Indulgent dinner for two

Avoid the scramble for a restaurant table next week; cook scallops and chocolate mousse at home instead

The annual homage to stuffed teddy bears and overpriced roses is still vaguely amusing, to even the most diehard of cynics. But no matter how cheesy you find the day in question, I have now come to the conclusion that it is a great excuse to cook something delicious. So ignore the musical cards babbling about endless love and undying affection, and forget about the cheap, heart-shaped chocolates. Instead, cook something superb with someone you care about.

I am a bit of a cauliflower addict and the strong flavour of this mighty cruciferous floret goes beautifully with scallops. The sautéed chestnut and bacon mound that supports the sweet and bitter flavours in the recipe on these pages is delicious, and very moreish. When all these flavours are combined, you are going to feel like a Michelin star chef on day-release. And don’t be daunted: this may look fancy, but it’s very do-able. As Mr Obama says when he’s in the kitchen: “Yes, you can!”

The chocolate mousse, on the other hand, is not particularly fancy, but it is gooey, rich, and has a very nice texture. It can also be bunged in the fridge and does not require much fanfare.

You could decorate it by crumbling some yellowman (honeycomb) on top. Alternatively, get some hazelnuts, sprinkle them with sugar and toast in the oven on parchment paper at 150 degrees/gas 2, until slightly caramelised. Roughly chop them and sprinkle the chocolate mousse with shards of nutty sugar.

The orange rind makes this mousse taste like a creamy bowl of Terry’s chocolate orange, which for some reason always cheers me up. Maybe it’s the association with Dawn French doing those ads on telly, but either way, there is something nostalgically pleasant about chocolate and orange. Not sophisticated, but very tasty.

SCALLOPS WITH CHESTNUTS, BACON AND CAULIFLOWER CREAM

Serves two

1 small head cauliflower

Good knob butter

Few splashes olive oil

Salt and pepper

40g butter

Small onion, peeled and very finely diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

150g ceps, or any fancy mushroom mix

150g lardons

150ml white wine

12 cooked, peeled chestnuts

Few sprigs thyme

8 scallops, roe removed

Start by making the cauliflower cream. Break the cauliflower up into small florets, put these in a roasting tray, cover with foil and dot with butter and a few splashes of water. Roast – covered – at about 160 degrees/gas 3 for about 30 minutes, or until tender. You could boil them, but the flavour is much nicer when they are roasted gently, and they won’t be as waterlogged.

Process the florets in a blender with some olive oil and any juices left in the roasting tin. You may have to add a few tablespoons of water to get it to process, maybe even another knob of butter. You could add some cream if you wanted, but I don’t like the flavour to be diluted by fat. Season with salt and set aside.