Citylife in Lichfield February 2023

A Romantic
Valentine’s Day Meal
By Simon Smith
34
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Many restaurants are offering a
Valentine’s Day menu but nothing quite
beats an intimate meal for two at home.
This doesn’t need to be complicated and
should be something that can be prepared
in advance so you can spend the maximum
time with your partner. Of course, if you
both enjoy cooking and want to spend
time together in the kitchen, all the better!
This month I’m going for an easy twocourse
meal, starting with surf and turf
with a garlic butter followed by a rum and
sultana cheesecake, which can be made a
couple of days in advance.
Surf and Turf with Gratin
Potatoes
4 x 3ozs beef fillet
medallions
8 x king prawns
1x clove garlic
½ glass white wine
4ozs butter
2x tbsp. chopped
parsley (it keeps the
breath fresh, in
theory!)
2x large Maris Piper potatoes
4ozs double cream
2ozs grated cheddar
Grated nutmeg
Olive oil
Method
The day before you need them, boil the
potatoes in their skins until cooked. Leave
to cool overnight in the fridge.
Peel the potatoes and slice thickly. Lay in
an ovenproof dish and season with grated
nutmeg, salt and pepper. Top with double
cream and grated Cheddar. These will need
25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180
degrees to cook and brown off.
Skewer the king prawns and brush with
olive oil. These can be cooked either in the
oven or under the grill.
Peel and finely chop the garlic.
To cook the steak, heat a frying pan with a
dash of olive oil until it starts smoking.
Season the steak just before it goes into
the pan and then place into the hot oil.
Cook to your liking and then take out,
keep it warm and rest it for two minutes
while you make the sauce.
In the pan you used for the steak, pour the
wine, add the garlic and reduce by half.
Whisk the butter in and add the parsley.
Serve the king prawn skewer on the fillet
steak and top with the garlic butter.
Serve the potatoes on the side.
Rum and sultana cheesecake
1x shot of rum
1x orange zest and
juice
3ozs sultanas
5ozs Philadelphia
cream cheese
5ozs mascarpone
2ozs sugar
4x chocolate Hob
Nobs
1ozs butter
Method
Put the sultanas in a small dish with the
rum, orange juice and zest and cook in the
microwave for 1 minute so the juice
becomes hot and the sultanas become
soft. Allow to cool.
Mix together the Philadelphia, mascarpone
and sugar. Add the sultanas and stir
together to create the cheesecake mix.
Crush the Hob Nobs and add the melted
butter, stir together.
Pipe the cheesecake mix into a cocktail
glass and sprinkle with the biscuit crumb.
This can be done the day before and kept
in the fridge.
For the chocoholics amongst you, a good
portion of chocolate sauce on the bottom
makes a lovely addition. Garnish with a few
edible flower petals for a romantic
flourish.
Chocolate sauce
4ozs dark chocolate 74%
2ozs full milk
2ozs double cream
Method
Melt together gently in the microwave and
stir until fully blended.
Find out more about Lichfield-based
private chef, Simon Smith, from his website
at www.simonsmith-chef.com.