Valentine's Loving Chez le Spruce Guce

Every year my most favorite person has a Valentine's dinner for our dearest Don, whose birthday happens to be on Valentine's Day.

And it is always an honor and a pleasure to be included. Mostly a pleasure!

To start with we had homemade pate, fully loaded with Calvados. I could not eat it fast enough and had to be restrained from smearing it on myself. I think I bit my sister by accident when she tried to cut in.

Me and pate have a long and often embarrassing history.

Then we had this gorgeous bean stew made with real ham bones and Baer's beans and chunks of soft garlic.

The main course was this gigantic grilled tenderloin. It was beyond delicious. As Spruce was cutting it, I was standing beside him ostensibly helping, but really just picking out the most savory grilled bits. I don't often eat meat because when I do it's at either my Mom's or at Spruce's and they are meat maestros. Anytime I stray, I am woefully disappointed.

I think there were sides. I am sure there were, but I was too busy wrestling with my hunk o'meat to be slowed down by that business!

The meal was capped off with a massive chocolate cake that was layers of chocolate genoise, chocolate mousse, frosted with ganache, and liberally sprinkled with crack.

Gourmet homemade pate: 23,000 points
Perfectly grilled tenderloin: 3000 points
Chocolate Cake: 57,000 points
Valentine's Day with people you love and who love you: Priceless

So all in all a wonderful Valentine's Day.

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