preheat oven to 375°. Remove plastic lid from oven safe tray that carrots were purchased in. Place tray of carrots in oven for 8–12 minutes.