Food for Love

Regretted suggesting dinner at yours? Pushed for time? Need to impress? Forgotten where your kitchen is? Never knew where you kitchen was???

Never fear! Our resident foodie, Antonia Lloyd, is here to solve your culinary crisis. With her great recipe below you will be able to cook up a meal worthy of even AA Gill’s approval, without having to resort to taking a day off work or hiring caterers.

Read on for the recipe for success…

Let me tell you a story… I once fell in love… Over a particularly bad dish of chicken and spinach pasta.

I’d been on a few dates with its creator and we’d had fun but I was still fairly firmly in the ‘maybe’ camp. He invited me for supper and, on arrival, it became apparent that cooking was not his strong point. I offered some assistance but he refused and boldly soldiered on. My heart began to melt. Supper was finally served (no lights, just a few strategically-placed candles) and we tucked into the driest, saltiest bowl of pasta you could ever imagine. The man in question was upset about this - the girl in question was in love! You see, it wasn’t the result that was important; it was the fact that he had gone completely out of his comfort zone in order to please and impresses me.

I’m not suggesting that you cook your date a bad meal though. A good meal is probably a safer bet. What you want is something easy to prepare but that looks impressive and as though you’ve put lots of effort into it! The following menu is exactly that – you can whip it up after work but it looks as though masses of thought and planning has gone into it.

the meal
For the starter, I’ve kept things very simple with a dish of roasted asparagus. Really good asparagus, served simply, always seems like a treat. British asparagus is by far the best though unfortunately, it does have a woefully short season (April-May). Impress your date with your knowledge of all things seasonal and local by serving this dish when the green spears are at their very best (head to Borough Market to buy them – much more fun than your local supermarket). Furthermore, asparagus is a well-known aphrodisiac so you simply can’t go wrong! Next up, chicken breasts with a creamy chive sauce – it takes ten minutes to prepare, twenty to cook and just seconds to devour with its moreish flavour! Finish with the chocolate fondue – it is totally irresistible and no matter what they say, few girls can resist chocolate.

the recipes
Here are the three recipes. I suggest you work backwards: prepare the chocolate fondue first (you can just heat it up when the moment arises), then get the chicken on the go and prepare any veg to have with it, once your date arrives, you can relax, safe in the knowledge that it is all under control and all you have to do is throw the asparagus in the oven and grate a bit of Parmesan, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy a glass of wine and begin the process of seduction…

Ingredients:
1 bunch of thick asparagus spears (you want 5-7 thick spears each for a starter)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Small block of Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Place a small roasting tin in the oven to heat up with 2 tablespoons olive oil drizzled over the base
2. Wash asparagus under cold water, pat dry with a clean towel or kitchen roll. Snap of the lower part of the asparagus stem*.
3. Once oven is hot, throw asparagus spears into the hot oil (there should be a slight sizzle) and grind over some pepper and a good pinch of sea salt flakes.
4. Roast for around 10 minutes – test with a knife to see that asparagus is just tender.
5. Divide onto two plates, drizzle over a touch of balsamic vinegar and maybe a tiny bit more olive oil. Shave over a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Use a potato peeler for this – big shavings look miles more professional than measly grated cheese!

*The bottoms of the spears are usually a little woody. If you hold the stems at each end and bend slightly, there should be a natural point at which they snap, leaving you with lovely, un-woody stems for cooking.

Wine match – asparagus is tricky to match with wine due to its strong flavour. Luckily, it goes brilliantly with sauvignon blanc – try one from the Loire Valley, New Zealand or South Africa.

This is great with comforting mashed potato and green beans.

Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Small knob of butter
1 teaspoon oil
6 fl oz white grape juice
5 fl oz double cream
handful of chives, chopped or snipped
1 tsp cornflour

1. Melt butter and oil together in a non-stick pan. Add the chicken breasts and brown on each side for a couple of minutes.
2. Pour on the grape juice and leave to simmer gently for 15 minutes.
3. Blend the cornflour with the cream (use a fork to mix together in a glass or bowl).
4. Once chicken is cooked through (it should be hot with no pink showing in the centre), lower the heat and pour in the cream.
5. Continue to heat until the creamy sauce is almost at boiling point and then take off the heat. Snip over the chives and stir into the sauce.
6. Place chicken breasts on the plate and spoon over the sauce. Serve with potatoes and vegetables of choice.

Wine match – a subtly oaked chardonnay would be great with the creamy sauce – choose something from Burgundy or perhaps New Zealand.

You don’t need a special fondue dish in order to make this. Just make it in a heavy-based saucepan and then pour into a warmed dish immediately before serving. Use forks to dip fruit and marshmallows into the chocolate.

Ingredients:
125g milk chocolate
25g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
4 tablespoons whipping cream
Things for dipping – marshmallows, bananas, strawberries and pear all work well.

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heavy-based, preferably non-stick pan together with all the other ingredients.
2. Stir over a low heat until smooth, melted and glossy.
3. Set to one side until ready to serve. Prepare the ‘dippers’ by placing them artfully on a plate, or in little dishes if you have them. Cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces and place in the fridge until you are ready to eat them – they will hold their shape better.
4. When you are ready to eat, place a bowl in a low oven to warm up (unless you happen to have a fondue set) and then warm the fondue up on the stove – you want it warm, not hot.
5. Transfer to the warm bowl and serve with the ‘dippers’.

 

Antonia's own fabulous food blog can be found by clicking here.