`Valentine's day menus are usually approached from the angle of using aphrodisiacs to seduce the partner," says Danette O'Connell. "But, in my opinion, good food - prepared with love and attention to detail - is sensual and sexy in itself." That sensual and sexy food, and a romantic ambience, was the very definition of O'Connell's restaurant, Danette's Feast, in Urglin Glebe, near Carlow, so who better to ask for a special menu for Valentine's Day than this gifted, highly individual cook?
"Good food discovers, titillates and exploits all of the human senses", says O'Connell, and that is just what her Valentine's meal will do. Given that we are cooking a quiet Monday evening supper for two, use today for shopping and tomorrow to prepare as much of the meal in advance, so there is little work to be done on February 14th.
O'Connell won't be cooking Valentine's dinner in her restaurant this year, for after six years of the Feast, she is moving on to a new venture, Mulberry's, at The Arboretum Garden Centre in Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, where she will be working with Rachel and Frank Doyle. Mulberry's will be open for lunch seven days a week and, all going well, that will start on March 11th. For the devotees of Danette's Feast, here are three of the classic dishes which show O'Connell's brilliance, not to mention her romanticism.
Heart-shaped filo parcels of kale, leek and ricotta cheese with tomato concasse
6 lengths of filo pastry
melted butter 250g ricotta cheese 1/2 oz butter plus one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 4 leeks, whites only, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 leaves of curly kale, stems removed and chopped finely lemon juice to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 large beef tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced and mixed with a little vinaigrette 10 tufts of lambs lettuce 1 small red onion, diced
First, make the filling by melting the butter with the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook until the leeks are soft. Add the kale and stir while cooking for a couple of minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the ricotta cheese. Process until smooth, then season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until absolutely cold and firm (you can do this a day or two in advance).
Melt the butter. Brush a sheet of filo pastry with butter and then brush two others placing them one on top of another. Use half the filling by spreading it lengthwise across the bottom of one sheet, leaving a blank edge on either end of the sheet of pastry. Roll it up into a cigar shape and close the ends. Shape the length into a heart shape and place it on a buttered baking tray. Repeat with the remaining filo pastry.
Cut two lengths of foil and also roll into cigars. Shape the foil around the pastry to help keep its shape.
Bake at 200C/ 400F until golden brown. Place on plate and fill the inside of the heart with the tomato concasse/vinaigrette mixture. Garnish with the lambs lettuce and diced onion and a little more dressing.
`With this main course," says Danette, "the stuffing is rich, the sauce exotic".
Quail with a Stilton, cashew, raisin and mushroom stuffing, with a mango, orange and dessert wine sauce
4 boned quail 4 oz of chopped cashew nuts 1 tablespoon raisins 1 oz butter 1 small onion, diced 5 mushrooms, diced finely 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh coriander olive oil for frying 2 teaspoons honey 1 oz stilton, plus more to garnish 1 ripe but firm mango 8 fluid ounces fresh orange juice 2 teaspoons raspberry vinegar 4 fluid ounces orange muscat dessert wine (such as Noble Taminga)
Make the stuffing by melting the butter, add the diced onion and cook over a low heat until the onions are soft. Add the mushroom and cook for a further two minutes. Place in a bowl and stir in the raisins, cashews and coriander. Allow to cool.
Make the sauce by placing the orange juice, half the mango cut into chunks and the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer gently until the harshness of the vinegar is softened - about 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until the mango is smooth. Return to a saucepan and add the dessert wine. Cook for a further five minutes. Reserve.
Open the quail and place a quarter ounce of crumbled Stilton down the middle of each quail. Place a tablespoon of stuffing in each quail and fold over and secure. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot place the quail breast-side down and fry until golden. Place on a baking tray breast-up and dribble a little honey over each quail. Bake in a 180C/ 350F oven for 1520 minutes.
Reheat the sauce. Place two quail on each warmed plate. Place a generous amount of sauce in a half-circle beneath the quail. Place a mango fan above a crumbling of Stilton at the top of each plate.
`This roulade is light so as not to burden the lovers", says O'Connell. Of course, "the passion fruit speaks for itself - you could make a coulis instead, but you'd be missing out on a contrast of textures".
Chocolate Amaretto roulade with a passion fruit sorbet
5 size-1 eggs 225 g caster sugar 175 g good quality dark chocolate (in drops or cut into pieces) half pint double cream 2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur icing sugar for dusting
Place the chocolate with two tablespoons of hand-hot water in a bowl and melt over a pan of hot - not boiling - water until melted.
Separate the eggs into large mixing bowls. Whisk the caster sugar with the egg yolks until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate. Whisk the egg whites until firm. Fold the egg whites (gently, because the air bubbles are vital to the roulade's lightness) into the chocolate mixture. Quickly place in a greaseproof paper-lined swiss roll tin. Bake in a pre-heated 180C/ 350F oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool.
Whip the cream until stiff. Stir in the Amaretto. Dust a worktop with icing sugar. Place the roulade face down onto the icing sugar. Carefully remove the baking paper. Spread the cream mixture evenly over the cake. With a spatula fold the roulade over three times - don't freak about it breaking.
Slide onto a flat plate or cake tray. Dust with more icing sugar (cover the cracks!).
Passion fruit sorbet
9 passion fruit 4 fluid ounces sugar stock, made with 2 oz caster sugar and 2 oz water
For stock syrup: Place water and sugar in saucepan and bring to the boil. Skim if necessary and simmer until sugar has dissolved - usually five minutes.
Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out all the contents with a teaspoon into a saucepan. Add four tablespoons water and warm gently over a low heat.
Transfer to a food processor and process for only a few seconds.
Strain the pulp through a sieve and add the stock syrup to the fruit puree.
Churn for approximately 15 minutes in a sorbet maker or freeze and process in a food processor, until smooth, just before serving.
Using two tablespoons dipped in hot water, shape the sorbet into ovals and divide on a plate surrounding a slice of the roulade.