I have had some very unromantic Valentine’s Day meals over the years. Trust me when I say there’s nothing elegant about trying to eat homemade overfilled duck bao buns, or sexy about trying to split the last prawn in a tapas joint. Which is why now I go French. Nobody does romance like our neighbours across the Channel — dinner à deux with a bottle of champagne while sharing a plate of slippery moules in creamy sauce, or tucking into a simple roast chicken and salad. It’s a cuisine full of luxurious dishes that don’t need to be complicated or require too much darting between counter space and the hob to be delicious, leaving more time to speak to “mon coeur”.
This year I will be making dishes from Café François, the charming Parisian-style bistro that stole the hearts of foodies and critics when it opened last year. These are recipes guaranteed to make you go, “Ooh là là”. Hannah Evans
Café François, 14-16 Stoney St, London SE1 (020 3988 5770; cafefrancois.london)
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1. Moules marinière
Prep: 10 mins. Cook: 10 mins
Ingredients
• 500g mussels
• 20g butter
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 125ml white wine
• 125ml double cream
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Method
1. Rinse and clean the mussels under cold running water, discarding any open ones that don’t close when lightly squeezed or tapped.
2. In a large pan, melt the butter and cook the shallot and garlic over a low-medium heat until very soft but without colour. Add the bay leaf and white wine and bring to the boil. Increase the heat to full, add the mussels then place the lid on the pan.
3. Steam the mussels for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. All the mussels should be open and the plump meat exposed. If they aren’t, place the lid back on and give it another minute. You want your mussels to only just open.
4. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and place in warmed serving bowls, discarding the bay leaf. Quickly reduce the cooking liquid by one quarter, then add the cream, lemon juice and parsley. Check the seasoning before pouring over the cooked mussels.
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2. Ribeye
Cook/rest: 25 mins
Ingredients
• Salt and pepper
• 500g ribeye (1 large steak)
• 30g butter
Method
1. Of course you can season your steak just before cooking, but if you have the time try seasoning it 12 hours before you want to eat it. Leave it in the fridge, then just before cooking pat it dry with kitchen roll and add a little more salt. Get an ovenproof frying pan searing hot and place the steak in the pan with no oil.
2. Turn the steak every minute until you have a dark brown sear on each side. Add the cold butter and place the pan in the oven at 180C fan/gas 6, turning halfway through cooking. I find for medium rare it’s about 8 minutes in the pan and 3 minutes on each side in the oven. Leave it for an extra 3 minutes for medium, 6 for medium-well done and 9 for well done. Remove the steak from the pan to rest for half the total cooking time before carving and serving with peppercorn or béarnaise sauce on the side.
Peppercorn sauce
Prep: 10 mins. Cook: 15 mins
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 30g green peppercorns
• 100ml cognac
• 200ml beef jus or gravy (available from Marks & Spencer or Waitrose)
• 100g double cream
1. After removing the steak from the pan, turn the heat to low and add the shallot to the beefy butter remaining in the pan. After a minute, add the garlic and, a few minutes later, the green peppercorns.
2. Add the brandy and flambé (watch your eyebrows). Finish with the beef jus or gravy and double cream, then reduce to the desired consistency. Add the rested steak back into the sauce to quickly warm the outside.
Béarnaise sauce
Prep: 5 mins. Cook: 15 mins
• 2 egg yolks
• 10ml white wine vinegar
• 120g clarified butter or ghee
• 1 tbsp each chopped tarragon and chervil
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
1. Add the egg yolks to a round-based bowl and whisk in the vinegar. Set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk for 5-10 minutes until the egg is thick and aerated. Once cooked, you should be able to trace a figure of eight in the yolks and it should stay visible for eight seconds. If you have a thermometer, 80C is cooked.
2. Gently warm the butter or ghee and, as you would for mayonnaise, slowly add to the eggs, whisking constantly. Finish with the chopped herbs, lemon juice, seasoning and a little warm water if the béarnaise is still too thick.
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3. Winter salad with pear and Roquefort
Prep: 15 mins
Ingredients
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-2 generous tsp Dijon mustard
• 20ml apple cider vinegar
• 70ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• A selection of winter leaves (endive, castelfranco, treviso or radicchio will work well)
• 30g walnuts
• 100g Roquefort
• 1 pear
Method
1. Add the egg yolk, Dijon mustard and vinegar to a bowl, whisk to combine and slowly stream in the oil to make the dressing. Finish with about 2 tsp water to get the correct consistency, then season.
2. Separate the salad leaves and place in a serving bowl. Toast the walnuts in the oven at 180C fan/gas 6 for 6 minutes. Using an oven cloth, rub the nuts to remove some of the excess skin, then chop them roughly.
3. I like to leave the skin on my pear but feel free to peel if you prefer. Cut the pear into wedges, remove the core and slice thinly lengthways.
4. Dress the salad leaves with plenty of dressing, add the sliced pear and toss with your hands until every leaf is evenly coated. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and crumble the Roquefort over the top.
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4. Roast chicken with jus de fines herbes
Prep: 20 mins. Cook/rest: 60 mins
Ingredients
• 1 small chicken, about 1.4kg
• 50ml olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 10g rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 10g parsley, chopped
• 10g capers
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 30ml olive oil
Method
1. Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before cooking. Preheat the oven to 220C fan/gas 9.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped garlic and rosemary. Rub this all over the chicken, then season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting dish skin-side up.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 160C fan/gas 4 and cook for a further 20 minutes, basting occasionally. To test if the chicken is cooked, insert a knife just above the thigh and check the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the tray and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting into quarters.
4. Add the chicken stock to the hot roasting dish, bring to the boil and reduce by two thirds. Add the remaining ingredients to make a light herby jus. Serve with the roast chicken.
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5. Celeriac remoulade
Prep: 15 mins
Ingredients
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 25g crème fraîche
• 65g mayonnaise
• 1-2 generous tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• Half a celeriac, peeled
• Salt and pepper
Method
1. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the celeriac and seasoning. Either use a knife to cut the celeriac into thin matchsticks or grate on the biggest side of a box grater. Mix into the dressing, using your hands to make sure all the strands are dressed. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. The remoulade will sit happily for a few hours before being eaten so feel free to get this done in advance of your dinner. When you’re ready to eat, give one last mix and finish with some cracked black pepper on top.
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6. Chocolate mousse
Prep: 15 mins. Set: 1-2 hours
Ingredients
• 70g chocolate (72 per cent cocoa solids)
• 2 egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar
• 4 egg whites
• Chopped hazelnuts and grated chocolate, to garnish
Method
1. Set a round-based bowl over a small pan of simmering water. Make sure the inside of the bowl is completely dry and add the chocolate. Stir until fully melted. Once melted, set to one side and leave to cool slightly.
2. Whisk the yolks with 15g sugar to ribbon stage using an electric whisk. Once thick and aerated, put to one side. In a very clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites, adding the remaining 60g sugar in 3 stages at the start, middle and end of whisking. Continue until you have stiff peaks and can hold the bowl upside down without it spilling.
3. Pour the slightly cooled chocolate into the whisked egg yolks and mix well. Add one third of the egg whites to lighten the mix; don’t worry too much about knocking out the air at this stage. Now gently fold in the remaining two thirds of egg whites in a figure of eight motion.
4. Once fully combined, spoon the mousse into a large sharing bowl. Let it set in the fridge for a few hours, then decorate with grated dark chocolate and nuts.
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7. Caesar salad
Prep: 15 mins
Ingredients
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Half a garlic clove, finely grated
• 40g anchovies, very finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 100ml rapeseed oil
• 20g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra
• 1 Romaine lettuce
To garnish (optional)
• Grated hard-boiled egg, anchovy fillets, croutons and caperberries
Method
1. Add the egg yolk to a small mixing bowl with a splash of water, the mustard, garlic, anchovies, black pepper and lemon juice. Slowly add the oil, whisking continuously until it is fully incorporated. If the dressing is too thick, add a little more water to loosen it. Finish with grated parmesan and taste — add some salt if needed.
2. Remove the base of the lettuce and separate the leaves, keeping them whole. Wash and dry them, then put in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Serve on a large sharing plate and finish with a good grating of parmesan and any of the optional toppings you fancy.
Dining and Cooking