Dishes to melt hearts

If you're staying in rather than going out for dinner on Monday, here are some winning recipes, writes DOMINI KEMP

IF ANYONE IS mad enough to cook something romantic on Valentine’s Day, fair play. What I intend doing is cooking for those who are dear to my heart (read greedy). There won’t be a hint of schmaltz or cards with poems that really do rhyme. Just some great grub for sharing.

Chicken with endive and bacon

Serves four

6-8 chicken pieces

Knob of butter

Salt and pepper

6 smoked streaky rashers, diced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 bay leaves

Bunch of thyme

500ml vegetable or chicken stock

3 heads chicory (Belgian endive)

150ml crème fraiche

Fry the chicken in the butter in a heavy-based saucepan with a lid, in batches if necessary, until you have them well browned and nicely seasoned.

Remove the chicken and set it aside while you fry the bacon and onion until it is starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and herbs, mix really well then put the chicken back in. Add the stock and put a lid on it. Cook on a very gentle heat for about an hour.

When you’re ready to serve, chop the chicory and add it to the pan, along with the crème fraiche. Mix well, and after a few minutes check the seasoning and serve. This is great with some mashed spuds or these cheesy parsnips.

Cheesy parsnips

Serves four

6-8 big parsnips

Few sprigs of thyme

Salt and pepper

100g Parmesan

120ml crème fraiche

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Chopped parsley (optional)

Peel and chop the parsnips into chunks and put them in a saucepan with cold water, the thyme and salt. Bring up to the boil, and cook until the parsnips are tender.

Drain and then process in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (they won’t go all starchy like potatoes), or you can just mash and mix with all the other ingredients until smooth.

They also reheat well, although you may need to add a splash of water to get them going.

Rich chocolate pots

Serves 4-6

175g chocolate, roughly chopped.

400ml cream

200ml milk

75g caster sugar

6 egg yolks

Splash of Cointreau (optional)

Heat an oven to 150 degrees/gas mark two. Melt the chocolate with half the cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering eater. Heat the remaining 200ml of cream and milk along with the sugar for a minute or so, until the sugar dissolves. Whisk the egg yolks, and then pour the hot milk mixture on top. Keep whisking and then pour this egg mixture through a sieve on to the chocolaty cream mixture. Keep whisking until it goes nice and smooth. Stir in the liqueur and then pour into six small ramekins or four larger ones. Put them in a roasting tray and then put this in the oven. While it’s on the oven shelf, fill the roasting tray with hot water to about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for about 35 minutes, then allow the chocolate pots to cool slightly. I think they taste even better when chilled overnight and eaten cold.

Brown bread ice-cream

Serves 4-6

This has been adapted from Diana Henry’s brown bread and whiskey ice-cream which was delicious, but far too boozy. It is just frozen cream, so it is a bit too rich to eat on its own.

We reckon this version works really well as an accompaniment, rather than the main event. You will need about two to three slices of bread to make 75g of breadcrumbs.

75g brown breadcrumbs (the nuttier the better)

20g butter

50g soft brown sugar

400ml cream

75g soft brown sugar

2 tsp coffee granules

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp Tia Maria

Fry the breadcrumbs in the butter, along with the sugar, in a non-stick frying pan until it is starting to caramelise and the crumbs are well coated in butter and sugar. They will start to sizzle and change colour. Take the crumbs off the heat and set aside. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Mix in all the other ingredients including the breadcrumbs. Mix well and freeze in a plastic or metal shallow container. Serve with the chocolate pots and some berries.