Originally posted Feb. 15, 2011

Valentine’s Day marked a stay-at-home evening of indulgence. My favourite kind. I was in charge of first course, for which I chose one of our most favourite and simplistic dishes: insalata capresa. I decided to present this in a tower with fig balsamic and lemon olive oil from a great Halifax store called Liquid Gold.

My partner skillfully created a decadent main course of penne tossed in a cream sauce with summer truffles and parmesan cheese. We also finally cracked a bottle of 2006 Craggy Range Pinot Noir from New Zealand which had been lying on my wine rack for over a year. As soon as dinner was over we exchanged gifts, and laid low for the rest of the evening. Pretty much a perfect Valentine’s Day.

I don’t have too much to report, as the photos really say it all… so I will just show you our decadent feast, step-by-step, which hopefully will re-iterate how easy it is to create a gourmet meal at home, for any occasion. Especially when you have a truffle on hand!