The way the Australian dining scene is going these days, lining up a romantic dinner for two seems to require booking three months in advance and drawing down on your mortgage to pay the bill.
It doesn't need to be that hard. A good home-cooked meal can be an excellent, elegant and much less stressful alternative. Research has shown that couples who cook together are also more likely to stay together, so it's an investment in your relationship as well.
A few tips for cooking with your partner, though. Remember it's not life and death: cooking should be fun, even if it doesn't turn out perfectly. Also, small acts of kindness – washing a dish that your partner has just used, or grabbing something out of the fridge that you know they'll need – can go a long way. These little gestures are big on meaning.
And lastly, do it all with a glass of champagne in your hand. It's Valentine's Day, after all.
CHAMPAGNE-POACHED CHICKEN AND LEEKS WITH HERB BUTTER
Serves 2
The secret with all chicken-breast dishes is not to overcook them. This technique of poaching off the heat is a great way to do it.
• 2 bunches baby leeks or 3 large leeks, trimmed, dark green parts discarded • extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
• salt, to season
• 2 cups champagne, sparkling white wine or white wine
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 2 x 180g chicken breasts, trimmed
• 60g butter
• 2 tsp lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp each of finely shredded parsley, basil, mint and tarragon
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. If using large leeks, quarter them lengthwise. Blanch leeks for 5 minutes or until tender and softened. Drain, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid, and refresh leeks under cold running water. Lightly drizzle with oil and season with a little extra salt. Set aside.
Pour the champagne and cooking liquid into a saucepan, add 3 tsp of salt, the peppercorns, fennel seeds and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the chicken breasts and cover the saucepan with its lid. Leave to stand for 10-12 minutes, until just barely cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Heat for 2 minutes, swirling the pan, until the butter turns deep golden and has a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, mustard and salt to combine, add the herbs and stir through.
Slice the chicken and divide over two plates with the leeks. Drizzle with the summer herb butter and serve with lemon wedges.
GRAPE AND HONEY CRÈME FLAN
Serves 6-8
Filling a flan case with something delicious is one of the simplest pathways to an impressive dessert. You can use a store-bought case if you like, but really, they're a cinch to make.
• 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• 2 pinches salt
• 80g unsalted cold butter, chopped
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp leatherwood honey, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 tsp cornflour
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
To make the pastry, place 150g of the flour, plus the icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp water and pulse until the dough starts to come together, adding more water if necessary, 1 tsp at a time.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Shape into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Pour vanilla extract, milk and honey into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Turn off the heat.
Beat remaining egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and doubled in volume. Whisk in the remaining 50g flour and the cornflour until combined. Whisking constantly, pour in the milk mixture until well combined.
Pour into a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk continuously for 5 minutes, until it reaches a thick custard consistency. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling wrap to prevent a skin forming. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating until needed.
Roll the pastry onto a lightly floured surface until ½ cm thick. Line a 20cm x 4cm loosebottom fluted tart tin with the pastry, and trim excess. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Using a fork, prick the flan base. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or dried pulses. Bake for 15 minutes, until dry, then remove the paper and pastry weights. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until golden and cooked. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Spoon the honey crème into the pastry shell, then top with the grapes, drizzle with honey and serve.