Valentine’s Day supper for singletons

Come February 14^th, we are all subjected to a world built for two, with specially-crafted Valentine’s menus for a couple and recipes designed to get you in the mood for one heck of an evening in with your other half.

However, where in this world does the humble singleton fit in? Are they supposed to just get a takeaway or settle for beans on toast? Good grief, no. If there’s no one to wine and dine you, wine and dine yourself. We have created a special menu just for you.

Starter: Baked Camembert

Nothing quite embodies contentedness like a little round box of melted Camembert. For Saint Valentine’s day, bake a lovely wheel of liquid sunshine to share with your friends, satisfied that you don’t need another half to complete you; this cheese fills all the gaps.

If you haven’t got white wine, vermouth or generally brown spirits would suffice – for example, brandy, whiskey or rum.

Ingredients

1 whole Camembert, in its box
Herbs like thyme or rosemary
A couple of splashes of white wine
A couple of eating apples, sliced
Toasted ciabatta

Method

Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Unwrap the cheese from its packaging, then place back into its box. Poke some holes in the cheese with a fork and feed with the alcohol. Poke the herb sprigs into the cheese. Bake on a baking tray for 20 mins until gooey. Serve with the ciabatta and apples for dipping.

Main: Mussels in white wine

Quick, easy, and perfect for single portions, there is noting else more comforting than a bowl of steaming mussels. They are ready in minutes and yet somehow feel celebratory and special. Packed with garlic, you’ll find yourself relishing the lack of action on Valentine’s day.

Mussels may supposedly be an aphrodisiac, but then all the good food is. You may just have to take one for the team – after all, this menu is all about D.I.Y.

Ingredients

500g mussels
Half an onion
1 clove of garlic
100ml white wine
Large handful of parsley
Large spoonful of crème fraîche or double cream

Method

Firstly, clean the mussels. Run them under the tap in a colander, scrubbing them to get rid of any grit. Then remove any of the beards using a sharp knife. Pick through them and discard any that are still open.

Melt a large knob of butter in a pan, before adding the onion and garlic and cooking on a high heat for 5 minutes.

Tip the white wine into the pan to deglaze it, then pour a glass for yourself. Add the mussels to the pan and put the lid on. These should only take 3-4 minutes, but be sure to check for any that are still closed and discard them. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the parsley (I also like tarragon with mine) and then the crème fraîche or double cream.

Pour into a bowl, making sure you get all of the juices too. Eat with a big hunk of crusty bread.

Dessert: Baked peaches with amaretti

After all of the stodge, baked peaches offer a fairly light and easy pudding. Partnered with some decadent amaretti biscuits and marscarpone, they add a sugary kick to the end of a meal. Leave them to bake in the oven whilst you eat your main course, so that they are warm and ready when you’ve finished.

Ingredients

1 ripe peach, halved and stoned
1 tsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon
Amaretti biscuits, crumbled
Flaked almonds
Mascarpone or crème fraîche to serve

Method

Place the peach halves in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the sugar, honey and cinnamon. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until soft and gooey and golden on top. For the last few minutes, add the flaked almonds and let them toast up.

Serve with marscarpone or crème fraîche and the amaretti crumbs.