This Valentine’s Day wow your other half with some of the world’s most romantic dishes by creative Chef Katherine Frelon.

This year if you find yourself on Google on the eve of February 13th with sweat on your brow or browsing the aisles of your local supermarket desperate for inspiration and steadily panicking, worry not. Creative Chef and founder of Gourmet cookery school in Burgundy, Katherine Frelon has developed a selection of Valentine’s suppers sure to make even Casanova go weak at the knees.

Warm the heart and soul with this simple romantic salad

Prep: 15mins Cooking time: 30mins Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:
small handful cinnamon basil if you can find it if not the usual will do
15 cherry tomatoes
300g halloumi, cut into slices
medium handful lambs lettuce
medium wild peppery rocket
3 fresh black figs, cut into quarters
60g green pitted fresh olive
1 small chargrilled red pepper cut into thin strips
5 sprigs of lemon thyme
olive oil
A splash of rich aged balsamic vinegar
a little runny fragrant honey

With its sweet spicy scent basil is renowned for being the herb of love! Also known for its power to soothe a headache, this amazing herb will gently warms the heart and soul with its alluring aroma, igniting sensual and loving feelings. Try a simple salad of warm gently roasted cherry tomatoes with torn strips of cinnamon basil, chargrilled halloumi, lambs lettuce and wold peppery rocket drizzled with olive oil and a rich aged balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. preheat oven to 200oC place cherry tomatoes in an oven proof dish, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast slowly in the oven for 30mins
2. marinade the halloumi slices in a small amount of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and salt and the lemon thyme leaves stripped of their twigs.
3. wash and spin the salad leaves, place in your serving bowl or arrange on individual plates
4. in a very hot griddle pan fry the halloumi until lightly golden brown, drain
5. arrange the halloumi and cherry tomatoes on the salad, place the olive, figs and chargrilled peppers.
6. drizzle over a little shot of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey
7. season with fresh flaked sea salt,black pepper and scatter over the basil leaves

Oysters Gently Poached in Champagne

Prep: 20mins Cooking time: 15mins Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

x10 no 3 oysters, chucked, shells scrubbed and left to dry
300g sea salt for serving
200ml cream
300ml champagne
4 egg yolks
1 shallot, finely diced
salt and freshly ground white pepper
chervil to decorate
1tsp butter

A classic culinary symbol for passion, oysters are synonymous with romance and Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to indulge in their salty velvety texture. Whether you serve them freshly chucked with a squeeze of lemon or gently poached in a cream and champagne sauce they are the ultimate ingredient, guaranteed to add a starry-eyed allure to your dinner.

Method:

1. once the oysters are chucked place them in a sieve over a bowl to collect the juices
2. divide the salt between the 2 plates and place 5 oyster shells, the bases, not the lids, in the salt. wriggle them until they sit firmly in place – add more salt if necessary
3. in a shallow pan place the oyster juice and very gently poach the oysters for just over 5 mins
4. in a separate pan melt the butter and colour the shallots, add the champagne, cream and egg yolks, season with salt and pepper, stir until you see it thicken slightly.
5. not too long or the sauce will separate
6. return the oysters to their shell and spoon over the sauce
7. decorate with a fine sprig of chervil
8. serve immediately

Hummus with Mediterranean Dippers

Prep: 20mins Cooking time: 1hr plus soaking overnight before cooking, if using dried Serves: 2 people
Can be made a few days ahead, but cook the pine nuts and reserved chic peas at the last minute.

Ingredients:

Hummus
150g canned chickpeas or dried, soaked over night and cooked until soft approx 1hr
2 tbsp lemon juice or more
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt
80ml tahini (sesame seed paste) optional
4tbsp water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
25g pine nuts, toasted
30g chic peas, cooked
a little extra olive oil and 1 clove garlic
flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Reserve a small handful (approx 30g) for serving
Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy purée.
Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste.
Turn out into a pretty dish and make smooth with the back of a spoon.
Heat up a frying pan with a splash of olive oil and fry the pine nuts and reserved chic peas with the extra garlic clove and a good pinch of salt and black pepper
Fry until coloured
Tip over the hummus and serve with a squeeze of lemon
Serve with pita bread, warmed in a moderate oven for three minutes, and cut into quarters

Spice it up like the ancient Romans did! According to ancient Roman history, chickpeas have aphrodisiac properties so dipping warm pitta bread, cherry tomatoes or olives in freshly made hummus is the perfect way to start your Valentine’s dinner.
In the 19th century bridegrooms were given course after course of Asparagus – I wonder why!!
Try this delicious and simple to prepare main course of

Scallops with green asparagus and coulis of petit pois

Prep: 15mins Cooking time: 15mins Serves: 2 people
Prep all ingredients,pan fry the scallops at the last minute to avoid them going rubbery

Ingredients:
6 fresh Scallops, coral removed and trimmed
1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime
25ml cream
50ml vegetable stock
10 young green asparagus, trimmed and delicately peeled
80g fresh garden peas
A small bunch of fresh dill, stalks removed
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 shallot finely sliced
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1/2tsp lemon salt
10g butter

In the 19th century bridegrooms were given course after course of Asparagus – I wonder why!!

Method:

In a saucepan of salted boiling water cook the peas for 5 mins until tender, drain and refresh in iced water to seal their colour.
In a small pan melt half the butter and sweat the shallots until they are soft but not coloured.
In a food processor add the peas, shallots, ginger, cream and vegetable stock salt and pepper.
Blend until smooth and strain to remove any bits.
Blanch the asparagus in boiling salt water for 2 mins, drain and refresh in iced water.
Just before serving, warm through the petit pois coulis whisking to a froth
Pan fry the blanched asparagus in the remaining butter.
Pan fry the scallops for 1min each side.
To serve
On a plate place the asparagus, tips facing the same way, top with 3 scallops and decorate with a pinch of lemon salt
Swirl with a spoon or using a plastic bottle the coulis of petit pois

Chocolate fondant with creme fraiche or vanilla ice-cem

Prep: 30 mins Cooking time: 15-20 mins Serves: 2 people
This will make more than 2, but they won’t go to waste!
Can be made ahead and keep frozen until ready to cook

Ingredients:

250g plain good quality chocolate
115g butter
4 large free range eggs plus 1 extra yolk
Pinch of salt
115g caster sugar
1/2 vanilla pod scraped out
22g plain flour

Valentines’s Day wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without the perfect dessert.
Did you know that chocolate contains phenylethylamine? When you are in love the body produces it naturally along with dopamine and serotonin which is why you feel like you’re floating on a happy love cloud!

This dessert is fabulous whatever time of year so don’t deprive yourself and just indulge on February 14th

Method:

1. Place individual pudding basins or one larger one to share in the freezer for 1 hr then grease with softened butter (not melted)
2. Line with a circle of baking parchment and butter.
3. Dust with flour
4. Return to the freezer
5. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter
6. Cool slightly
7. Whisk up the eggs, extra yolks, fresh vanilla, pinch of salt and sugar until pale and fluffy
8. Loosen up the cooled chocolate with a little of the egg mixture and then gradually but swiftly fold in the rest, sprinkle the flour over the top and briskly but carefully fold in ¾ strokes
9. Spoon into the pudding basins approx just over ½ way up
10. Chill for as long as possible or freeze
11. Oven to 200°C gas 6
12. If chilled in fridge bake for 15 mins until firm on the top but wobbly when you touch
13. If frozen cook for 20 mins, but keep checking take out when firm on top but wobbly when you touch
14. Remember they’ll carry on cooking when you take them out of the oven
15. Leave to rest for 5 mins
16. Swiftly turn upside down onto serving plate, remove tin and circle of baking parchment
17. Dust with icing sugar and serve with vanilla crème fraîche, warm chocolate sauce or vanilla ice cream