Valentine’s Day gives us the perfect opportunity to treat that special someone to a romantic dinner at home. And this year, impressing the other half will be a doddle thanks to two of the UK’s finest chefs – Ainsley Harriott and Simon Rimmer.

The chefs have teamed up with Tabasco to develop some fantastic recipes demonstrating the versatility of the famous pepper sauce, and it just so happens that the following recipes have the perfect ingredients for ensuring a little romance.

With the renowned aphrodisiac qualities of shellfish, chocolate and, of course, chilli these delicious recipes will certainly turn up the heat!

AINSLEY HARRIOTT’S BAKED MUSSELS ON CHERRY TOMATO AND TABASCO RISOTTO

350g cherry tomatoes
1 red onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
300g risotto rice such as Arborio or Carnaroli
150ml white wine
750ml hot vegetable stock
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon Tabasco + extra to serve
1kg live mussels, cleaned
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven 200c/400f gas mark 6. Place the cherry tomatoes in a large roasting tin and scatter over the onions. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir in the risotto rice, wine, stock, rosemary, teaspoon of Tabasco then return to the oven for 20 minutes until the rice is almost tender and the liquid has almost all been absorbed. Scatter the mussels over the top of the rice, cover tightly with foil and put back in the oven for a further 15 minutes. Take out of the oven, lift the foil and check the mussels, discarding any that have not opened. Scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve at the table immediately with a bottle of Tabasco for those who like an extra kick.

SIMON RIMMER’S TABASCO CHOCOLATE FUDGE PUDDING

450g/1lb dark chocolate, minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids
200g/7oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
10 free-range eggs
3 tbsp soured cream
300g/10½oz caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
200g/7oz plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking powder
10ml of Tabasco Pepper Sauce

For the sauce
250ml/9fl oz whipping cream
60g/2oz unsalted butter
100g/3½oz cocoa powder
100g/3½oz caster sugar
100g/3½oz soft dark brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
100g Strawberries and whipped cream to serve
Method
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water. Whisk the eggs, sugar, soured cream and vanilla over simmering water for 5 minutes until fluffy and voluminous. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together, fold into the chocolate, together with the Tabasco. Spoon mixture into a lined ovenproof dish and bake at 160c/g3 for about 1 hour. Sauce – put it all in a pan and stir for 4-5 minutes until gooey and yummy. Serve a piece of pudding covered in sauce and a few delicious strawberries and cream.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Chocolate banana bread (gastronomydomine.com)
• Madagascar Coffee and Walnut Cake (winecountry.co.za)
• Chocolate and beetroot cake recipe (telegraph.co.uk)

a

The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK