Indulgent Valentine's Day menu

Remember when it was fine to eat red meat smothered in buttery sauces, and rich chocolaty puddings? When no one raised a disapproving eyebrow if you had a starter AND a dessert? Wasn’t it fun? And romantic…

Can you honestly put your hand on your heart and say your New Year’s resolution, to eat more healthily, is on track? Have you gone the way of all flesh – outwards – since January 1st? No matter; there’s still time to change. But before you put on that hair shirt, there’s just one more excuse to indulge: Valentine’s Day. To play the part with real conviction, you need to step on a time machine to an era before rocket, sundried tomatoes and designer mineral water. For one night, my classic recipes – with a twist – pay no heed to waistlines. Neither should you. So stick a carnation in a Perrier bottle, put on some schmaltzy music and throw calorific caution to the winds. You can do much of the preparation in advance, leaving plenty of time for romance.

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King Prawns with Maître d’Hôtel butter
Steak Wellington in Filo pastry with Wild Mushroom and Brandy Sauce
Simply Steamed Baby Vegetables
White Chocolate Crème Kahlua

ETABLE

Evening before or morning of the 14th: bake the custard for the White Chocolate Crème Kahlua and keep in the fridge until the evening. Let it sit at room temperature, while you eat the starter and main course.

Morning or afternoon of the 14th: brown the steaks and wrap in the filo pastry. Place on a baking sheet and store in the fridge, covering loosely with cling film or foil. You can also make the mushroom sauce in advance, but you will probably need to add a little water for re-heating.

Late afternoon: buy the prawns as fresh as possible, peel off the shell, leaving the tails on, and thread onto the skewers. Prepare the butter and let sit in a cool place.

Just before serving: grill the prawns and re-heat the butter gently, bake the steak Wellingtons, reheat the mushroom sauce, steam the baby vegetables, turn out the White Chocolate Crème Kahlua and pour the liqueur over.

King Prawns with Maitre d’Hotel Butter

Serves 2

6 large, raw King or Tiger prawns, peeled with the tails left on

small bag of fancy mixed salad leaves

For the butter:

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

100g butter

finely grated zest of ½ small lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

freshly ground black pepper

You will also need 2 short wooden or metal skewers.

First make the butter: use the smallest saucepan you have and gently melt the butter – don’t let it sizzle. Add the garlic and heat for 2 minutes without letting the garlic turn brown. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest, juice, parsley and pepper. Store in a cool place.
Heat the grill to high. Thread 3 prawns onto each skewer and brush with a little of the butter. Arrange the salad leaves on 2 plates. When the grill is really hot, grill the prawns about 10cm from the heat, about 1 minute each side.
Lay the skewers on the salad leaves and brush with more butter, letting some drip onto the leaves. The plain green leaves will contrast well with the rich butter and prawns.

Steak Wellington in Filo Pastry with Wild Mushroom and Brandy Sauce

Serves 2

2 fillet steaks, about 200-250g each and at least 4cm thick

scant oil for frying

50g smooth chicken liver pâté

4 sheets filo pastry

melted butter for brushing

For the sauce

25g butter

200g selection of wild mushrooms

3 tbsp brandy

75ml double cream

1 tsp fresh red or green peppercorns, rinsed

To prepare the steaks, heat a little oil in a frying pan. When very hot, quickly brown the steaks, about 1 minute each side. (They won’t be fully cooked.) Remove from the pan and cool on a rack or plate.
Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a clean work surface and brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and brush with more butter. Cut out a square approximately 20cm. Repeat with the rest of the filo pastry so you have 2 squares.
Place the cooled steak in the centre of the square and spread half of the pâté over the top. Carefully bring up the sides of the filo pastry to envelope the steak. Pinch the pastry between the thumb and forefinger of each hand so you have a ‘money bag’ shape, with the corners of the pastry sticking up. Brush with the rest of the melted butter. Repeat with the other steak. They can now sit happily in the fridge until ready to cook and serve.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in the frying pan and cook the mushrooms over a medium-high heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow most of the liquid to boil away. Add the brandy and simmer until most, but not all of it, has evaporated. Stir in the cream, add the peppercorns and simmer another 2-3 minutes. The mushrooms should be nicely coated but not swimming in sauce.
To cook the Steak Wellingtons, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. This should give you a medium-cooked steak. Bake a few minutes more if you want it well-done.

White Chocolate Crème Kahlua

Serves 2

Kahlua is a luscious coffee-flavoured liqueur made in Mexico. Tia Maria comes from Jamaica and is similar in taste.

250ml full cream milk

100g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

6 tbsp Kaluah or Tia Maria

You will also need 2 ramekins or ovenproof teacups, or use 1 small pudding bowl (for 2 to share), about 400ml capacity
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Boil the kettle for a bain-marie.
Heat the milk and white chocolate gently in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Take care not to let it boil.
Beat together the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar and slowly stir in the milk and chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla essence and 2 tbsp Kahlua and pour through a fine sieve into the ramekins or pudding bowl.
Set the ramekins or bowl into a small roasting tin and half-fill with boiling water. Bake for 20-25 minutes (or slightly longer for a larger bowl) until the custard has set but is still wobbly. Cool completely then chill in the fridge.
To serve, carefully run a small knife around the edge of the ramekins or bowl, turn out onto dessert plates and give it a quick jerk to fully loosen the bottom. Pour the rest of the Kahlua or Tia Maria over the top.