A Proverb from Valentines Day Recipes: An apple pie without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.
A Table for Two
Please.
Make your day a fun and
tasty one. Here are some tried and true Valentines Day recipes that
will
add some romance to your special Valentines Day. They say that the
quickest way to a person heart is through their
stomach, you can be sure to secure a place in the hearts of your loved
ones on February 14th with our sweet ideas for
mouth-watering treats and romantic desserts. You don't have to be the
worlds greatest chef to make these recipes they are
all easy and fun to make with step by step instructions.
Click on one of the
recipes in the list below to be taken to the Valentines Day recipe of your choice:
One of the many Valentines Day traditions is a candlelit dinner for
two. There is a lot to be said for going out to a
fancy restaurant to celebrate this special lovers day but why not
consider preparing one of the Valentines Day recipes
for dessert from the list here, before going out and eating it when
you come home! Mmmm!
Having an intimate Valentines Day dinner at home can also be great fun
especially if you make the preparations a joint
effort, cooking together can be a very romantic part of the
celebrations. So Light the candles, turn down the lights,
put on the mood music and enjoy!
Tradition states that
if you drop your fruit into the fondue you must kiss the person
opposite you.
500 g (1 lb)
good‑quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 banana
3 apples
3‑1 slices fresh or
canned pineapple
150 g (5 oz)
strawberries
Place the cream and
milk in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and
scrape the seeds into the pan. Add the vanilla pod to the pan.
Slowly heat until just at boiling point. Remove from the heat,
discard the vanilla pod and stir in the chocolate. Keep the
chocolate fondue warm by sitting the pan within a larger pan of
hand‑hot water.
Cut the fruit into
large slices or chunks, depending on the type of fruit. Leave the
strawberries whole.
To serve skewer a
mixture of fruits for each person and serve with a small dish of
fondue on each individual plate. Alternatively, serve the fondue in
the centre of the table with the fruit and allow each person to dip
one piece of fruit at a time into the fondue.
Chefs tip: Vary
your fruit selection to take advantage of each season.
Surely this is the way fruit was intended to be...sweet and juicy, and
smothered with rich dark chocolate.
The combination of fruits you use is only limited by
your imagination.
Preparation time 20 minutes + 15 minutes refrigeration
Total
cooking time 10‑15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
About 10 - 15
strawberries depending on size.
185 g (6 oz) bittersweet
chocolate, chopped.
1 tablespoon white
vegetable shortening or cooking oil.
Line a baking tray
with greaseproof or baking paper. Clean the strawberries by brushing
with a dry pastry brush, or rinsing them very quickly in cold water
and drying well on a thick layer of paper towels. Discard any
berries with soft spots.
Put the chocolate in a
bowl. Half fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Remove
from the heat and place the bowl over the pan, making sure it is not
touching the water. Leave the chocolate to melt slowly. Stir in the
shortening or oil, and mix until melted and completely incorporated.
Remove the bowl from the pan and place on a folded towel to keep it
warm.
Holding the berries by
their stems or hulls, dip about three quarters of the way into the
chocolate, some of the colour of the fruit still shows. Gently wipe
off any excess chocolate on the edge of the bowl and place the
coated strawberries on their sides on the tray. If the chocolate
becomes too thick, reheat the water, remove from the heat and place
the bowl over the pan until the chocolate returns to the required
consistency.
Once all the fruit has
been dipped in the chocolate, place in the refrigerator for 15
minutes, or until the chocolate has just set. Remove from the
refrigerator and keep in a cool place until ready to serve. Do not
serve directly from the refrigerator - the cold temperature will
inhibit the full flavour and sweetness of the fruit and the
chocolate will be too hard.
Chef's tips: Any fruit can be used,
but the best are with ones that can be left whole or have a dry
surface. If the strawberry stems are too short, use a toothpick to
dip them.
Made with creamy
white chocolate, this fudge is ultra sweet, so eat it in small
quantities, if you can.
Preparation time 15
minutes + 1 hours refrigeration
Total cooking time 7
minutes
Makes about 50 pieces
Ingredients:
350 g (111/4 oz) caster sugar
30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
pinch of salt
115 ml (4 fl oz) evaporated milk
1
vanilla pod
300g (10 oz) good‑quality white chocolate, chopped
80 g (23/4 oz) pistachio nuts
Grease an 18 cm (7
inch) square cake tin. Put the sugar, butter, salt and evaporated
milk in a large saucepan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways
and scrape the small black seeds into the saucepan with the point of
a knife. Add the pod to the saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium
heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and
simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
Remove the saucepan
from the heat and lift out the vanilla pod with a fork or slotted
spoon. Stir in the chopped chocolate until it has melted completely
and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the pistachios and pour into the
tin. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm.
Cut into small squares
and serve in pent four paper cases. Store in the refrigerator for up
to a week.
Chef's
tips: Chopped hazelnuts may be substituted for the pistachios.
Using a vanilla pod will give a delicious flavour to the fudge, but if
you wish to avoid seeing the black seeds, use I/2 teaspoon vanilla
extract or essence instead.
Marshmallows are some of the easiest confectionery to make, although
watching the mixture thicken as you pour hot syrup
on to the beaten egg whites is more akin to chemistry than cooking.
Total cooking time 40
minutes (approx) + 1 hour to set
Makes just over 455g/1lb
Ingredients:
455g/1lb granulated sugar
1 tbsp liquid glucose
9 sheets of gelatine
2 egg whites, size I
1 tsp vanilla extract
(Make sure you use vanilla extract and not essence.)
icing sugar
cornflour
Put the granulated sugar, glucose and 200m1/7fl oz water in a heavy
based saucepan. Bring to the boil and continue
cooking until it reaches 127oC/260oF on
a sugar thermometer.
Meanwhile, soak the
gelatine in140ml/quarter pint cold
water. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
When the
syrup is up to temperature, carefully slide in the softened gelatine
sheets and their soaking water. The syrup will bubble
up so take care not to burn yourself. Pour the syrup into a metal jug.
Continue to beat the egg whites preferably with
an electric whisk while pouring in the hot syrup from the jug. The
mixture will become shiny and start to thicken.
Add
the vanilla extract and continue whisking for about five to ten
minutes, until the mixture is stiff and thick enough to
hold its shape on the whisk.
Lightly oil a shallow baking tray, about
30 x 20cm/12 x 8in. Dust it with sieved icing
sugar and cornflour, then spoon the mixture over and smooth it with a
wet palette knife if necessary. Leave for at least
an hour to set.
Dust the work surface with more icing sugar and cornflour. Loosen the
marshmallow around the sides of the tray with a
palette knife, and then turn it out on to the dusted surface.
Cut into
squares and roll in the sugar and cornflour.
Leave to dry a little on a wire rack, then pack into an airtight box.
Chef's
tips: Try adding a few drops of natural food colouring (red
cochineal - not too much. Add this at the same time you add the
vanilla extract.), for pink marshmallows or roll them in shredded
coconut or coat them in chocolate.
In the true style of
truffles, these petite fours are highly decadent and very rich. They
are delicious served with coffee as an after dinner treat or special
Valentines Day temptation.
Chocolate Rum Truffles Preparation
time: 40 minutes + refrigeration
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes 24
Ingredients: 300gm/10oz
good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
100ml/3-1/4 fluid oz thick (double) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
25ml/ ¾ fluid oz dark rum
Cocoa powder to dust
Put the chopped
chocolate in a bowl.
Place the cream and
vanilla in a small saucepan and heat until it is just at boiling
point.
Pour the cream directly
over the chopped chocolate. Gently mix with a whisk until the mixture
is smooth. If there are any lumps, place the bowl over a pan of barely
steaming water, off the heat and lightly stir for a moment to melt any
remaining chocolate.
Mix in the rum and
refrigerate the ganache until it is set.
Form the ganache into
small balls using a melon baller or pipe it into small balls using a
piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
Return to the
refrigerator to set.
Roll the balls between
your palms to form a perfect ball and then roll in the cocoa powder,
using a fork to roll them around until evenly coated.
Chef’s tip:
since these truffles are not dipped in chocolate before they are
rolled in the cocoa powder, they should be eaten within 2-3 days.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Roll the truffles
in the cocoa powder a second time before eating.
George Leybourne,
star of the English music hall of the 1890's, often ordered champagne
for his audiences, a gesture which earned him the nickname of
'Champagne Charlie'. This ice cream, named after him, is a
superb desert for a special occasion like Valentines Day.
One hour before
beginning preparations, set the refrigerator to its coldest setting.
Put the sugar in a pan with 1/4 pint of
water and bring to the boil, boiling rapidly for 6 minutes to make a
syrup.
meanwhile, grate the rind from one
orange and squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons. Add
the rind and strained juices to the syrup and leave to cool.
Stir in the chilled Champagne.
Pour the mixture into a plastic
container and cover with the lid or a double layer of foil.
Freeze for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until
frozen round the edges.
Scoop the mixture into a chilled bowl
and whip until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream
until stiff and blend it slowly into the Champagne syrup until it is
smooth and uniform in colour.
Blend in 2 tablespoons of brandy, spoon
the mixture into the container, cover and freeze for about 3 hours.
About 30 minutes before serving, place
six *ratafia biscuits in the bottom of each champagne glass. Pour a
dessertspoon of brandy over the biscuits and leave them to soak.
Scoop the ice cream into the glasses.
Hang a thin spiral of lemon peel from the rim of each glass and pour a
teaspoon of brandy over each portion.
Serve immediately with a separate plate
of *langues de chat.
* Ratafia biscuits
- tiny macaroons made with the liquor from fruit kernels
* Langue de chat - Flat,
finger-shaped crisp biscuits served with cold desserts.
Chef's Tip:
Slivered almonds sprinkled on top of the ice cream before serving can
make a good substitute for the ratafia biscuits.
Turkish Delight is a
sweet (Candy) which is particularly popular in the Near and Far east.
Turkish Delight makes an ideal gift if wrapped in greaseproof or waxed
paper and placed in a pretty box.
1 oz gelatine dissolved
in 4 fluid oz/ 1/2 cup of hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
essence
1 teaspoon rose water
3 drops red food
colouring
2oz icing sugar/ 1/2 cup
confectioners' sugar
1oz cornflour/ 1/4 cup
cornstarch
Grease a 6 x 6in baking
tin with the butter and set aside.
Place sugar, water and
lemon juice in a medium sized, heavy -based saucepan. Place the
pan over a low heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the
sugar has dissolved.
Increase the heat to
moderately high and bring the syrup to the boil. Boil the syrup
until the temperature registers 250oF/121oC on a sugar thermometer or
until a little syrup dropped into a bowl of water forms a hard ball.
Remove the pan from the
heat and leave the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
Stir in the dissolved
gelatine and vanilla essence and beat well with a wooden spoon until
the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Pour half of the mixture
into the greased baking tin.
Stir the rose water and
red food colouring into the remaining mixture and beat well.
Pour the remaining
mixture into the tin and set aside in a cool place for 8 hours or
overnight.
Sift the icing sugar and
cornflour on to a plate. Turn the Turkish Delight on to a board
and cut into 1in squares.
Toss the cubes in the
sugar and cornflour mixture to coat them thoroughly, shake off any
excess.
Transfer the Turkish
Delight onto a dish and serve immediately, or wrap in greaseproof or
waxed paper and store in an airtight container until required.
Chef's Tip:
Serve with
freshly percolated coffee after dinner.
This modern low fat sherbet is made from
raspberry puree blended with sugar syrup and virtually fat free
fromage frais or cream cheese, then flecked with crushed fresh
raspberries.
Ingredients
175g/6oz/ 3/4cup caster sugar
150m/1-1/4 pint/ 2/3 cup water
500g/1-1/4lb/ 3-1/2 cups raspberries, plus extra, to serve
500ml/ 17 fluid oz / generous 2 cups virtually fat free fromage frais
or cream cheese
Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and heat
gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil,
then pour into a jug (pitcher) and cool.
Put 350g I 12oz 121/z
cups of the raspberries in a food processor or blender. Process to a
puree, then press through a sieve placed over a large bowl to remove
the seeds.
Stir the sugar syrup
into the raspberry puree and chill the mixture until it is very cold.
Add the fromage frais or cream cheese to the puree and whisk until
smooth.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn until it is thick
but not too soft to scoop. Spoon into a freezer proof container. If
you are making the sherbet by hand, pour the mixture into a plastic
tub or similar freezer proof container and freeze for 4 hours, beating
once with a fork, electric whisk or in a food processor to break up
the ice crystals. After this time, beat again.
Crush the remaining
raspberries between your fingers and add them to the partially frozen
sherbet.
Mix lightly and
then freeze for 2-3 hours more until firm.
Scoop the sherbet into dishes and serve with extra raspberries.
Cook's tip:
If you intend to make this in an ice cream maker, check your handbook
first, as this recipe makes 900ml/1-1/2 pints/ 3-3/4 cups of mixture.
If this is too large a quantity for your machine to handle, make it in
two batches or by hand.
This delectable tropical island dessert provides the perfect ending
to a Valentines Day meal.
Wash and rinse the whole
pineapples thoroughly. Drain well. Keep the crown (tops) intact and
dry the pineapples with paper towel.
Cut each pineapple in
half lengthways, being careful not to break the leafy crowns from the
fruit. Using a sharp knife, remove most of the flesh leaving about a
1/2 in/ 1.5cm thick shell. Set the flesh aside.
Sprinkle the inside of
each shell with 1 tablespoon each of sugar and Cointreau.
Cover loosely with
plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours.
Dice the pineapple flesh
very finely, then quickly combine with ice cream, reserving some for
garnish.
Pile the mixture lightly
into the six pineapple shells. Place each one in a plastic bag and
freeze until firm for about 2 hours.
Remove from the freezer,
unwrap, garnish with a few chunks of pineapple and serve immediately.
Chef's tip: To
reduce the strong pineapple flavour, replace the 3 small pineapples
with 1 medium pineapple. Prepare the same way but reduce the sugar to
3 tablespoons.
This
sophisticated chocolate mousse is so light and creamy that it
melts in the mouth.
Ingredients: 140g/ 4 1/2 oz good quality dark chocolate
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 egg whites
1 1/2 gelatine leaves or 3/4 teaspoon gelatine powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee
500ml/ 16 fluid oz cream for whipping
Grate 15g/1/2 oz of the
dark chocolate and set aside in a cool dry place.
Put 60ml/2 fluid oz water with the sugar in a small heavy based pan.
Bring to the boil and continue cooking until it reaches 127oC/260oF on
a sugar thermometer.
When the sugar starts to boil, whisk the egg whites in a bowl using
electric beaters until they barely hold their shape in very soft
peaks. With the machine still running, carefully pour the bubbling
syrup onto the whites, aiming between the bowl and the beaters.
Continue to whisk until cold.
Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes
until soft then remove and drain or stir the gelatine powder and 1
tablespoon water over a pan of simmering water until dissolved.
Dissolve the instant coffee in 1 tablespoon of boiling water in a
small pan, add gelatine leaves or dissolved gelatine powder and warm
over gentle heat. Do not boil or the gelatine will be stringy.
Pour onto egg whites and stir well.
Roughly chop the remaining chocolate and put in a bowl. Half fill a
saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and
place the bowl over the pan, making sure it is not touching the water.
Leave the chocolate to melt slowly then remove from pan and fold into
the egg white mixture.
Whip the cream until it leaves a trail when lifted on the whisk then
fold into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the grated chocolate.
Pipe the mousse into six glasses using a piping bag fitted with a
1.5cm/ 5/8in plain nozzle. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
The mousse can be decorated with rosettes of whipped cream or
chocolate leaves, grated chocolate or chocolate curls.
Chef's tip: Try serving the mousse in chocolate cups or layering with
banana and rum or amaretti biscuits and whisky.
In Victorian times
lovers declared their affections via words, songs, pictures and foods.
One such food was gingerbread "life cakes" in the shape of hearts.
Chilling time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes about 8 cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground
cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup packed dark
brown sugar
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
1 large egg
In large bowl, sift
together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
Blend together margarine
and brown sugar until smooth.
Add corn syrup and egg;
beat well.
Add dry ingredients,
about one-third at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.
Chill dough one hour.
Roll out half of dough
on lightly floured surface to one-quarter-inch thickness. (Reserve
other half for decorations or for a second batch of cookies.)
Using hear-shaped cookie
cutter, press out cookie shapes or use knife to cut around a pattern.
Place hearts on cookie
sheet.
Decorate as desired.
Bake at 177oC/350oF for 15 to 20 minutes until
golden.
Remove and place on wire
racks to cool. Store in covered container.
Chef's tip:
Although the heart shape cutter is the most appropriate for Valentines
Day, experiment with other cutters or try freeform cutting to a
cardboard template of your own design, a cupid or kiss perhaps.
All these Recipes can be
served with your favourite champagne and make a great Romantic gift to your sweetheart.
Preparation time 15
minutes
Preparation time 20 minutes + 15 minutes refrigeration
Preparation time 15
minutes + 1 hours refrigeration
Preparation time
15 minutes 
Preparation
time: 40 minutes + refrigeration
Preparation
time: 30 minutes
Preparation
time: 20 minutes
Preparation
time: 10 minutes
Preparation
time: 1 hour 
Preparation time: 1 hour
+ 1 hour refrigeration
Preparation time: 15