Valentine’s Day menu

Valentine’s Day menu – A romantic dinner for two

In today’s stressful society, it’s important to make time for each other and for love. Here’s a lovely Valentine’s Day menu that you can cook together with your partner – a meal that smells and tastes of romance. Finish off the dinner with a lovely evening drink.

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Starter

Garnish each plate with a large, fresh rose.

PEPPER AND GARLIC-STUFFED PUFF PASTRY HEARTS

You’ll need
1 roll of puff pastry
1 tub of Cantadou garlic cheese
2 tsp dried oregano
1 large red pepper
2 tbsp melted butter
Method
1. Rinse and finely chop the pepper.
2. Mix the garlic cheese and the finely chopped pepper together well.
3. Roll out the puff pastry and spread the cheese mixture over it, then sprinkle with oregano.
4. Roll the puff pastry up from both ends (the short ends).
5. Place the roll in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
6. Cut the puff pastry roll into slices about 1.5 cm thick and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Shape the slices into hearts (pinch in at the top and pull outwards towards the bottom).
7. Brush the hearts with melted butter.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
9. Allow to cool slightly before serving two hearts on a bed of salad.

Main course

Spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce à la Lady & the Tramp (serves 4)

You’ll need
400 g spaghetti
1 tbsp sea salt + 2.5 tsp
2 tsp finely chopped chilli
2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese + 1,5 tsp
, 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
, 1 pinch of sea salt
, 2 tsp thinly sliced fresh basil
. Tomato sauce – You’ll need
4 tbsp olive oil
, 1 large finely chopped onion
, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
, 1 red chilli, finely
chopped 1 dl tomato purée
6 roughly chopped tomatoes
4 peeled and roughly chopped plum
tomatoes 2 tsp Herbes de Provence (French herbs, seasoning)
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig of fresh basil
1 tsp sea salt
Tomato sauce – Method
1. Sauté the onion, garlic and chilli in olive oil, stirring constantly, until soft and translucent. Add the tomato purée and fry for a further 5 minutes.
2. Add the beef tomatoes, plum tomatoes and salt. Wrap the thyme, parsley, basil and Herbes de Provence in a piece of fabric, such as a sheet, and tie it up with kitchen string. Place the herb bundle into the pan. Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. After about 3 hours, remove the herb bundle and discard it. Blend the sauce using a hand blender until smooth. Then strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and pour it back into the pan; set aside.
Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes- You will need
20 cherry tomatoes
, 2 garlic cloves (chopped
), 1 tbsp fresh thyme + 2.5 tsp
, 0.5 dl olive oil
, salt
, freshly ground black pepper
. Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes – Method
1. Preheat the oven to 65 degrees.
2 Place the cherry tomatoes in a bowl and add the garlic, thyme and olive oil; season with salt and pepper and stir. Spread the tomatoes evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in the centre of the oven for about 3 hours.
Elk meatballs – You will need
500 g minced elk or beef
, 1 yellow onion, grated
1 egg
3 slices of white bread, crusts
removed 0.5–1 dl milk
2–3 tbsp barbecue seasoning
1 tsp mixed
pepper 1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
Elk meatballs – Method
1. Crumble the bread and add the milk and spices. Mix well and leave to stand for about 10 minutes.
2. Peel and grate the onion, then add it to the bread mixture.
3. Add the minced elk and mix well; then add a whole egg and mix well again.
4. Leave the elk mince mixture to chill for at least 30 minutes, but preferably much longer.
5. Roll the mixture into small balls; a tablespoonful of mixture is usually a good guide.
6. Fry the meatballs in butter for about 6 minutes.

Serving

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Heat the tomato sauce over a medium heat and add the chilli, cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes; season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt and mix well. Stir the pasta into the tomato sauce. Arrange the meatballs on top. Garnish with basil and Parmesan and serve immediately.

Dessert

Frozen mousse hearts covered in strawberry sauce (4–6)

Hearts – You will
need 1.2 dl milk
, 0.5 dl sugar
, 2 egg yolks
, 2 gelatine leaves
, 225 g ricotta
, 2 dl whipping cream
, heart-shaped silicone muffin moulds (available, for example, here and here)
Hearts – Method
1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
2. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy, add a little of the boiling milk and whisk well, then pour the egg mixture back into the remaining milk and bring to the boil.
4. Add the gelatine and whisk well, then leave to cool.
5. Pass the ricotta through a fine sieve and whip the cream in a separate bowl.
6. Whisk together the strained ricotta and the egg mixture.
7. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
8. Pour the mousse into the silicone moulds and use a knife to smooth the surface.
9. Place the moulds in the freezer for a couple of hours or overnight.
Strawberry sauce – You will need
250 g strawberries
, 0.5 dl sugar
, 2 gelatine leaves
. Strawberry sauce – Method
1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
2. Blend the strawberries and sugar to a purée, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
3. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the mixture in a saucepan and add the squeezed-out gelatine leaves. Once the gelatine has dissolved, mix the hot sauce with the rest of the strawberry sauce and leave to cool.

Once the mousses have set, remove them from their moulds and place them on a wire rack. Pour plenty of strawberry sauce over the hearts and let it run off. Lift the hearts onto the plates using a spatula. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Evening drink

Pink Love

You will need
4 cl Explorer Strawberry/Lime
, 15 cl Schweppes Red Berry Fusion
, crushed ice
. Method
1. Fill a highball glass 75 per cent full with crushed ice.
2. Add the Explorer Strawberry/Lime and Schweppes Red Berry Fusion. Stir.

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