Whip up the love

February is the month of love and for me nothing says I love you more than a beautiful, home- cooked meal. My treat to those who are near and dear to me is to prepare them something delicious and special.

Scallops are a favourite of mine because the dish that put me in the Top 50 on MasterChef South Africa in 2012 was a scallop, rhubarb and blood orange tartlet.

Today’s starter will not disappoint that special person in your life!

French-trimmed lamb cutlets look beautiful on a plate and the Moroccan flavours work especially well with the carrot puree in the main course recipe I am sharing today.

The Dutch babies (they are actually German in origin) is a fitting end to a romantic meal. What I like about these pancakes is that they are different and make quite an impression. You could also easily turn them into a savoury brunch option.

May this coming month of love bring you love in abundance!

[caption id="attachment_236520" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Starter Photograph : Khaya Kepe[/caption]

STARTER

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH BACON-WRAPPED SCALLOPS

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto: 5 tablespoons butter 1 medium onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups Arborio rice 1 cup white wine 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup grated parmesan Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mushrooms: 3 tablespoons olive oil 250g whole wild mushrooms (shitake, oyster etc) 2 tablespoons butter 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons white wine Salt and black pepper 2 cups baby spinach

For the scallops: 500g scallops 10 strips of bacon 1 teaspoon olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 4 tablespoons cold butter Salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves Microgreens to garnish

METHOD Risotto: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic until lightly caramelised, about 15 minutes. Add rice and toast for three to four minutes.

Deglaze with white wine and once it’s soaked up by the rice add in the chicken stock about ¼ cup at a time until it’s absorbed, while constantly stirring.

Add remaining butter, parmesan, salt and pepper. Keep warm before serving.

Mushrooms: Add olive oil to a large pan over high heat. Once it begins to smoke add mushrooms and caramelise until browned on all sides.

Transfer to a bowl; then, in the same pan, add the butter and garlic and cook until garlic is lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and stir everything together.

Deglaze with white wine and season with salt and pepper. Stir some of the mushroom into the risotto, leaving a few for serving. Keep warm.

Scallops: Wrap each scallop in a strip of bacon. Add olive oil to a hot pan and brown the bacon on all sides of the scallops, cooking it until brown and then cook on the scallop side until they are browned, about two to three minutes.

Remove scallops from the pan, drain some of the bacon fat, deglaze with lemon juice and whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve: Lay down some risotto and layer on some of the reserved mushrooms, baby spinach and a few scallops. Pour on some of the lemon butter and garnish with fresh thyme and microgreens.

[caption id="attachment_236519" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Main Course Photograph : Khaya Kepe[/caption]

MAIN COURSE LAMB CUTLETS WITH CARROT PUREE

INGREDIENTS 6 lamb cutlets, French trimmed (ask you butcher to do this for you as it can be a bit tricky, but looks great on a plate when done well). 2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 300g carrots, scrubbed and sliced 2 tablespoons tahini 1 teaspoon honey Small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish Pomegranate seeds to garnish

METHOD Mix the lamb, pomegranate concentrate (if you can’t find the concentrate at your local store you can simply create this by reducing some pomegranate juice until thickened), garlic and cumin in a bowl. Cover and set aside to marinate for a few minutes.

Put the carrots and a pinch of salt in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and put in a processor with the tahini, honey and parsley. Purée and season.

Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes each side. Put the cutlets on a platter, top with a little carrot purée, a sprig of parsley and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

[caption id="attachment_236517" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Dessert is Dutch babies with lemon curd and blueberries Photograph : Khaya Kepe[/caption]

DESSERT DUTCH BABIES WITH LEMON CURD AND BLUEBERRIES

INGREDIENTS

For the Dutch babies: 2 tablespoons butter 3 large eggs, room temperature ½ cup milk, warm ½ cup flour 2 tablespoons castor sugar ¼ teaspoon salt For the lemon curd: 4 lemons, juice and zest ½ cup sugar 4 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Garnish ½ cup lemon curd 2 cups blueberries 1 tablespoon icing sugar

METHOD

For the lemon curd: Heat everything in a bowl over a small saucepan of water simmering over medium-high heat, whisking continuously until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd can be made in advance and refrigerated until required.

For the Dutch babies: Whisk together eggs and milk. Add dry ingredients and whisk until lump free. Preheat oven to 220°C.

Over medium heat, melt butter in an oven-proof cast iron pan pour in batter then place in over to bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool until the puffing goes down before filling with the lemon curd and blueberries, and sprinkling on the icing sugar.

Divide to serve. You can also make this in two small individual pans.

Note: You can also turn this dish into a savoury brunch option by adding some herbs into your pancake mix and topping with mushrooms, bacon and baby tomatoes.