giles valentines ‘The ideal three course meal for you and that special someone…’

Starter: Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Salad You will need: 4 medium beetroots 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar 4 figs Mixture of salad leaves Juice of 2-3 lemons Salt and pepper 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1-2 firm goat's cheese logs (or any crumbly cheese) Balsamic vinegar glaze Method: 1. Wash the beetroots and cut off the tops. If the leaves are nice and young, the tops can be added to the salad. If not, discard them. 2. Add the white wine vinegar to a saucepan of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Add the unpeeled beetroots and simmer until they are still firm but can be pierced easily with a sharp knife - around 15 to 20 minutes (larger ones will take longer). 3. Meanwhile, cut each fig into six even wedges and set aside. Wash and spin the salad, then season the lemon juice with salt and pepper and mix with the oil to make a dressing. 4. When the beetroots are cooked through, rinse under running cold water and remove the skins. You can do this by rubbing with your hands or scraping with a small knife - they should come off easily. If you're concerned about getting pink fingers, wear rubber gloves. Cut the beetroots into slivers or wedges - lengthways is good if they're quite long - drizzle with half the olive oil and lemon juice dressing and set aside. 5. Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter and scatter over the beetroot pieces and figs, then break chunks of goat's cheese over the top. Add a few dashes of balsamic glaze and the remaining dressing and toss together. Preparation time: 25 Minutes Boiling time: 20 minutes

Main: Duck with oriental passion fruit & orange sauce You will need: 2 duck breasts fillets, with skin on 2 passion fruits 1 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove, chopped juice of 2 oranges 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce rocket salad and wild rice, to serve Preparation time: 40 Minutes Cooking time: 17 minutes Method: 1.Use a sharp knife to score the fatty skin on the duck breasts in a diamond pattern – this helps the fat to drain off. Set aside. Halve the passion fruit, scoop out the pulp into a small bowl and reserve. 2.Heat the oil to a medium heat in a frying pan and cook the duck breasts, skin side down, for 5-6 minutes until the skin is golden. Turn them over and cook for 6-7 minutes until tender. Take care, as the fat has a tendency to spit. 3.Put the duck aside on 2 warm plates and keep warm. Drain off all but 1 tbsp of duck fat and cook the garlic until it is just starting to turn golden – no more or it will burn and taste bitter. Stir in the passion fruit pulp, orange juice, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, and let it bubble away until reduced by two-thirds, about 7-10 minutes. Season, then pour in any of the tasty juices from the duck. 4.Pass the sauce through a sieve, then pick out a few of the little black pips and add them to the sauce for decoration and crunch. Spoon a little sauce around each duck breast and serve with a simple rocket salad and some boiled white and wild rice.

Dessert: Chocolate pecan fondants You need: 50g butter, plus extra for greasing cocoa powder, for dusting 150g bar dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids is fine), chopped into chunks 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp plain flour 2 tbsp pecan nuts, toasted and chopped very finely (optional) 1 tbsp golden caster sugar Method: 1.Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. 2.Butter 2 individual pudding basins (about 200ml capacity), then dust generously with cocoa powder. 3.Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over simmering water or in a microwave and stir until smooth. 4.Gradually stir in the egg, then flour, nuts, sugar and a pinch of salt, and beat gently until everything is combined, but still runny. 5.Divide the mixture between the pudding basins. (These can now be chilled for up to a day ahead. Bake for 15 mins -or 18 mins if chilled). 6.Turn out onto small plates and serve with ice cream. 7.Fondants should be cooked on the outside and molten in the middle. Preparation time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 55 minutes We at the hope you have a great holiday