As commercial as Valentines might be, you should never pass the chance to dote and spoil the one you’re with - it’s the one day of the year that the level of cheese is never too much.
Here are my top 5 foodie tips to pulling off an outstanding Valentines Day
:
Some simple, some need a little more effort but at the end of the day is too much ever too much for the one you love?
Breakfast in bed.
And this doesn’t have to be a full continental.
It could be as simple a fruit salad, toasted sourdough with avocado and a coffee.
Get creative.
Restaurants have no shame charging an arm, a leg, as well as your first born on Valentine's day. Recreate the experience at home by preparing your favourite restaurant dish.
A great and simple dish to try is crispy skinned salmon with coconut rice and red Thai curry sauce (recipe below).
Do it together.
The day is all about spending time together so why not spend the time together in the kitchen.
Don't make it a chore, add some music to the mix, a little bit of wine, make it an event.
Sweet Endings.
Desserts take a lot of time to prepare and sometimes prepping a dessert ahead of time just isn’t an option. My solution is to pop in at your nearest or favourite bakery or confectionery and buy a few of your favourites.
Instead of having one dessert, you could put together a few, smaller sized treats, beautifully presenting it on a dessert platter.
It's the small things.
At the end of the day it’s the thought that counts, and sometimes its the small things that count. So leave a romantic note in your loved one's diary, lunch bag or sneak a chocolate into their bag.
Its about the effort and at the end of the day as long as you spend time together, you’re sure to have an amazing day.
Crispy skinned salmon with coconut rice and red Thai curry sauce
For the coconut rice
- Add 1 cup of Jasmin or basmati rice to a pot along with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of coconut milk.
- Season with salt and bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low and simmering for about 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, perfectly cooked.
For the red Thai curry sauce
- Prepare your red Thai curry sauce by heating 3T of canola oil over medium heat.
- Add 2T of curry paste and cook to release the oils in the paste and to become fragrant.
- Add 1 tin of coconut milk and stir while combining into a sauce.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil remove it from the heat and stir through 1t of sugar and add a fresh squeeze of lime or lemon.
- Heat a pan over medium heat before adding about 2T canola oil. Add your salmon steaks skin side down to slowly cook and crisp until a golden, crispy skin is formed. This should take about 3-4 minutes, turn over and cook for another 2 minutes before removing from the pan and seasoning lightly with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Add a scoop of rice to a bowl before pouring in the sauce. Serve the salmon on top and enjoy with thinly sliced spring onion as a garnish with fresh coriander.