This was a really strange day in the restaurant.
We were usually booked out, for two full sittings about four weeks in advance, not from our normal customers, from people who only seemed to go out on that one night of the year to a restaurant.
Once there they often seemed ill at ease in their surroundings and very quiet.
The quietness was a bit of a problem.
One always was anxious on a night of only couples, they never quite made sufficient noise to create a buzz and, once one couple started to whisper the whole place became positively sepulchral.
I remember reading an article in an ancient Guardian about a pair of actors who used to cruise restaurants on Valentine’s night, paid for by the proprietors, to have mock loud rows at tables in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

My heart was always broken by the young fellows who would ring up about a fortnight before the date and be filled with disbelief when they discovered that they had missed the boat and would now have to face the wrath of their disappointed girl-friends.
It was for them that I started a tradition of giving out a menu for a Valentine’s Dinner for those who would be at home.
It was often fairly corny, with contrived references to love dragged into the menu titles but then Valentine was never the most sophisticated of saints was he?
I did it again this year, mainly because I got a couple of despairing boat missers who phoned me at home looking for help.
Yesterday on wlrfm I put out a menu and recipes for a four course Valentines feast.
For those of you not within the Waterford area I now offer you the same.

Valentines Menu

Oysters with Fennel and Garlic
~
Valentines Soup
~
Beef Steak with Sauce Françoise
~
Passion fruit Crème Brulee

This is a fair compendium menu of the old, new and borrowed .

I pinched the idea of the Oysters from Mairin Ui Chomain’s excellent book on Oyster Cuisine , I tried it out on some of the family on Monday but their courage failed at the last moment so I ended up eating 11 of the dozen oysters purchased myself.
They were delicious!

The soup was an experiment of a few weeks ago when I wanted soup and a single beetroot was the only interesting veg in the cupboard. I attempted it with some reluctance, not being a lifelong fan of the traditional thin Borsch, and discovered that it makes an excellent cream soup, with a startling, and not unappetising bright crimson colour.
Perfect for Valentine.

The Steak sauce is my mother’s treat sauce for steak and has gone out on the menu in various restaurants in many guises.
Originally called Monkey Gland Sauce, from the time when it was thought that these glands contained the secret to eternal life and therefore, must be ambrosial but this is hardy a romantic title for the 2000s .
In my restaurant it has been known as Granny Dwyer’s Sauce and Frances Dwyer’s Sauce but now, for Valentine I have decided to give it a small French accent. I’m sure the Mammy will forgive me.

The dessert is my twist on a recipe I pinched from Rick Stein.
He bakes his creams in the oven which does make for a firmer set, I rather prefer the softer texture I get.

Here are the recipes.

Oysters with Fennel and Garlic Butter
(for two)

12 Oysters

60g (2 oz) Butter
Juice of Half Lemon
Small Bunch Fennel
2 Cloves Garlic.

Finely chop the fennel and the garlic and tip, with the butter and the lemon juice, into a small pot.
Heat until the butter is bubbling then keep warm.

Rinse the oysters in cold water to remove outside sand.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C, Gas 6, 400F

Lay the oysters out on a baking tray with the deep side down and put into the pre heated oven.

Let them open at this heat for about 10 mts., they should be just yawning.

Slip a knife along the top flat shell to release and then discard the top shell and drain off the juice from each one.
Place them on two plates, in the bottom shell and spoon over the melted butter.
Serve with bread to mop up the juices.

Valentines Soup
(will serve 6)

2 Med Onions
1 Med Potato
2 carrots
1 Med Fresh Beetroot
60g (2 oz.) Butter
850ml (1 ½ pts) Stock

Some Greek Yoghurt

If you want to just serve two portions of this the rest will freeze beautifully.

Peel and dice the onion, potato, carrots and beetroot.
Put these in a heavy pot with the butter and put it on a low heat with the lid on.
Let them sweat for 30 mts or so until soft.

Add the stock to the pan and simmer for another 20 mts.

Liquidize and (for extra smoothness) pass through a sieve.

Serve with a swirl of yoghurt and a scattering of chopped chives.

Steak with Sauce Françoise
For 2

2x 8oz. Steaks (Fillet, Sirloin ,Rump, striploin)
Salt and Pepper
110 (4 oz.) Mushrooms
30g (1oz.). Butter
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
110g (4 oz.) Vine Tomatoes
110ml (4 oz.) Cream

First get Sauce ready:
Bring a pot of water to the boil and then slip in the tomatoes, put the put into a sink as soon as it comes back to boil and pour in cold water. When they are cool enough to handle slip off the skins and then chop the tomatoes with a large knife.
Rub the mushrooms in a clean tea towel to remove any compost (there is no need to wash cultivated mushrooms)
Slice these, Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the mushrooms in this until all their liquid has evaporated and they are starting to go brown. Sprinkle over the lemon juice, now put in the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil stirring all the time.
Next add the cream and again boil, season and continue simmering for a few minutes.

Season the steaks well and cook on a hot pan until to your liking.

Pour the sauce over the steaks before serving.

Passion Fruit Crème Brulee

300ml (½ pt Cream)
4 Egg Yolks
2 tbs. Sugar
Half Vanilla Pod
6 passion Fruit
Sugar for top.

Halve the Passion fruit and spoon out the flesh into a sieve set over a bowl.
Push the flesh through with a wooden spoon and add to the cream.

Scrape the seeds from the centre of the vanilla pod into the cream.
Pour into a pot and bring up to the boil.
Beat the yolks up with the sugar.
Pour the hot cream on to these and beat together.
Pour back into the pan and, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon,
Reheat until the cream coats the back of the spoon and a finger drawn along the back of the spoon leaves a trail.
Pour this into 4 or 5 ramekins or 1 pudding dish.
Chill well until it is lightly set.
Sprinkle a light covering of caster sugar on the top.
Pre heat your grill and when very hot set the crème under it and grill until the sugar first melts and then turns a pale brown.
If you have a cooks blow torch it makes this job much easier.

This is a very lightly set cream, not at all jelly like.