The perfect 4 course Valentine’s home-made dinner menu
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means it's time to get a move on and start planning!
This year, we've decided to get a little creative with how we mark the day and show our appreciation for our S.O. Valentine's Day can get overhyped and pressurised, with everyone trying to one-up the year before and each other on Instagram. It could be nice to take it back to basics, with something like a home-cooked meal.
And just because it’s homemade doesn’t mean it can’t be lush, right?
We’ve put together the perfect four course meal menu to make Valentine's night as special as if you were out in the fanciest restaurant in town!
Course One: Cocktails
Love Potion
- 2 shots raspberry vodka
- 2 shots lime juice
- 300ml cranberry juice
- 100g grenadine.
- 6 raspberries
1. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Put on the lid firmly and shake until well combined.
3. Put on the strainer and pour cocktail into two long-stem glasses with raspberries. Cheers!
Course Two: Starter
Cupid’s Caprese skewers
These are tasty but light little bites to start the night off of. Light the candles and settle in for your night of romance with these easy-to-make starters!
- 10 basil, leaves
- 10 baby tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 10 mozzarella balls, mini
- 10 toothpicks/skewers
1. Cut baby tomatoes in half at an angle, rounded at the top and tapered at the bottom.
2. Push both halves on the toothpick, aligning the bulbous parts to create a heart shape.
3. Below the tomatoes, push the mozzarella balls and twice folded basil onto the toothpick.
4. Drizzle in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to season. Easy peasy!
Course Three: Mains
Creamy Prawn Pasta
Decadent and delicious, this creamy, cheesy sauce pairs gorgeously with succulent prawns and a light, white wine.
- 500g shrimp, fresh
- 40g flat leaf parsley
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 Lemon (juice and zest)
- 1/2 shallot
- 500g spaghetti alla chittara
- 1tsp kosher salt
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1tsp red pepper flakes
- 8tbsp butter, unsalted
- 300g heavy cream
- 50g parmigiana Reggiano
1. Put a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt into a pot of water and heat until boiling. Add pasta and strain once cooked.
2. Put butter into a pan on a medium heat and allow to melt.
3. Add prawns and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
4. Add in chopped shallots and chopped garlic and allow them to sauté. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan and bring it down to a low heat.
5. Pour in heavy cream and parmigiana and stir into the mixture to create the creamy sauce.
6. Put the cooked pasta into the pan and mix it into the sauce.
7. Serve with a parsley garnish for that extra little flourish and freshness!
Course Four: Dessert
Sumptuous Strawberries
The perfect way to top off the night, these gorgeous and festive little treats add a special something to the evening.
- 1 punnet of strawberries
- 1 bar dark chocolate
- 2 bars white chocolate
- 1 bar milk chocolate
- Red food colouring
- Desired toppings – eg: crushed nuts, sprinkles, sweets etc.
1. Wash strawberries, divide into 4 groups and set aside.
2. Put a pot of warm water on the stove and heat gently. Using a non-heat bowl, place it in the pot rim, without allowing it to sit entirely into the pot.
3. Add your dark chocolate bar into the non-heat bowl and stir until it melts.
4. Select one of your four portions of strawberries and dip all of them except the stalks into the melted chocolate.
5. Set them on a tray and sprinkle your desired topping over them. Leave them in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 for the milk chocolate and one bar of the white chocolate, cleaning the non-heat bowl for a new chocolate each time. With the second bar of white chocolate, once it’s melted, add in a drop or two of red food colouring to make a pink chocolate.
7. Add desired toppings and allow to set in the fridge for 1 hour.
