Valentine’s Day meal recipe: rack of lamb with peppercorns, and chocolate cake with double cream and raspberries
Earn some brownie points this Valentine's Day with a romantic meal made from scratch. Susan Jung creates a dinner that is sure to delight
Yes, gentlemen, it's that time again - Valentine's Day. You may scoff and say this is just a greeting card holiday, but this isn't about you - it's about your significant other. Here's a chance to prove you're a loving soul. You have until tomorrow evening to prepare a romantic home-cooked meal.
Here's the game plan. Today, do all the shopping - go through these recipes, write out a shopping list then double check it. Don't forget to pick up a decent bottle of wine. When you get home with your groceries, season the lamb racks, spread the herb coating on them, wrap them with cling-film and refrigerate; tomorrow, the meat just needs to be brought to room temperature (about 30 minutes) then cooked (30 to 45 minutes, depending on the required 'doneness'). The chestnuts should be cooked and peeled today, then at dinner time, heated for a few minutes with the jelly or jam. The figs should be prepared at the last minute, but that's easy - just cut them open, sprinkle with sugar then caramelise with a propane or butane torch (if you don't have a torch, add that to your shopping list). The cake should be baked today and refrigerated; tomorrow, after finishing the main course, whip the double cream, spread it over the cake and decorate it with raspberries.
The rest of the evening? That's up to you.
Rack of lamb with pink and black peppercorns, glazed chestnuts and figs (pictured)
Note the lack of onion and garlic in this dish - it's deliberate. You don't want to ruin the romantic mood with garlic breath.
2 four-bone racks of lamb, about 250 grams each (have the butcher trim the ends of the bones, remove the backbone and take off any excess fat)