Valentine’s Day Recipes Courtesy Of Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade’s Chef

What is the secret to a delicious meal? Some may argue that it’s all about the ingredients. That’s true in a sense. But just in time for Valentine’s Day, one chef says it’s also about the love that you put into the cooking process.

Chef Richard Ingraham, the personal cook of retired NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union, recently dropped his second recipe book, Love: My Love Expressed Through Food, which highlights mouth-watering recipes with insight into how to make it all with the right amount of warmth and tenderness.

“Just like with preparing food, a relationship takes work. It all takes work. Perfecting a recipe takes work. It takes trial and error and it takes love and passion. With the love of cooking, you can’t go in there [kitchen], throw something in the pan, and expect the food to do what it needs to do. It takes some form of understanding of your ingredients, just like with loving your spouse or your girlfriend or boyfriend; it takes an understanding of that person,” he shares. “What turns them on? What turns them off? What works with this particular ingredient, and what doesn’t work? Even as far as your flame, is it time for you to turn the heat up, or is it time for you to turn the heat down? It’s all hand in hand. And it takes time.”

For those who are trying to get better at throwing down in the kitchen, especially when crafting something for a special someone, Ingraham says it’s all about intention. 

“When you think about relationships, you have to figure out what it takes for a person to feel loved and wanted. The same thing with food, Ingraham says. “So with Love, I am hoping people can use this to eat great meals and bring that romance into their lives with people they care about through the art of cooking.”

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Ingraham shared his recommendations from his latest book for a sumptuous meal that can be made for your partner, family member or friend, at any time of the day. Whether it’s French toast for breakfast or ribeye steak for dinner, love is on the menu. 

Ingraham believes that when you put your heart into understanding food and creating feasts, it can go further than you think.

“Love can save your life. In the same way, great food can save your life,” Ingraham says. “I would definitely say the love of my wife has saved me. The more we learn how to be loved and accept love from others, even if it may be difficult at times, the more it can make a world of difference.”

Bourbon Brown Sugar French Toast

With Fresh Peaches and Uncle Nearest Caramel Sauce (Serves 4)

The reason I choose this dish is because, with the French toast, you get that warm bread that’s soaked into that brown sugar custard. Preparing this takes effort. Just like with a relationship, you’re going to have to put in some work. You’re whisking these eggs, putting the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in altogether. Then, stir that around. After that, you’re getting that brown butter together to put that French toast on the griddle. After that, you make the caramel sauce. Something just nice and warm. So when you add your sweet peaches and whip up your whipped cream, it’s just right. And because we’re all adults here, now you have some extra whipped cream for later on. You know what I mean?

BROWN BUTTER PEACHES

3 tablespoons brown butter

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ripe peaches, cut into 1⁄4 inch slices

Melt the brown butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add light brown sugar and stir until melted. Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the pure vanilla extract and peaches. Cool and set aside.

BOURBON BROWN SUGAR FRENCH TOAST

6 large eggs

2 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

1⁄2 cup whole milk

1⁄4 cup Uncle Nearest bourbon

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoon cardamom

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 1-inch thick slices challah unsalted butter for cooking

Uncle Nearest caramel sauce

Brown butter peaches

Whipped cream

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, bourbon, light brown sugar, cardamon, and kosher salt. Whisk until mixture is completely smooth and all the spices are well incorporated.

Pour the custard into a shallow dish. Place a slice of challah in the custard and let it soak for about 20 seconds. Flip and repeat. The amount of time you soak is dependent on the thickness of your bread. It should be soft when you touch it but not soggy. Place each piece on a sheet pan until you’ve soaked each slice.

Next, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. I love using my cast-iron skillet for this!
Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Swirl it around until the pan is fully coated. Place the French toast in the pan with 1-2 inches in between each slice. Don’t overcrowd the pan!
Cook on medium-low heat for about five minutes, two and a half minutes per side, or until golden. Remove each slice from the skillet and place on a foil-lined sheet pan. I like to use a rack on my sheet pans so that all the sides of the French toast can evenly be touched by the heat when I put them in the oven. Once all the French toast has been placed on the sheet pan, place the pan in the preheated oven for ten minutes until heated through and puffy.

Remove the pan from the oven and serve immediately with brown butter peaches, Uncle Nearest caramel sauce, and whipped cream. Keep leftovers stored covered in the refrigerator. They will keep for 3-5 days. I doubt if you’ll have any!

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Briefly stir to combine. Turn the burner on to medium-high heat. Once the sugar reaches a deep amber color (about the color of a copper penny), remove the saucepan from the heat.

Slowly and carefully pour the heavy cream into the sugar mixture, whisking as you pour to quickly incorporate the cream. Add in the butter and whisk until combined. Add in the pure vanilla extract, Uncle Nearest whiskey, sea salt, and whisk until combined. Serve immediately.

Crab Cake Crusted Ribeye

With Caviar Chive Butter Sauce (Serves 4)

I love the ribeye that’s crusted with the crab cake. The reason I love this is, you know, who doesn’t like surf and turf? When you normally think of surf and turf, you think of a steak and some lobster on the other side. So why not combine both flavors, remove the lobster, and replace it with jumbo lump crab cake? You can even top it off with a caviar beurre blanc. You take this dish to an elevated level with a nice French sauce like a white wine butter sauce that you add caviar and some chives to.

CRAB CAKE CRUST

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 teaspoons creole seasoning

1⁄2 teaspoon celery seeds

1-pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked

1⁄4 cup Asiago cheese, grated kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine egg, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, creole seasoning, and celery seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning. Using a spatula, gently fold in the crabmeat and cheese. Careful not to break up the lumps. Refrigerate until ready for use.

RIBEYE

4 bone-in ribeye steaks, 1-1 1⁄2 inches thick

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper caviar chive butter sauce

crab cake crust

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and a rack. Remove the crab mixture from the refrigerator and set aside. Rub both sides of the steaks with 4 tablespoons olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Place the steaks in the hot skillet. Don’t overcrowd your pan! Sear the steaks until nicely brown, about three minutes on each side.

Remove the steaks from the pan and place them on the rack-fitted sheet pan. Top each steak with crab mixture. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes until the crab is golden, or until the internal temperature of the ribeye is 130 degrees. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak to assess the temperature. Remove the steak from the oven and let it rest about 5-7 minutes. This step allows the juices of the steak the opportunity to be redistributed which results in a juicier steak. Serve with caviar chive butter sauce.

CAVIAR CHIVE BUTTER SAUCE

Yields 1 Cup

1 medium shallot, minced

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 black peppercorns

1⁄2 cup dry white wine

1⁄4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

4 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 ounce caviar

1 tablespoon chives, sliced thin kosher salt

Combine shallots, bay leaf, thyme sprig, black peppercorns, white wine, and white wine vinegar in a medium saucepan. Simmer mixture over medium heat until reduced by half. There will be very little liquid left. Fit a fine-mesh strainer over a small heat-proof bowl that fits the saucepan without touching the bottom. Pour the wine mixture through the strainer and press the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

Rinse the saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Place the bowl onto the saucepan. Make sure the bottom isn’t touching the water.
While whisking continuously, add in the cold butter one piece at a time, making sure each piece is completely melted before adding more. Once all the butter has been incorporated, the sauce should be thickened slightly. Remove from the heat. Next, fold in caviar and fresh chives. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning.