PEAKLIFE

With Valentine’s Day coming up, Le Creuset sweet treats and indulgent entrees to celebrate the most romantic day of the year!

No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, a delicious meal with your valentine is a non-negotiable. Food is the way to the heart, right? Wow your sweetheart by going the homemade route with one of these Valentine’s Day dinner ideas.

SPRING VEGETABLE BRAISE WITH PANCETTA

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 115g pancetta, cut into small dice
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 100ml dry white wine
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 140g small baby carrots, cleaned and sliced in ½ lengthways
• 115g asparagus spears, trimmed of any woody parts and cut into 5cm lengths
• 140g frozen, shelled broad beans
• 140g frozen peas
• 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 10 to 15 basil leaves, roughly torn
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the vegetable oil in the wok, add the pancetta, and stir-fry gently for 4-5 minutes until it has become crisped and browned. It is important to cook the pancetta slowly to allow the fat to render without over-browning the meat.
• Push the crisp pancetta to one side, add the onion and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent.
• Add the wine, bring the contents to a simmer, and cook for a couple of minutes until the liquid has reduced by around 1/3. Pour in the stock and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the carrots, asparagus, broad beans, and peas, place on the lid and braise over low heat for 6-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the roughly chopped herbs and drizzle over the olive oil before serving in the wok.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM FRICASSÉE WITH SPRING ONION AND HERB PILAF

INGREDIENTS

For Fricassée:

• 1 x 1.2 to 1.3kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 175g shallots, peeled
• 175g button mushrooms
• 1½ tablespoons plain flour
• 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 150ml dry white wine
• 375ml hot chicken stock
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 125ml full-fat crème fraiche

INSTRUCTIONS

• Season the chicken portions with the salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter with the oil in the casserole over medium heat and sauté the chicken pieces in two batches. Starting with the chicken skin-side down, brown well on all sides then transfer to a dish. This will take around 8-10 minutes in total.
• Add the shallots to the residue of oil in the casserole and cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes until golden and caramelised. Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes more.
• Stir the flour and mustard into the shallots and mushrooms. Pour in the wine and bring the contents to a simmer whilst stirring. Once thickened and glossy add the hot stock and the bay leaf.
• Return the browned chicken pieces to the casserole, bring the contents back to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes more to allow the sauce to reduce to a coating consistency. Stir occasionally.
• Meanwhile, make the spring onion and herb pilaf. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs relatively clear, then drain, tip into a large saucepan, and add ½ teaspoon of salt and the boiling water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and leave to cook for 12-15 minutes until the grains are just tender. Remove the lid, fluff up the grains with a fork, re-cover and set to one side. Melt the butter in another medium-sized pan, add the spring onions, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes until just soft. Uncover the rice once more, add the spring onions and herbs and gently fork together until well mixed. Cover and keep warm.
• Stir in the chopped herbs along with the crème fraîche to the fricassée and simmer for a final 2-3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste, remove the bay leaf and serve with the spring onion pilaf.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PORK AND CRANBERRY STUFFING

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1.5kg chicken
• 500g pork sausages
• 100g dried cranberries
• 50g pistachio nuts
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 egg
• 25ml butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
• 2 onions, quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/ Gas Mark 5.
• Remove the casing from the pork sausages, and place the filling into a bowl. Add the cranberries, pistachios, chopped onion, garlic, egg and butter. Season the mixture well with salt and pepper and mix it together.
• Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the pork filling, and tie it closed with string.
• Place it in a Le Creuset Rectangular Roaster and scatter the quartered onions around it.
• Roll the remaining stuffing into balls and add them to the onions and the chicken in the roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and place into a hot oven. Cook the chicken for 1-1 ½ hour or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
• Serve with the roasted onions and extra stuffing balls.

SPRING VEGETABLE CHOWDER WITH SOUR CREAM AND FUNNEL

INGREDIENTS

• • 50g (2oz) butter
• • 600g (1lb 5oz) potatoes – peeled and cut into small dice
• • 4 (225g/8oz) baby or young leeks – cleaned and cut into 2.5cm (1inch) lengths
• • 1 large fennel bulb (200g/7oz) – thinly sliced
• • 25g (1oz) plain flour
• • 1litre (1¾ pints) hot vegetable stock
• • 2 bay leaves
• • ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
• • 12 asparagus stems – woody ends removed and stems cut into 5cm (2inch) pieces
• • 200g (7oz) shelled peas
• • 1x400g (14oz) can of creamed corn
• • 150ml (5floz) crème fraiche
• • 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
• • Salt and black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• In the casserole melt half the butter over a medium heat and add the potatoes, leeks and fennel, stir-fry for 4 – 5 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
• Melt the rest of the butter in the casserole, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute. Remove the casserole from the heat and gradually stir in the hot vegetable stock. Place back onto the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Return the potatoes, leeks and fennel to the stock.
• Add the bay leaves and chilli flakes and simmer for 6 – 7 minutes until the potatoes begin to soften.
• Stir in the asparagus, peas and the creamed corn, bring back to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 – 6 minutes until all of the vegetables are tender.
• Remove the bay leaves. Using a potato masher or the back of a spatula lightly crush some of the vegetables to thicken the soup.
• Stir in 100ml (3½floz) of the crème fraiche with most of the chopped parsley and season the soup to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Serve the soup piping hot with a spoon of the remaining crème Fraiche, sprinkled with the remaining chopped parsley.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND BEETROOT BROWNIE PUDDING WITH CASSIS CREAM

INGREDIENTS

• 100g (3 ½ oz) 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 125g (4oz) light muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125g (4oz) melted butter (see cook’s note 1)
• 40g (1 ½ oz) cocoa powder
• 40g (1 ½ oz) self raising flour
• 150g (5 ½ oz) grated cooked beetroot (see cook’s note 2)
• 200ml (7floz) double cream
• 2 tablespoons cassis liquor
• Icing sugar to decorate (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4 or for a fan Oven: 160°C
• Lightly grease the ramekins using a little of the melted butter and a silicone brush (see cook’s notes).
• In a medium sized bowl break the chocolate into small pieces. Place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water to melt. Do not let the water boil or the bowl touch the water.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and foamy.
• Use a medium sized silicone spatula or spatula spoon to stir in the melted chocolate followed by the melted butter.Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and gently combine.
• Fold in the grated cooked beetroot.
• Divide the mixture between the four ramekins and bake for 20 minutes.
• The puddings are done when well risen and the surface is cracked. The centre will still be soft.
• To make the cassis cream
• Whisk the cream until thickened and stir in the cassis liquor.
• Serve the puddings warm with the cassis cream and an optional dusting of icing sugar.

SPELT BLINIS WITH MUSTARD SOUR CREAM, BEETROOT AND SMOKED MACKEREL

INGREDIENTS

• Blinis
• 85g (3oz) spelt flour
• 85g (3oz) plain flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5g (1½ teaspoons) fast acting dried yeast
• 2 medium eggs – beaten
• 250ml (1 cup) warm full cream milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 40g (1½ oz) salted butter
• Topping
• 300ml (1¼ cups) low fat crème fraiche
• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 225g (8oz) beetroots – cooked and peeled
• 300g (10½ oz) hot smoked mackerel fillets – skinned and boned
• 55g (2oz) peas shoots, micro salad leaves or watercress

INSTRUCTIONS

• Mix the flours with the salt and yeast in a large bowl, before adding the milk and the beaten eggs. Mix well, cover, and leave for about 1 hour at room temperature or 4hrs+ in the refrigerator until it has doubled in size.
• Heat the frying pan over low to medium heat. Melt the oil and butter in a small pan and brush a little over the surface of the frying pan.
• Drop 3 tablespoons of mixture for each blini into the pan, around 7-8cm (3 inches) in diameter. Cook 2-3 at a time making sure they do not touch. Turn when the blini mixture is bubbly and risen across the top, drizzle a little more of the melted butter and oil into the pan and flip to cook the other side. Place the cooked blinis onto a plate and cover whilst you cook the remainder.
• Mix the crème Fraiche with the mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut the beetroot into small diced pieces and shred the mackerel into small pieces.
• Place two blinis per person on a plate, spoon some of the mustard crème Fraiche onto each blini, and top with mackerel and beetroot. Finish with a small handful of your chosen fresh shoots or leaves.