Valentines Dinner – ClareWithTheHair.Com

So we have had our starter of breads and dips and now we move onto the main’s, this is great as in this can all be done in advance with just a little warming once you are ready to eat.

vd2 — Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens

I love chicken , who doesn’t but sometimes it can be boring and a little bland, well not these, they have smoked bacon, white wine, shallots , herbs, mushrooms and cream, they are a super treat for you and your Valentine this weekend.

vd5 — Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens

Chicken Ballotines seem really fancy and taste so good that your valentine will be super impressed with your cooking skills, but actually there are not too hard and if you follow my steps you will master this and really wow your dinner guest.

Serves 2

Preparation : 60 minutes

Total time: 90 minutes

vd3 — Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens

Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens

Ingredients

2 large Chicken Breasts
4 good quality streaky dry cur smoked rashers
200g potatoes
100g of mushrooms, 1/2 diced 1/2 sliced
2 medium shallots dices
2 cloves of grated garlic
150mls of white wine
1 low soduim chicken stock cube or 50mls of fresh chicken stock
50mls of cream
2tbs cracked black pepper
Zest of half a lemon
1tbs Fresh chopped Thyme
2tbs of Grain mustard
50g of Strong Cheddar cheese
200g selection of greens
30g of Butter
1tbs of fresh chopped mint

Directions

1/ Begin with the stuffing for your chicken, place the shallots , 1/2 the mushrooms’s (the diced half) in a saucepan, top with the white wine, mustard, garlic, stock,pinch of pepper, lemon zest and thyme, cook this until nearly all the liquid has evaporated , take out half the mixture and place in a bowel to cool down (do not add hot stuffing to the meat allow this time to cool), in the pan add the sliced mushrooms and saute these off, leave to one side.

2/ Get two sheets of Grease proof paper and bash your chicken breast out, make them quiet thin, maybe the thickness of a euro coin, flatten out the bacon also, once both are flattened out, place two rashers on two sheets of cling flim, top with the chicken and place half the stuffing inside and roll, use the cling to assist you and leave this in tightly in place as this stays on while you poach the chicken. Place the chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

3/ Bake the potatoes, place in a hot oven, no need to wrap, no need to add anything, place straight onto the racks and back for 35-45 minutes

4/ Steam your chosen greens until a tad under cooked, place in bowel until later

5/ remove the potato centres, and lightly crush, add the cheese and pepper and mix well, leave to one side

6/ Place your chicken in a pan of hot water and poach for 10-12 minutes, remove from the pan, remove cling and place in a non stick frying pan (no oil as the rashers will create there own) and brown on all sides

7/ Add the cream to your mushroom stuffing mixture you set aside earlier and warm through, taste and season as you feel needed

7/ Warm your potatoes, warm your greens with the chopped mint and plate up your meat as per the pictures.

vd1 — Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens

Enjoy!!

Top Tip: All this can be ready hours in advance, have the chicken cooked up until the point of frying, have the sauce to the point of adding the cream and the vegetable just need a warm through in your microwave.

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

So today I bring you my Perfect Valentines Menu, this is 3 courses that you can get done hours before your valentine and you are due to sit, so all the hard work can be done in advance and when it comes to sitting you and your loved one can just enjoy the food, your company and no fuss serving.

So I begin with my starter, this is a selection of breads with a selection of dips, I like the idea of serving this on one large plate and you both eating off this, it is simple, it is tasty and all the work will be done hours before you and your valentine sit to eat.

The three breads are a Garlic and Thyme flatbread, Dough balls and a Cheese and semi sundried Tomato loaf, the three dips are traditional hummus, green pesto and a hot and spicy red pepper tapenade.

Ingredients

For the Bread you need

500g strong white flour
2 tsp salt
2x 7g sachet fast-action yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
300ml water (warm)
2 cloves of crushed Garlic
2tbs Chopped fresh Thyme
2tbs Olive Oil
30g of strong red cheddar cheese grated
30g of semi chopped sundriend tomato

For the Hummus you need

200g can chickpeas
2 tbspfresh lemon luice
2 cloves grated garilc
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of Salt
100ml tahini
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp paperika

For the Green Pesto you will need

50g pine nuts
large bunch of basil
50g parmesan
150ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves

For the Tapenade you will need

1 clove of grated garlic
Juice of one lemon
3 tbsp capers chopped
6 anchovy fillets, chopped
250groasted chopped red peppers
small bunch fresh parsley chopped
salt and freshly ground blck pepper
1 hot red chilli, finely chopped
2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Bread / 1 : Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the oil and water, and mix well. If the dough seems a little stiff, add 1-2 tbsp water, mix well then tip onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead. Once the dough is satin-smooth, should take 5-6 minutes only, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.

2: Line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Knock back the dough, divide into three, then gently mould the dough into a ball with one 1/3rd, roll out the flat bread with another and top with crushed garlic, chopped thyme and olive oil, then add chopped cheese and sundried tomato’s and shape the final 1/3rd into a loaf. Place it on the baking sheet to prove for a further hour until doubled in size.

3: Heat oven to 220C. top the loaf with a small amount of grated cheese, Bake until golden brown, the dough balls should be done in 15-18 minutes and so will the flat bread, and the loaf should take 30-35 minutes, check that is sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Dips: Hummus

1: Drain the chickpeas and rinse, add the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy purée.

2: Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out, I press this through a sieve to make extra smooth.

Green Pesto

1: Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast them for a few minutes until browned and fragrant.

2: Place the parmesan in a food processor and add the basil leaves, garlic, toasted pine nuts and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend for a few seconds until it begins to come together and is smooth.

breadp — Clare’s selection of breads and dips

Red pepper Tapenade

1: Roast 1-2 red pepper, chop and add to a food processor, add all the other ingredients and blend until it becomes a paste, i leave the seads in the chilli for this but if you like it a little milder then remove the seeds.

This is a lot of steps but it is all so simple, I would start with the bread and while it is having its initial proof, you have time to wash up, perpair the dips which will only love to sit in the fridge for hours so do not worry about making them too early, this requires only plating up when your valentine arrives and this is a super starter to share with your loved one ❤ enjoy!

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤