St Valentine’s Dinner

The roses maybe gone, the cards put away, chocolates enjoyed and wedding proposals celebrated.  St. Valentines Day has now been and gone, however I wanted to share with you the dinner we had to celebrate.  Last year we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Great Fosters, which is in my top 3 meals of all time, to join in this day of romantic love.  That was organised by my girlfriend, and this year it was my turn.  We had already decided that this year we would enjoy it at home, as we were cutting back and saving money.  Later this year we will buy our first house, so as much as I would have liked to have gone to one of my favourite restaurants – a few sacrifices have to be made.

I wanted to ensure that it was going to be a special evening, something for the two of us to enjoy, with a few surprises along the way.  I know some people don’t like to celebrate as they believe it is just a commercial gimmick, and they come out with the line “I don’t need Valentine’s Day to show my love or be romantic”.  To me that’s a cop out.  Being lame.  Neither do I need 14th February to show it, you don’t have to take part in any commercial aspect if your against that, but isn’t it great to be involved when love is in the air?  Anyway I enjoy it, and that is good enough for me.
Below is the menu that I spent 5 weeks planning and preparing, tweaking and changing.  Due to the 14th February actually being in the week this year, we decided to celebrate it the Saturday afterwards.  The next few posts that I will put on Back to the Chopping Board will be on each of the courses.

St Valentine’s Dinner

Saturday 18^th February 2012

Cosmopolitan and Mojito

Smoked Salmon Blinis

with vodka crème fraîche and beetroot

Potted Duck

with date, fig & apple chutney, chargrilled malted grain bread, cornichons and caper berries

Lime and Prosecco Sorbet

Fillet Steak and Triple Cooked Chips

with béarnaise sauce, slow roasted tomato, rocket and parmesan salad

Chambord Crème Brûlée

Chocolate Truffles and Champagne

On arrival my girlfriend was met by candles flickering and giving a soft romantic light.  With the table decorated simply but in the style of the evening, I done my best Tom Cruise impression and made her a Cosmopolitan.  Thanks to an awesome cocktail maker teaching me how to do it, her favourite cocktail was served, ready for the evening to begin.