Valentine's Day Done Right, Right At Home. Bistecca Alla Fiorentina & Grilled Lobster Tails w/ Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Valentine’s Day Done Right, Right At Home. Bistecca Alla Fiorentina & Grilled Lobster Tails w/ Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Today being Valentine’s Day, a lot of things change from what you would normally expect them to be. Restaurants see a lot of action over the next 24 – 48 hours simply because a lot of people know how hard their loved ones work and how much they deserve to be treated to an amazing meal outside of the house. That causes mayhem that a lot of usually try to avoid.

The aforementioned aside, there are also those of us who want to actually put some elbow grease into a meal to make something special that we wouldn’t have the time to do on the regular.

That being said, today we are going to help those of you out there who want that fabulous Surf & Turf dinner without even having to leave the house with our Recipe of the Day: Bistecca Alla Fiorentina (Steak Florentine or Porterhouse Steak) & Grilled Lobster Tail w/ Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette. This recipe is deadly simply because the aromas it kicks up, the mood it creates and the dexterity it shows someone has in the kitchen is just all around FLY!.

Enjoy this meal with a loved one over some strong libations. Its Valentine’s Day, everyone deserves some love.

As is true for all steak, to ensure a juicy, flavorful steak that cooks quickly, have the meat at room temperature before starting. Use a grill or thick cast iron pan and make sure that they are very hot. Always let the meat rest, at least 5 minutes, before carving and a sharp knife will glide right through. 

Ingredients:

2 (2-pound) Porterhouse steaks, about 2 inches thick

Grey sea salt

Coarse grind black pepper

Pure olive oil

Great balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Let the steak rest outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking.

Use a hot, clean, oiled grill. If pan roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Liberally season the steak with the salt and pepper, coat with olive oil and press the seasoning into the meat.

Grill the steaks for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium rare.

The fillet will cook a little faster than the strip loin.

Move the steaks every 2 minutes or so for even cooking and a crispy exterior.

For pan roasting, heat a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil until smoking hot.

Turn on the fan, open the window and stand back to avoid getting splattered!

Using tongs, place the steaks in the center of the pan.

Cook until the first side is seared brown, about 4 minutes.

Turn the steaks and place the pan in the oven until the steaks are done, about 6 minutes for medium rare.

Remove the steaks to a carving board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.

Cut the steaks away from the bone and carve into 1/2-inch slices.

Arrange the meat on warmed plates and drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar over the slices.

Serve with some extra gray sea salt on the side.

Grilled Lobster Tails with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lobster Tail Ingredients:

2 – 1lb Fresh Lobster Tails (or as close as you can come)

2 TBS Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

½ tsp Kosher Salt

¼ tsp Freshly Ground White Pepper

For the Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

2 oranges, zested

2 small oranges, juiced or 1 large orange, juiced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 clove garlic, peeled

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Vinaigrette Directions:

In a blender, combine the orange zest, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Blend until smooth.

With the blender running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until combined.

Transfer to a clean container and store in the refrigerator.

Lobster Directions

Using a sharp knife, cut each lobster tail lengthwise through the shell into 2 pieces.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill the lobsters.

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Lightly brush the lobster tails on the cut side with2 tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Place the tails, cut side down, on the grill and cook for 3 minutes.

Rotate the tails 45 degrees and cook the tails for 3 minutes longer.

Rotate the tails 45 degrees again so that the tails are now cut side-up and cook until lobster is just cooked through, 1 to 3 minutes longer.

During these last few minutes, spoon some of the vinaigrette over the cut tail meat so that it drizzles down into the lobster shells.

 

Serve the lobster tails with more of the vinaigrette drizzled over the meat.

This photo shows the steak with no sauce on it.