Valentines Meal ideas...
Discussion
Having done restaurants in the past last year I elected to cook Mrs Hornet a meal at home - mainly to avoid the Valentines 'crowds' and set menus at extortionate prices!
So... last year was a rack of lamb with tiger prawns to start and cheesecake to finish. All rather nice and relatively easy for a non culinary expert like myself. I'm looking to push the boat out a little this year - any suggestions for something inspirational?
I may even take photos on the day to show you all how it went
So... last year was a rack of lamb with tiger prawns to start and cheesecake to finish. All rather nice and relatively easy for a non culinary expert like myself. I'm looking to push the boat out a little this year - any suggestions for something inspirational?
I may even take photos on the day to show you all how it went
Um... not really, no allergies. She likes fish, whereas I seem to regard fish as a bit of a waste of time and prefer a good steak
I was thinking of maybe an excellent cut of fillet, with perhaps dauphinoise potatoes and a mushroomy-y sauce-y type jus. I'm open to fish ideas - but not too fishy flavoured(!) - for example I have enjoyed swordfish in the past.
I was thinking of maybe an excellent cut of fillet, with perhaps dauphinoise potatoes and a mushroomy-y sauce-y type jus. I'm open to fish ideas - but not too fishy flavoured(!) - for example I have enjoyed swordfish in the past.
Mini Beef Wellingtons with buttered new potatoes and steamed green beans.
Beef Wellingtons: (serves 2)
Take two fillet steaks. Get a griddle pan to comedy levels of heat. Singe the outside turning once and doing the sides for no more than one minute. Takes steaks out of griddle pan and set aside.
Take one pack pre-rolled puff pastry and cut into two pieces. Place the steaks on one piece each. You will need to be able to fold over the pastry and seal it up such that it wraps the steaks completely. Anyone who has made a paper aeroplane can do this.
Spread the top of the steak with either (a) a good mushroom pate OR (b) a good liver pate of your preference.
Fold over the pastry, seal up the steaks in it. Brush with milk or an eggwash (egg and milk beaten together).
Bake for around twenty minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden on top.
Buttered New Potatoes:
Boil baby new potatoes for twenty minutes whilst the steaks do. Pour off water. Knob of butter, some finely chopped mint. Shake in the pan.
Green Beans:
Steam them for Goodness sake. Six to eight minutes. How hard can it BE!
Serve all three together with a Pinot Noir or a Grenache.
Don't make the portions too big. Remember you want to climb on later.
Beef Wellingtons: (serves 2)
Take two fillet steaks. Get a griddle pan to comedy levels of heat. Singe the outside turning once and doing the sides for no more than one minute. Takes steaks out of griddle pan and set aside.
Take one pack pre-rolled puff pastry and cut into two pieces. Place the steaks on one piece each. You will need to be able to fold over the pastry and seal it up such that it wraps the steaks completely. Anyone who has made a paper aeroplane can do this.
Spread the top of the steak with either (a) a good mushroom pate OR (b) a good liver pate of your preference.
Fold over the pastry, seal up the steaks in it. Brush with milk or an eggwash (egg and milk beaten together).
Bake for around twenty minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden on top.
Buttered New Potatoes:
Boil baby new potatoes for twenty minutes whilst the steaks do. Pour off water. Knob of butter, some finely chopped mint. Shake in the pan.
Green Beans:
Steam them for Goodness sake. Six to eight minutes. How hard can it BE!
Serve all three together with a Pinot Noir or a Grenache.
Don't make the portions too big. Remember you want to climb on later.
hornetrider said:
Um... not really, no allergies. She likes fish, whereas I seem to regard fish as a bit of a waste of time and prefer a good steak
I was thinking of maybe an excellent cut of fillet, with perhaps dauphinoise potatoes and a mushroomy-y sauce-y type jus. I'm open to fish ideas - but not too fishy flavoured(!) - for example I have enjoyed swordfish in the past.
That's what I would have suggested: best fillet steak you can find (cooked rare of course), dauphinoise potatoes, small green salad, good bottle of Burgundy.I was thinking of maybe an excellent cut of fillet, with perhaps dauphinoise potatoes and a mushroomy-y sauce-y type jus. I'm open to fish ideas - but not too fishy flavoured(!) - for example I have enjoyed swordfish in the past.
Works for me, anyway.
Well ours is a tried and tested favourite...
Chinese duck.
A whole gressingham duck marinated in 5 spice, salt and pepper and cooked caked in rock salt for 2 hours, served with chinese pancakes, finely julienned cucumber, spring onions, pepperdew, green and yellow peppers and carrots. Served with hoi sin sauce.
Having already obtained and frozen the duck having got it reduced from £14 to £7 last week, the rest of the ingredients make it up to less than £10 for two to pig out on a ruddy good meal. Chuck in a £10 bottle of wine obtained half price and you have a feast for two with wine for £15.
It makes sitting elbow to elbow with other couples, listening to their conversations while waiting all night for a restaurant to heat and serve your £25 a head set meal look rather crap doesn't it...
Chinese duck.
A whole gressingham duck marinated in 5 spice, salt and pepper and cooked caked in rock salt for 2 hours, served with chinese pancakes, finely julienned cucumber, spring onions, pepperdew, green and yellow peppers and carrots. Served with hoi sin sauce.
Having already obtained and frozen the duck having got it reduced from £14 to £7 last week, the rest of the ingredients make it up to less than £10 for two to pig out on a ruddy good meal. Chuck in a £10 bottle of wine obtained half price and you have a feast for two with wine for £15.
It makes sitting elbow to elbow with other couples, listening to their conversations while waiting all night for a restaurant to heat and serve your £25 a head set meal look rather crap doesn't it...
Edited by bazking69 on Thursday 4th February 20:43
hornetrider said:
I'm liking the Wellington idea - it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to an otherwise nice, but not spectacular offering. I may go with that idea.
Any inspiration for suitable starters/desserts?
As someone else cooking for the wife on Valentines, I might go for the Beef Wellington idea too.Any inspiration for suitable starters/desserts?
The mini-Wellingtons: They're a winner. The Mrs ASKED for them recently.
Starter:
Smoked salmon, king prawns. Take a strip of smoked salmon. Apply a thin layer of sauce of choice: I like mayo - some people like tartare etc. Chopped dill. Prawns go on. Roll up like a swiss roll. Lemon juice. Black pepper.
Instant posh. No effort. Not filling: remember the purpose.
Dessert: Good ice cream. A little double cream on top.
Zero effort. Plenty of result. On Valentine's night that's what you want. Find another night to leave her bored in front of the telly whilst you slave away...
Starter:
Smoked salmon, king prawns. Take a strip of smoked salmon. Apply a thin layer of sauce of choice: I like mayo - some people like tartare etc. Chopped dill. Prawns go on. Roll up like a swiss roll. Lemon juice. Black pepper.
Instant posh. No effort. Not filling: remember the purpose.
Dessert: Good ice cream. A little double cream on top.
Zero effort. Plenty of result. On Valentine's night that's what you want. Find another night to leave her bored in front of the telly whilst you slave away...
Don said:
Valentine's food... DONE. Now mrs, brace yerself, geronimooooooo!
I like the ice cream idea, seams a good one to me, I'll get some quality chocolate chip as she absolutely adores chocolate.
I did king prawns last year so I think this year I'm going to try searing some scallops, serve them with a bit of chorizo and a maybe a dash of lemon - cheers Nigella
Edited by hornetrider on Friday 5th February 15:29
hornetrider said:
Don said:
Valentine's food... DONE. Now mrs, brace yerself, geronimooooooo!
I like the ice cream idea, seams a good one to me, I'll get some quality chocolate chip as she absolutely adores chocolate.
I did king prawns last year so I think this year I'm going to try searing some scallops, serve them with a bit of chorizo and a maybe a dash of lemon - cheers Nigella
The scallops idea is good: very quick, very easy, very tasty. An alternative (and superb) scallops sauce is
Dark Soy, Light Soy, finely chopped garlic (raw - so not much), finely chopped ginger (raw - so not much), spring onions sliced very, very thin - just a little.
Do you scallops in the shell. Supply a spoon to dip into a little pot of the sauce and apply a teaspoonful of it to the scallop in the shell, then use the spoon to scrape the scallop off and eat it. Mmmmm. Two or three of those is wonderful.
Shame my Missus won't eat seafood. She'd get it a lot, otherwise. Fnarr, fnarr.
thegavster said:
Don - how do you cook your scallops?
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/600316When I do it (rarely) like this.
Open, rinse and clean the scallops leaving only the white meat just attached to the shell (one side only of course!).
Bake 'em. 200C for six minutes or so. Been a while but the recipe above agrees.
Let the guests spoon the dipping sauce in and eat with a teaspoon.
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