Valentine’s Day may look a little different this year, with fancy restaurants to woo your partner off the cards. However, that doesn’t have to stop you from having an indulgent, intimate meal with your someone special – dining in is the new dining out after all!
Surprise your Valentine with self-shaken cocktails and a home-cooked dinner à deux.
Curated by Indigo Chef Dominic Teague, the menu is made up of two simple to follow recipes and of course, designed to impress. For the main course, Lobster salad with baby carrots is an absolute showstopper and for dessert, nothing says romance like Chocolate mousse!
The pièce de résistance – La Dolce Vita cocktail from our expert mixologist, Pedro Paulo. A sure win for a fun and flirty date night at home!
Main Course – Lobster Salad with Baby Carrots
Ingredients
For the carrot purée
- 200g carrots
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 400ml carrot juice
- Rapeseed oil
- Pinch of salt
For the Lobster
- 1 cooked 600 gram native lobster
For the garnish
- 4 baby carrots
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 30ml olive oil
- Sprigs of chervil and dill
Get Cooking
First, make the carrot purée
- Dice the shallots and crush the garlic. Peel and dice the carrots.
- Warm a splash of rapeseed oil in a frying pan. Add the shallots and garlic and let them sweat for a couple of minutes.
- Once soft, add the carrots to the pan and cook gently for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the carrot juice, and cook on a medium heat until the carrots are soft.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Reserve 100ml of the cooking liquid for the garnish.
Next, prepare the lobster
- Remove the head and cut the lobster tail in half lengthways, remove the meat.
- Crack the claws and remove the meat.
Finally, make the garnish
- Cook the baby carrots in boiling, salted water until just cooked and chill under cold water and drain.
- In a pan, add 100ml of the reserved cooking liquid from the carrot puree and reduce by half. Add the red wine vinegar and whisk in the olive oil. Spoon over the baby carrots.
To serve
- Arrange the lobster on a warmed plate, garnish with the baby carrots and the carrot purée. Spoon over the carrot dressing and garnish with herbs.
Dessert – Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
Please note, this recipe makes 12 (you won’t regret it).
- 325g 70% dark chocolate
- 30g vegetable oil
- 100g sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 7 egg whites
- 50ml water
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of coffee granules
- Chocolate biscuits, chocolate pieces and ice cream to garnish
Get Cooking
- Melt the chocolate and the vegetable oil together in a pan.
- Over a bain marie make a sabayon with the egg yolks, salt, water and coffee, whisking until light and fluffy.
- Make a French meringue with the sugar and egg whites by placing them in a bowl and whipping to stiff peaks.
- Fold the sabayon into the chocolate and then the meringue. Pipe into rings and set in the fridge.
Cocktail Hour – La Dolce Vita
Ingredients
- 40ml Vodka
- 20ml White Sweet Vermouth
- 10ml Elderflower Cordial
- 10ml Red Wine
- 1 teaspoon of white sugar
- 15ml soda water
Get Shaking
- Pour all ingredients into a Champagne glass, stir and serve.
