b'day meal for 2

bubblebathgirl

Hi ,
would like to pick your o.s. brains please.Have a special b'day meal to cook on Saturday for some one very special.So far I' have planned
Starter :scallops in garlic and lemon baked in the shells with a bread crumb
Main :thinking of chicken breast stuffed with garlic cheese ,wrapped in bacon/ham baked but what veg
Pudding :Thinking something strawberry based cheesecake or a mouse I'm really stuck with pud ?

pretz_2

with the chicken what about roasted asparagus an new pots and for dessert make individual pastry cases bake so they are fully cooked then leave to cool then fill 2/3rds with equal amouts of melted chocolate and double cream (mixed together) then place halved strawberries ontop, then place in the fridge and leave to set serve with a vanilla ice cream yum. You can make these the day before but i would suggest putting the strawberries in the bottom to stop them turning works well with raspberries too.
hth
pretz

bubblebathgirl

Thanks pretz sounds good xx

Stephen_Leak

CHOCOLATE DESSERT

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

200g of dark chocolate*
1 egg
300ml (1 medium carton) of single cream
1 drop of vanilla essence**
A pinch of salt

METHOD

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a bowl. Crack the egg into a cup and pick out any bits of shell.

Put the cream into a saucepan on a low heat. Gently warm the cream to boiling point. Pour over the chocolate and leave for 5 minutes until the chocolate has melted.

Add the egg, vanilla essence and salt to the chocolate and cream. Mix until it is smooth.

Pour into cups, glasses or ramekins. Cool in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Keep a square of the chocolate and grate it onto the top. Put a teaspoon of Cointreau on top. Get a big carton of cream and serve with the remainder of the cream, lightly whipped.

* Ideally, use 70% or even 85% cooking chocolate. You can use dark eating chocolate, but check the ingredients to see if it has had vanilla added already. If it has, you don’t need to add any more.

** Vanilla essence is not the same as vanilla extract or vanilla flavouring.

PS. Of course, the ultimate version would be to use the 100% “Venezuelan Black” chocolate from Willie Harcourt-Cooze, who was featured on the TV recently.

bubblebathgirl

thank's mr l' choc pudding with strawbs and rasb's yum yum

Stephen_Leak

Oh yes, with a strawberry half dipped in the chocolate on top to feed to each other.

In the unlikely event of the recipient not thinking that you are "very special" after all this, let us know. Me and a couple of the other MSE OS "boys" :cool: will have a little chat with them.

miss*whisper

Scallops should be lightly cooked. At £24 a kilo, don't hide the unique texture with breadcrumbs, consider panfrying with the merest hint of ginger and garlic.
No to the chicken/bacon dish. My OH said nooooo! Chicken Kiev would be better...... Nice steak? Don't over complicate it.
Cheesecake is cool as long as its strawberry not choc.

Stephen_Leak

I didn't pay much attention to the other courses, I'm afraid. I've just read the OP properly. Sorry.

I agree with the above poster about the scallops, especially the ginger. A little (1cm should be enough) "knobble" of fresh ginger will only cost a couple of pence. Just one clove of garlic should be enough as well - don't serve up any ginger & garlic bits either - even though you are both eating it! - just the flavoured oil left on the scallops should be enough. Less is more.

OTOH, I don't have any problem with the bacon around the chicken. It's a classic combination for a good reason - if the chicken breasts are skinned they need some fat to stop them drying out. Again, I'd err on the side of caution with the garlic in the cheese, and maybe even just use a well flavoured cheese, Chicken Kiev? I love it, but it's not a Chicken Kiev without a lot of garlic! A steak is great if you get it just right, but it's far too easy to get it just wrong. The chicken with the cheese inside and bacon outside is a lot more "bomb-proof". Veg? Boiled new potatoes. "Julienned" sliced carrots. Greens? French beans or mange tout? Colourful, a bit special, but still quick & easy.

Chocolate cheesecake? I agree again, no. Obviously, I still prefer my little choc' mousses. especially with the romantic choc' dipped strawberry on top. I'm going to add that to the recipe.

bubblebathgirl

Thanks guy's
Going with
starter scallops going to try with garlic and ginger
main chicken n bacon with asparagus little pots
pudding choc mousses
better go get busy in the kitchen
Thanks again