So, I thought with it being Valentine’s Day, it would be an
ideal time to put together a “date night” menu.
Since I’m livin’ la vida solo, most of the recipes I post are “serves
one”, but I wanted to post something a bit special and different. Below is a “serves two” three course meal
that is affordable, easy to make, and just a little bit fancy. You can do a lot of the prep ahead of time,
especially with the dessert, and it would be easy to bump up the servings to
cater for your triad/group date/Galentine’s Day Party/etc.
Here is what the menu looks like:
Starter
Moules Marinière Avec Une Petite Salade
Moules Marinière Avec Une Petite Salade
Main
Leek & Bacon Risotto
Leek & Bacon Risotto
Dessert
Black Doris Plum and Dark Chocolate Parfait
Black Doris Plum and Dark Chocolate Parfait
Doesn’t that sound super fancy? The recipes are fairly simple
to follow and use ingredients that are easy to find and in season this time of
year. The whole menu is gluten free, and I’m also giving you a grain-free
option for the main course, just in case.
Starter
These mussels are an awesome starter, they look super sophis on the plate, and
are packed with healthy proteins and nutrients. To me, eating moules marinière is a special occasion and holiday food
and I think, actually, a version of this dish might be one of the first things
I learnt to cook! Mussels are one of the
few fancy-but-affordable ingredients, ($3.50 per kilo at my supermarket this
week) and provide much of the flavour in the dish. 
Personally, I think seafood makes great date night food, especially shellfish –
there’s something very intimate about eating with one's hands...
La Petite Salade
1 cup salad greens (mesclun, baby spinach, rocket leaves or finely sliced kale, romaine, etc)
8 cherry tomatoes
½ a carrot, grated
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup salad greens (mesclun, baby spinach, rocket leaves or finely sliced kale, romaine, etc)
8 cherry tomatoes
½ a carrot, grated
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Make ahead of time; toss all ingredients together and divide
onto two side plates.
Moules Marinière
800g-1kg live mussels
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
½ onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
Pinch of salt and pepper
800g-1kg live mussels
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
½ onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup dry white wine
Pinch of salt and pepper
Clean the mussels ahead of time. Tap or scrap off any stray
barnacles and pull off the beards. Throw
away any mussels that don’t close when lightly tapped. Once clean, store in the fridge until you are
ready to cook.
In a very large pot, heat the oil on medium until shimmering/melted. Add the onions and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and stir until fragrant.
Turn the heat to high and add the wine. It will boil up and splutter, be careful.
Add all the mussels to the pot and cover with a lid. Allow the mussels to steam for 6-8 minutes, until all the shells have opened up. Remove from heat. Discard any that haven't opened and quickly check for crabs playing hide and seek (it happens, NBD but crunching down on a crab shell can give you a fright when you aren't expecting it!)
Serve immediately with the broth.
In a very large pot, heat the oil on medium until shimmering/melted. Add the onions and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and stir until fragrant.
Turn the heat to high and add the wine. It will boil up and splutter, be careful.
Add all the mussels to the pot and cover with a lid. Allow the mussels to steam for 6-8 minutes, until all the shells have opened up. Remove from heat. Discard any that haven't opened and quickly check for crabs playing hide and seek (it happens, NBD but crunching down on a crab shell can give you a fright when you aren't expecting it!)
Serve immediately with the broth.
Main
For the main dish we are making a yummy, hearty risotto. I want to give you a note here about portion sizes: I’ve written up a standard sized serving, which looks small on the plate, but should be plenty considering you’re in the middle of a lengthy meal. If you are two big-appetited people you may want to increase the recipe by 50% in case you’re hankering for seconds.
This is another affordable dish: leeks are in season right now and rice is one of the cheapest grains available. You do need to use risotto/Arborio rice as you need the starchier short grained variety to create the creamy texture; other short grained white rice would be okay, but this is one instance in which brown rice won’t do. I have made this recipe using buckwheat and it worked fantastically, albeit with a little more bite than is traditional – this is a great option if you avoid grains or can’t bring yourself to eat the refined kind! If the purchase of a whole pack of bacon for one dish doesn’t appeal to you, you can buy individual slices from most supermarket delis which is usually my preference.
For the main dish we are making a yummy, hearty risotto. I want to give you a note here about portion sizes: I’ve written up a standard sized serving, which looks small on the plate, but should be plenty considering you’re in the middle of a lengthy meal. If you are two big-appetited people you may want to increase the recipe by 50% in case you’re hankering for seconds.
This is another affordable dish: leeks are in season right now and rice is one of the cheapest grains available. You do need to use risotto/Arborio rice as you need the starchier short grained variety to create the creamy texture; other short grained white rice would be okay, but this is one instance in which brown rice won’t do. I have made this recipe using buckwheat and it worked fantastically, albeit with a little more bite than is traditional – this is a great option if you avoid grains or can’t bring yourself to eat the refined kind! If the purchase of a whole pack of bacon for one dish doesn’t appeal to you, you can buy individual slices from most supermarket delis which is usually my preference.
Risottos aren’t always recommended if you have company as they require a long,
attentive cooking time but when you’re hosting one-on-one it’s a little
different. Pull up a chair and pour a
glass of wine for your date and make the most of that stirring time to get to
know each other a little better.
Leek & Bacon Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 bay leaf
100g diced leek
50g diced bacon
½ cup dry Arborio rice or buckwheat
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 bay leaf
100g diced leek
50g diced bacon
½ cup dry Arborio rice or buckwheat
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 cups chicken stock
Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan on medium-high
heat. Add the bay leaf.
Once the bay is fragrant, add the bacon and cook until almost done.
Add the leek and continue cooking until the leek is soft and bacon beginning to brown.
Add in the rice or buckwheat. Stir the rice, bacon and leek in the oil until looking translucent (rice) or toasty (buckwheat). Turn the stove heat to high.
Add stock, ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly. You need for the liquid to be completely absorbed before adding the next quarter-cupful. Be the tortoise, not the hare, etc.
Once all the stock is added and absorbed, remove the bay leaf, turn off the heat and give the risotto a good stir to make sure any remaining liquid is of the oozy, creamy, starchy kind.
Serve with a little parsley leaf garnish for added fanciness.
Once the bay is fragrant, add the bacon and cook until almost done.
Add the leek and continue cooking until the leek is soft and bacon beginning to brown.
Add in the rice or buckwheat. Stir the rice, bacon and leek in the oil until looking translucent (rice) or toasty (buckwheat). Turn the stove heat to high.
Add stock, ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly. You need for the liquid to be completely absorbed before adding the next quarter-cupful. Be the tortoise, not the hare, etc.
Once all the stock is added and absorbed, remove the bay leaf, turn off the heat and give the risotto a good stir to make sure any remaining liquid is of the oozy, creamy, starchy kind.
Serve with a little parsley leaf garnish for added fanciness.
Dessert
Now for the final act! This dessert can easily be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. It makes the most of some seriously yummy seasonal fruit, as well as one of the universe’s greatest gifts: chocolate. I used my favourite, Whittaker’s Dark Ghana, as it’s certified fair trade, dairy free and tastes amazing, but any good quality dark chocolate will do. Again, if buying a whole block isn’t feasible for you, a small bar of Whittaker’s dark chocolate is 99c at the yellow supermarket ;)
The cheesecake-mousse filling is a “cheat mousse” made using four ingredients and, wait for it… the microwave! Bear with me, it’s quick and easy and sure beats putting the oven on in this heat! The parfait as a whole is delicious, and pretty low in added sugar to boot. The rich chocolate is cut nicely with tart plums and balanced out with the lightness of natural yoghurt.
Now for the final act! This dessert can easily be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. It makes the most of some seriously yummy seasonal fruit, as well as one of the universe’s greatest gifts: chocolate. I used my favourite, Whittaker’s Dark Ghana, as it’s certified fair trade, dairy free and tastes amazing, but any good quality dark chocolate will do. Again, if buying a whole block isn’t feasible for you, a small bar of Whittaker’s dark chocolate is 99c at the yellow supermarket ;)
The cheesecake-mousse filling is a “cheat mousse” made using four ingredients and, wait for it… the microwave! Bear with me, it’s quick and easy and sure beats putting the oven on in this heat! The parfait as a whole is delicious, and pretty low in added sugar to boot. The rich chocolate is cut nicely with tart plums and balanced out with the lightness of natural yoghurt.
However you layer it, make sure it’s served in one dish with two spoons.
Black Doris Plum & Chocolate Parfait
100g Black Doris plums, pitted and quartered
(could sub similar sharp-sweet fruit, like raspberries or rhubarb)
2tsp sugar
½ tablespoon gelatine
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water
100g Black Doris plums, pitted and quartered
(could sub similar sharp-sweet fruit, like raspberries or rhubarb)
2tsp sugar
½ tablespoon gelatine
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water
5 squares dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon honey
50g cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon honey
50g cream cheese
1 egg
¼ cup natural unsweetened, or Greek style yoghurt
1 square chocolate, grated, for garnish
To make the plum jelly, place the plums, ¼ cup of water, and
sugar in a small pot on medium-high heat.
Allow the fruit to cook until mostly disintegrated. Taste test for
sweetness – it should have only just enough sugar to shake off the tartness.
Meanwhile, place the gelatine in small glass or mug with the tablespoon of water, stir briefly until fully combined. It will very quickly congeal.
Once the fruit resembles thick “fruit soup”, carefully add a spoonful of hot fruit mixture to the gelatine and stir until it has loosened up.
Add the gelatine-fruit mixture back into the fruit soup and quickly stir so both are fully combined. Turn up the heat until the mixture is on the verge of a boil (do not let it actually boil) constantly stirring to avoid the bottom sticking to the pan.
Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for ten minutes before storing in a jar in the fridge.
Meanwhile, place the gelatine in small glass or mug with the tablespoon of water, stir briefly until fully combined. It will very quickly congeal.
Once the fruit resembles thick “fruit soup”, carefully add a spoonful of hot fruit mixture to the gelatine and stir until it has loosened up.
Add the gelatine-fruit mixture back into the fruit soup and quickly stir so both are fully combined. Turn up the heat until the mixture is on the verge of a boil (do not let it actually boil) constantly stirring to avoid the bottom sticking to the pan.
Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for ten minutes before storing in a jar in the fridge.
To make the chocolate cheesecake mousse, place the honey and
chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-proof bowl or large mug. Melt in the microwave at ten second
intervals, stirring/prodding very gently between bursts. It shouldn’t take more
than 30 seconds.
Add the cream cheese and stir until completely combined, you may need to reheat for an additional 5-10 seconds to soften.
Once 100% combined, crack in the egg and mix like there’s no tomorrow! Make sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl/mug as you go. Once it is absolutely, 100%, combined you will be cooking it into the microwave. It took me some experimentation to get this right so listen carefully or you’ll end up with chocolate flavoured scrambled eggs (edible, but not ideal)!
Turn the microwave heat to Medium (usually, we use the microwave on High, if you don’t know how to change this, look online for your microwave’s manual), and cook the mixture for two minutes max, checking at 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 80 seconds, and 110 seconds. You’ll know it’s cooked when the edges are set with a shallow pool of liquid in the centre.
The mixture will continue cooking from the residual heat for the next few minutes. After the mug or bowl has cooled to room temperature, and the mousse is almost completely set, assemble the dessert for refrigeration.
Add the cream cheese and stir until completely combined, you may need to reheat for an additional 5-10 seconds to soften.
Once 100% combined, crack in the egg and mix like there’s no tomorrow! Make sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl/mug as you go. Once it is absolutely, 100%, combined you will be cooking it into the microwave. It took me some experimentation to get this right so listen carefully or you’ll end up with chocolate flavoured scrambled eggs (edible, but not ideal)!
Turn the microwave heat to Medium (usually, we use the microwave on High, if you don’t know how to change this, look online for your microwave’s manual), and cook the mixture for two minutes max, checking at 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 80 seconds, and 110 seconds. You’ll know it’s cooked when the edges are set with a shallow pool of liquid in the centre.
The mixture will continue cooking from the residual heat for the next few minutes. After the mug or bowl has cooled to room temperature, and the mousse is almost completely set, assemble the dessert for refrigeration.
Layer the jelly, mousse and yoghurt and sprinkle with
chocolate shavings. Serve in a parfait glass if you can, if not a cocktail or
wine glass works too.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone :) xx
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