If you are anything like me and leave things to the last minute then this newsletter might be useful to you. If not, these ideas are perfect for any date night. I have included a recipe at the bottom for a delicious Limoncello crème with nut crumble adorned with fresh raspberries.
I love the intimacy of sharing a plate of food with a loved one, and these are a few of my favourite ideas:
Mussels with white wine, cream and garlic
Quick, easy, affordable and delicious, this one is high on the reward-to-effort ratio.
Easy duck pancakes with plum sauce
The pancakes are much simpler to make than you might think and you can use hoisin instead of my homemade plum sauce to make it even easier.
This comes together quite quickly and is perfect with a glass of ice-cold white wine.
Herb-crusted roast rack of lamb
A wonderful lamb dish which sounds fancy but is really easy to make if you find a French-trimmed rack of lamb.
Churros with chocolate & espresso sauce
A Spanish classic that will always be a favourite romantic dessert to share.
Laborie Estate is running a delightful Summer of Love Giveaway for the month of February. Check out this post to enter. Their hamper is absolutely amazing.
You can find a few more delicious recipes for Valentine’s Day here.
Limoncello crème with nut crumble - serves 6
Limoncello cream:
250gm Mascarpone cheese
250 ml fresh cream
80ml / 1/3 cup castor sugar
90ml Limoncello
zest of a small lemon
Nut crumble:
110gm flour
80gm butter (cold)
50gms macadamia nuts
50gms peeled / blanched almonds
50gms demerara sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Raspberries to decorate
Make the nut crumble in advance & preheat the oven to 160C
Put all of the crumble ingredients into a food processor and whizz until you get a coarse crumb. Spread this out on a large lined baking sheet and roast for 30 – 40 minutes, being sure to stir the crumble mixture every 10 minutes. Remove when the mixture is golden brown, and set aside to cool. Â
To make the Limoncello crème whip the cream, using an electric mixer, until soft peaks form, and then set aside.
Beat the Mascarpone with the sugar and zest until smooth. Add the Limoncello slowly until it’s well incorporated. Fold the cream in by hand until well mixed but still airy.
Layer your dessert in individual glasses by filling the bottom quarter of the glass with the nut crumble and then topping it with the Limoncello cream mix. Sprinkle a few raspberries on top.
*tip – this can also be made into one larger dessert using an appropriately sized serving dish.
I hope your day is filled with love.