You’ve probably already thought about your Valentine’s Day dinner plans, whether this is the first Valentine’s Day you’ve spent with your partner or the tenth. Whether you’ve spent the entire day together or have just returned from an evening date, you’ll be hungry by the time the sun sets. These dishes are ideal for a romantic date night or for a wonderful way to conclude the evening. Cooking together is a really enjoyable way to pass the time.
Here are some recipes curated by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa.
CHOCOLATE HEART PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE
Ingredients
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Packed brown sugar, light or dark
Peanut butter
Large egg
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Kosher salt (don’t use if using salted butter)
Dark chocolate
Method:
Make the cookie dough:
Take a bowl, mix peanut butter and egg, beat unsalted butter until creamy for 2 minutes, add brown sugar and white sugar, beat for another 2 minutes. Pour this mixture in the bowl and mix well.
In another bowl, vigorously whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture.
Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Reheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Shape the cookies
Shape the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place the balls of dough about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (unlined sheets are fine, though you can use parchment paper to line them, if you like). Flatten in a crisscross pattern with a fork (It helps to dip the fork in sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough)
Bake the cookies:
Bake one sheet at a time on the centre rack at 375°F (190°C) until light brown for 9 to 11 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool in their baking sheets for a minute.
After 1 minute, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Melt dark chocolate, pour it in a heart shaped mould and keep it in cool area.
When cookies are baked, put heart shape chocolate on top and enjoy the crunchy
chocolaty taste.
CHOCOLATE PIZZA
Ingredients:
Refined flour
Milk
Yeast
Sugar
Salt
Oil
Water
Chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
Chopped or semisweet chocolate
Chopped high-quality white chocolate
Chopped toasted almond
Method:
Preheat oven to 250′ c. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Take a heart shaped pizza base cutter to give it a heart shape. Transfer dough to prepared sheet. Make indentations all over dough with fingertips. Bake until golden, for 20 minutes.
Pour chocolate-hazelnut spread over hot crust, level it. Sprinkle chopped chocolate and white chocolate over. Bake until chocolate begins to melt for 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped almond, cut into wedges, and serve.
PANEER DILNAAZ
Ingredients
Onion Finely Chopped
Tomatoes
Whole Cashews
Ginger Garlic HYPERLINK “https://cookingfromheart.com/homemade-ginger-garlic-paste/”Paste
Butter/Oil
Green Chillies
Bay Leaf
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
Coriander Powder
Turmeric Powder
Kasoori Methi
Water as required
200 grams Paneer
Method
Add bit water to diced tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and cashews. Once the mixture is cooled completely, blend it into smooth paste. Set aside.
In a non-stick pan, heat butter/oil. Add dried bay leaf and fry for ten second. Add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent. Pour ground tomato, cashew paste in it and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add some water if required and add all the masala powders-kashmiri red chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Add some water if the gravy is too thick. Add slit green chillies and salt. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add Kasoori methi and fresh cream. Mix well. Cut paneer into thin slices and using a heart shaped cutter cut out the hearts and grate some of the paneer too. Add heart shaped Paneer pieces and mix well
Serve hot with Kulchas/Rotis/Phulkas/Naan.
Any Valentine’s Day recipe you select for your special someone is likely to be the ideal choice if it is romantic, useful, or simply spectacular. Try to come up with a gesture that will serve as a reminder of your unique relationship to your loved ones. Special Valenti’e’s Day Recipes curated by Divya from Intelliquo.
WAKAO FOODS AMERICAN HERBS SAUSAGE – HOT DOG
Ingredients- Hotdog buns, Wakao Sausages, Lime-cilantro Mayo, Sweetcorn, Chopped onion and tomatoes for corn salsa.
Method- Corn salsa
Mix sweet corn, chopped onion and chopped tomatoes with some lime juice and red chili powder.
Pan fry the sausages until cooked from all sides.
Slit the buns and place the sausages in them. Add some corn salsa on both sides of the
sausages
Price- INR 350
THE BETTER FLOUR – BAKED NACHOS
Ingredients
The Better Flour Robust Red Flour Blend
Cheese
Milk
Jalapenos
Sour cream
Avocado
Salt
Pepper
Method
Knead the dough with a Robust red flour blend and warm water
Roll the dough into chapatis and cut triangles
Preheat the oven to 180c temperature for 10 minutes
Brush them with oil or ghee
Bake the chips at 180c for 20 minutes until the edges start to brown
Prick it with a fork at regular intervals
For the cheese sauce:
Heat the milk and keep stirring in cheese till a the thick sauce is achieved
In a plate or a bowl layer the chips, cheese sauce and jalapenos slices
Garnish with sour cream and mashed avocados.
Serve
MEISTURWURST PORK-BAVARIAN MEATLOAF WITH CREAMY BUTTER-GARLIC CHEESY SPINACH AND MUSHROOM SAUCE
Ingredients:
6-8 slices Meisterwurst Pork Bavarian Meatloaf-1″thick
600 g whole Button Mushrooms-OR Portobello Mushrooms-thickly sliced-peeled, washed &
dried on paper towel
4-6 cloves Garlic-finely minced
1 medium Onion- finely chopped
3 cups whole Baby Spinach Leaves-washed
150-200 g Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil-set aside 1 tbsp of the oil for use in
cooking-available in most supermarkets in cans/jars
¾ cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese-grated
2-3 tbsp Salted Butter
½ cup White Wine-any local one will suffice
1½ cup rich OR light Cream
1 tbsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs-Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and parsley
1 tbsp Fresh parsley-chopped
1 tsp Corn starch-Optional
1 FOR THE PORK BAVARIAN MEATLOAF
Instructions:
On medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet/wok & lightly saute the onions & garlic for about 1 min or until nicely fragrant
Add the sundried tomatoes and its oil to the butter & cook for about 2 minutes, releasing the flavours.
Now add in the whole Button Mushrooms or sliced Portobello Mushrooms and cook for 5-6 ins
Add the white wine and let the mixture reduce to half its consistency-all the while scraping any sticky bits at the bottom of the skillet
Reducing the flame to low, now you can add in the cream-simmering while stirring occasionally
Season with the salt and pepper to taste
While this simmers, add to the mix the spinach leaves, letting it wilt just sufficiently before adding the Parmesan Cheese
Allow the sauce to simmer another 1 min while the cheese melts through & the sauce thickens-if you wish to have a thicker consistency, add a milk/cornstarch mix and stir till you reach the thickness you want
Add in the herbs to the reduced and almost ready sauce-give a stir and remove from heat
Garnish with a sprinkle of Freshly chopped Parsley
Serve over sides of Creamy Smashed Potatoes/Cauliflower and Steamed String
Beans/Carrots/Broccoli/Peas or even a Vegetable and Herb Rice
