See the face of the one you love light up with when you serve them this Valentine’s dinner

Well, it is that time of year again when the happily entwined look forward to Valentine’s evening and, with a long term relationship, they have been able to book the restaurant months in advance.
Then there is the new, flushed romance and by now all good restaurants are booked up. So what next? A second rate eatery or an evening in? – But that will have to be done with skill. Then there is the final lot who are still looking for the perfect date and are rushing an ad in a paper, going through reams of faces with internet dating, dissecting their looks, their birth date and if they like animals or not.
Let’s go back to the second lot: Don’t go for the second rate restaurant, because the food will not be at its best that night any way, and you will probably get the invasion of roses in buckets coming to the table and the whole affair will be intrusive.
Eat in but keep it simple, with everything prepared the night before, including laying the table. That will then give you time for a soothing bath and some time to relax, getting you in the mood for a spoiling evening.
It is a night to have a good bottle of wine and good food: but stay sober just long enough to get the main course out and then completely relax with a pre made pudding.Then you can both graze on a wonderful cheese board for the rest of the evening until bed time.
The starter could be cooked beetroot (without vinegar) sliced with a fresh buffalo mozzarella and garnished with watercress drizzled with virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You could cut the slices of beetroot into heart shapes to get in the mood.
For the main course:

CARAMELISED FILLET STEAK
Serve with new potatoes and either a good salad or green vegetables.

Ingredients
Two tbsp red wine;
One clove garlic, peeled and crushed;
One bay leaf;
Juice of half a lemon;
Freshly ground black pepper;
Two beef fillet steaks;
One teasp dark brown sugar;
One teasp French mustard;

Method
Put the wine, garlic, bay leaf, lemon juice and pepper in a dish and mix well. Add the fillet steaks and then cover and chill for a few hours or over night turning the meat once.
When ready to serve, preheat the grill very hot and then cook the steaks for about two minutes. (or longer if you prefer).
Turn over and then top with the sugar and mustard spreading evenly over the surface. Return to the grill and cook for a further two to three minutes or until the sugar is slightly caramelised. Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE POTS
If you live near a Waitrose (or somewhere else that you find that stock Gu) you could cheat and buy Gu Chocolate puddings which are packaged in black boxes and are delicious and just like home made or you could make the following.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH RASPBERRIES

Ingredients
125g-4oz plain chocolate;
25g 1oz unsalted butter;
One tbsp Cointreau;
Two large eggs, separated;
One small punnet fresh raspberries;

Method
Melt the chocolate in a pan with two tablespoons of water gently over a low heat. Stir until smooth, and then stir in the butter, the Cointreau and then the egg yolks.
Beat until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold gently into the mixture using a metal spoon. Finally, carefully add the raspberries and fold in very gently so you do not to break the fruit. Pour into a serving dish and leave to set in the fridge.
Serve chilled.

Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill
NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk