Valentine's day

Welcome to the recipes section of the website. We are looking at Valentine's day and a three course meal which will tantalise the taste buds of your loved one or ones on the special day.

This recipe will serve six

STARTER »

Peppered beef salad with celery & truffle dressing

INGREDIENTS

Beef
500g Fillet steak
½tsp Salt
½tsp Cracked black pepper
1tblsp Olive oil

Celery
6 Celery sticks, peeled and sliced thinly on an angle
150ml Water
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushedv ½tsp Salt
2tblsp Olive oil
1 Pinch of cracked black pepper

Dressing
50ml Olive oil
50ml White truffle oil
50ml Balsamic vinegarv

Salad
300g Rocket leaves
2tblsp Olive oil
120g Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD

Cut fillet steak in half lengthways, brush with olive oil and roll in salt and pepper
Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy cast iron frying pan. Sear beef for 30 seconds on each side (at this stage the beef will be rare in the centre), set aside to cool.
Place celery, water, garlic and salt in a pan.
Bring to the boil and cook for approx 5mins until celery is tender.
Remove from heat, add olive oil and cracked black pepper.
Leave to cool then drain off liquid.
For the dressing place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk, season with salt and pepper.
To serve; mix rocket, olive oil and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Divide between the centre of 6 plates.
Scatter celery around.
Slice beef into 5mm thick slices and drape around the rocket.
Spoon the dressing over and serve.

MAIN COURSE »

Baked king prawns with crab meat stuffing, creamed potatoes and lobster sauce

INGREDIENTS

Prawns
30 Large fresh king prawn tails

Stuffing
40g Un-salted butter
50g Finely chopped onions
2 Finely chopped spring onions
40g Flour
90ml Dry white wine
400g White crabmeat
100ml Double cream
80g Breadcrumbs

Creamed potatoes
1kg Maris pipers (peeled and diced)
120ml Double cream
150g Unsalted butter

PotatoCrisps
2Large Maris piper potatoes, peeled and finely sliced lengthways

Lobster sauce
In the restaurant this would be made using lobster shells, but a good quality Lobster bisque from the supermarket could be used as a substitute

METHOD

Peel prawns, leaving tail attached if possible. Cut down the back, almost through, remove black vein and press flat.
In a frying pan soften onions and spring onions in butter, add flour and cook for 2-3mins.
Add wine, crabmeat and cream, bring to the boil stirring continuously for 5mins then chill.
Once chilled divide mix into 20-25g balls, stuff each prawn with a ball and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
For the creamed potatoes, cook the diced potatoes in salted water till soft. Drain and mash well.
Then heat butter and cream but do not boil, add this mix to the mash and mix well, season to taste with salt & pepper.
Thoroughly drain sliced potatoes and then dry on kitchen paper.
Deep-fry until golden brown @ 160°c, (alternatively you could use good quality, packaged potato crisps.
Drizzle Prawns with some melted butter, then bake in a hot oven at 210°c until nicely browned, approx 5-10mins.
To serve place some creamy mash in the centre of the plates, arrange 5 stuffed king prawns around and garnish with the crisps.
Serve with Lobster sauce

DESSERT »

Dark chocolate marquise with expresso ice cream

INGREDIENTS

Marquise
240g un-salted butter
135g cocoa powder
415g double cream
45g icing sugar
135g dark chocolate (grated)
6 egg yolks
210g caster sugar

Ice cream
8 egg yolks
180g caster sugar
750ml milk
2 vanilla pods (optional)
30g Ground Espresso coffee

METHOD

Place butter, cocoa powder and dark chocolate in a bowl over a sauce pan of boiling water and melt all together.
In another bowl gently whisk egg yolks and sugar until almost white in colour.
In another bowl semi whip cream and icing sugar into soft peaks.
Then fold chocolate mix onto yolks and sugar mix, then fold in cream mix.
You will then have a smooth chocolate mousse mix - marquise.
Divide between 6 suitably sized rings and chill well.
For the ice cream, boil milk with half the sugar,vanilla pods and coffee.
Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and infuse for 30 minutes.
Strain through a fine sieve into another saucepan and reheat.
Whisk the yolks and remaining sugar together in a stainless steel bowl.
Pour hot milk over yolk and sugar mix and return to the heat.
Gently cook, do not boil, when the mix is ready it will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and chill quickly over a bowl of ice water.
Strain mixture once more through a fine sieve (and if available churn in a ice cream machine) if not place in a bowl and freeze slightly, then mix again. Repeat this process until rich and ice cream like.
Alternatively a good quality proprietary coffee ice cream can be used.
To serve, place the marquise in the centre of a plate and remove ring, top with a ball of ice cream, simply serve with some whipped cream or in the restaurant we serve it with a vanilla cream sauce and a hazelnut crisp.