A Valentine dinner or lunch should not be like the usual (and oh so boringly formal!) four course meal. It ought to be an exciting, romantic event with a lot of difference and some innovation. The very look of the dishes should speak of your immense love.
Take care to have lots of sweets on the table like tarts, cakes and cookies. But just as too much of sweetness in love makes it monotonous, in the same way too many sweets would definitely benumb your taste buds. Hence we also have some tangy, tantalizing and spicy accompaniments along with the ‘sweet somethings’. Try out these recipes and make your table look ‘hot’ and ‘mushy’.
PASSION FRUIT TART
Ingredients:
For pastry
230g butter
60g caster sugar
60g icing sugar
375g plain flour
1 egg
Procedure:
Sieve the flour into a blender and add both the caster and icing sugar. Mix well. Cube the butter and add to the mixture and blend further. Once crumbly, transfer to a bowl and mix the egg into it, taking care not to handle the pastry too much. Roll the pastry ready for a 12 inch fan ring (or smaller heart-shaped moulds), put in Clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Line the pastry into tins and blind bake for 15 minutes at Gas Mark 4 (180°C). Remove from oven and leave it to cool. Egg-wash the pastry and pop back in the oven for two minutes.
For the mixture
9 eggs
6 passion fruits
375g caster sugar
0.25 litre double cream
0.25 litre passion fruit juice
Procedure:
Beat the eggs and mix with sieved sugar, then add the cream and juice and mix further until smooth and creamy. Cut the passion fruits in half and scoop the fruit into the mixture. (Don’t discard the cases, they can be used later.) Add to the pastry and bake in the oven on Gas Mark 4 (180°C) for 40 minutes.
To test when the tart is cooked, the centre of the mixture needs to be slightly “wobbly”, the outside firm – it will finish cooking after it’s taken out of the oven. Serve with ice cream presented in the passion fruit cases.
CHOCO KISS COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 cup finely chopped pecans
About 54 dark kiss chocolates
Powered sugar
Procedure:
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Stir together flour and cocoa; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Add pecans; beat until well blended. Refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Mold scant tablespoon of dough around each chocolate piece, covering completely. Shape into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool about 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Roll in powdered sugar. Roll in sugar again just before serving, if desired. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.
LOVE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 all-purpose flour
¾ processed cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup dairy sour cream powdered sugar
Cherry whipped cream
Procedure:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan.
Beat butter and sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs, almond and vanilla extracts; beat well. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well. Pour into pan.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Sift with powdered sugar. Garnish with cherry whipped cream.
Cherry whipped cream:
Beat 1 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries.
CHERRY-BRIGHT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Ingredients:
½ cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup chopped silvered almonds
Additional maraschino cherries, halved (optional)
Procedure:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 9-inch square baking pan.
Lightly press cherries between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture. In small bowl, beat butter, sugar and eggs until creamy.
Mix in corn syrup, almond extract and vanilla until well blended. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder; add to butter mixture, mixing until well blended. Stir in cherries and almonds; pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost, if desired. Cut into squares. Garnish with additional cherries, if desired. About 16 brownies.
CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS
Ingredients:
150 gm chopped bitter chocolate/white chocolate
8 tbsp puffed rice
3 tbsp assorted chopped nuts
2 tbsp raisins
1 grated rind of an orange
Procedure:
Roast puffed rice in a moderate oven at 180 degree C for 10-15 minutes or until golden in colour and crisp. Cool. Repeat the same process with the nuts.
Combine the nuts, rice and raisins together. Melt the chocolate over a pan of steaming water in a heatproof bowl. Stir in the rice, nuts, raisins and rind. Drop rough heaps of the chocolate mixture onto a lightly oiled tray. Leave in a cool place to set before removing from the tray. Store in an airtight tin.
MINI KISS PEANUT BLOSSOMS
Ingredients
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups mini kisses chocolate
Procedure:
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended.
Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until it becomes light and fluffy.
Add egg, milk and vanilla extract altogether and mix well.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to peanut butter mixture and beat very well.Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately place 3 mini kisses chocolate on top of each cookie and pressing down slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve when it completely cools down.
CHOCOLATE & STRAWBERRY SUNDAE
Ingredients:
500 ml milk
200 gm fresh cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp cornflour slurry
1-2 tbsp strawberry jelly
1 tbsp chocolate, grated
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 no wafer biscuit
For Strawberry Sauce:
1 cup chasni (sugar syrup)
2-3 tbsp strawberry, diced
2-3 tsp cornflour slurry
2 tsp strawberry puree
2 tsp powdered sugar
4-5 drops lemon juice
Procedure:
Heat milk in a pan. Add sugar, cornflour slurry and cream.
Add vanilla essence, once the mixture becomes thick, place in the freezer after it cools down. To make strawberry sauce, take chasni in a pan. Add cornflour slurry, powdered sugar, strawberry puree and cook.Now add diced strawberry, lemon juice and cook for a little while. Strawberry sauce is ready.Take 1-2 tbsp of strawberry jelly in a glass. Add 1 scoop of ice cream and strawberry sauce.Add another scoop of ice cream and strawberry sauce. Finally add grated chocolate and diced strawberry.
Serve chocolate and strawberry sundae with wafer biscuit.
VALENTINE`S PIE
Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 container thawed whipped topping
1 prepared graham cracker crust
1 Can cherry pie filling
Procedure:
Beat the cream cheese and the sugar in a mixture until mixed.
Add vanilla essence and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Gently, fold the mixture in whipped topping.
Transfer mixture into the pie crust and top it with the cherries.
Refrigerate and serve it after one hour.
SILKY CHICKEN ALMOND
Ingredients:
16 pieces skinned chicken
5 medium onions (thinly sliced)
2 tsp vegetable oil
6 tsp blanched ground almonds
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground fennel
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cup plain yoghurt
1 cup water
1 pack fresh cilantro to garnish
Procedure:
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chicken one by one and cook on all sides to make it dark pink
Remove using slotted spoon and set aside.
Heat 1/2-cup vegetable oil in skillet. Add sliced onion and fry until flaccid and pale brown by stirring it continuously for about 10 minutes.
Stir in almonds, coriander, ginger, cardamom, and salt, ground red pepper, cumin and fennel and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove the mixture from heat.
Put half of the mixture to processor or blender. Puree with 1/2 of the yogurt and 1/2 of the water.
Repeat the same process with rest of the mixture, yogurt and water.
Pour the sauce back into skillet.
Add chicken to skillet. Place it over medium to high heat and bring to a boil.
VALENTINE CHICKEN
Ingredients:
1b chicken breasts (skinned and boned )
2 tsp oil
1 chopped onion
2 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp crushed oregano leaves
½ tsp chicken broth
11/2 cup tomato juice
19 oz canned kidney beans
Procedure:
Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Put oil in a pan and cook chicken, onion, chili powder, cumin and oregano in it until the chicken turns white. Keep stirring the broth and juice and heat until it starts boiling and then bring down the heat to low. Boil for 10 minutes. Put in beans, liquid and all other items, stir, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally and serve over rice.
