Valentine's Menu Ideas

Salted Caramel Martini

Salted caramel is not just for eating...

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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

To make this hot chocolate you will need to have prepared my Salted Caramel Sauce.

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Bacon Brownies

I don’t deny bacon in brownies sounds weird, but it does really work in a quite straightforward way. Even people who shrink from the very idea find the actual outcome all-too-compelling. I like to use…

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Linguine With Mussels

You might label this shiny black musselled variation of linguine alle vongole, linguine alle cozze, but to be frank, this version is not very Italian-flavoured. It owes something to the French taste f…

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Vanilla Shortbread

Even if you have never baked anything in your life, you will be able to make these with untroubled ease. And I hate to say this — as someone with a once-serious Bahlsen habit — but they are so much be…

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Lemon Risotto

This is comfort food on so many levels. For one, risotto has to be one of the most comforting things to eat ever. What's more, although everyone goes on about the finicketiness and crucial fine-tuning…

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Linguine With Garlic Oil and Pancetta

Three ingredients: one great supper. I admit it's slightly an eccentric way of cooking the pancetta but, on those days when you've been flat out and are exhausted, it does buy you a little slumping-on…

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Salt and Pepper Squid

This is unexpectedly easy to shop for as well as easy to cook. Baby squid (better here than tougher, grown-up, windsock-sized ones) can be found, frozen, in 500g boxes, to be stashed in your freezer a…

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Baci Di Ricotta

I don't deny that having to stand stoveside frying 30 teaspoons of ricotta at the end of dinner is a slight drawback, but these are so good, I really do think it's worth it. Besides, there's no gettin…

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Peach Melba

This is it — summer on a plate. Most days I take the view that cooking fruit rather loses the point of its delectable freshness, but this somehow intensifies it. Besides, most peaches are disappointin…

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Scallops With Thai Scented Pea Puree

I love the bouncy sweetness of scallops and, although you might think the equal sweetness of the peas would be too much alongside, the deep flavour of coriander and chilli and the sharpness of lemongr…

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Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

I am willing to believe that a confectioner wouldn't call this proper fudge, but it tastes divine, and you won't need a sugar thermometer or have to test for frightening soft or hard ball stages. I li…

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Scallops and Chorizo

I've long been a fan of scallops with bacon, and scallops with chilli, and this is my combination of the two, using chorizo — the sausages, not the salami — to ooze its paprika-hot orange oil over the…

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Vodka Marinated Steak

I am always drawn towards Scandinavian food, no doubt in part because of childhood summers spent in Norway. And this recipe, adapted from one by Andreas Viestadt, the Norwegian author of Kitchen of Li…

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Breakfast Bruschetta

This is quick to make, absurdly easy in fact. The strange thing is that it is as easy to eat, even first thing. I can wolf this stuff down.

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Chocolate Croissants

First, let me say that if I can do this, you can. As I have never tried to hide, I have no patience and even less dexterity. But this is child's play: indeed, you could consider getting children to ma…

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Red Velvet Pancakes

It has been impossible not to notice the growing popularity for that classic of the American South (a region I have a culinary fondness for) the Red Velvet Cake; this is an observation and a personal…

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Butterscotch Fruit Fondue

If ever you've bought fruit in the spirit of hope, only to discover, when you get home, that though it may be brightly hued it is disappointingly dimly flavoured, this is the uplifting solution. Anyth…

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Calvados Syllabub

Syllabub is one of those ethereal, dreamy confections which seem at odds with the description 'pudding'. But this scented, whipped cream, piled up to swell cloudily out of its container, is a perfect…

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Caribbean Creams

This is a reworking of my grandmother's Barbados creams: we're going the way of the coconut and the banana. It's scarcely a fancy pudding, but sometimes it can be sweetly comforting to have something…

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Chocolate Pudding

We're talking pure, all-encompassing bliss. When you eat this cooled, it is like chocolate satin cream and almost shocking in its pleasurable intensity. But I love it straight out of the pan, too, whe…

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Creme Brulee

The first thing you should know about creme brulee is that it's not hard to make. And few puddings are as voluptuously, seductively easy to eat. I never make mine in little individual ramekins (though…

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Figs for a Thousand and One Nights

This is so simple — scarcely a recipe really — but so good. Unless you get figs straight from the tree they sometimes need the blistering heat of an oven or grill to bring out all their honeyed sweetn…

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Little Lemon Puddings

These uplifting, citrusy beauties are a quick-time, short-cut version of the traditional English canary pudding: instead of being steamed, these are baked in the oven, and the fact that you use shop-b…

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Nutella Pancakes

Let joy be unconfined. This is one of the most irresistible puddings I think I have ever made, and I did it by no more than some fruitful scimmaging about my cupboards. I long for it almost constantly…

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Turkish Delight Syllabub

This hasn't got the temple-aching sweetness of Turkish Delight, nor its palate-cleaving glutinousness, but rather it is a cloud-light spoon-pudding version which attempts to catch its aromatic essence…

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Mini Pavlovas

These may be mini pavlovas, but there's a big old batch of them, as this recipe comes from a time when my children were little and I would make these for the school summer bake sale. Obviously, you ca…

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White Chocolate and Passionfruit Mousse

So much in cooking, as in the rest of life I suppose, is about contrast, about balance. Here the acerbic fragrance of the passionfruit undercuts the otherwise over-egged richness of the white chocolat…

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Ruby Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly

This is the dessert of dreams: the wine-soused raspberries take on a stained glass, lucent red, their very raspberriness enhanced; the soft, translucently pale coral just-set jelly in which they sit h…

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American Breakfast Pancakes

These are those thick, spongy American pancakes that are often eaten with warm maple syrup and crisp fried bacon. I love them with the syrup alone, but if you do want bacon, I think streaky is best. Y…

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Toblerone Fondue

Buying the fondue set was my first mistake... Please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

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Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Along with chocolate, there is much comfort to be gleaned from reading cookbooks. This recipe combines two loves by being chocolatey to the point of madness and having revealed itself to me after a co…

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These are the best cookies I've ever eaten. It's impossible to only cook half the batch. In fact they're so good I just double up all the ingredients and freeze 12 and cook 12!

Love Buns

In another time I'd have been satisfied with calling these Valentine's Day Cupcakes but, as the saying goes, if you're going to get wet, you may as well go swimming. And please read the Additional Inf…

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Ricotta Hotcakes

These are breakfast pancakes summer-style, ridiculously light, and lemony somehow even without the addition of lemon. If you imagine the flavour of cheesecake combined with a texture that's best descr…

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These have become a firm family favourite! When I'm stuck for an after school meal idea I turn to these hot cakes. Not only does my 4 year old love these with cheese/ham/fruit/honey, he'll also gladly help with the measuring and whisking. Fab!

Doughnut French Toast

My weaknesses are mainly savoury — think salt and vinegar crisps or cheese and biscuits — but there are times when only a doughnut will do. This craving can get desperate late at night when the shops…

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Lamb With Rosemary and Port

I love the sort of dinner that you cook without any special effort but without sacrificing gratification. That's the thing really: cooking is simple; you can choose to complicate it, but there's no ne…

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Sicilian Pasta With Tomatoes, Garlic and Almonds

I like to use fusilli lunghi, which are like long golden ringlets (or, less poetically, telephone cords) but, if you can't find them, simply substitute regulation-size fusilli (or indeed any pasta of…

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Juicy Beef Skewers With Horseradish Dip

I find fresh horseradish easy to come by these days but, if you don't, add the same amount of hot horseradish cream or sauce from a jar for the marinade. If you want to serve lamb skewers alongside, t…

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Linguine With Chilli, Crab and Watercress

You know, I'd eaten this a couple of times and made it myself (throwing in handfuls of peppery watercress as I did so) a few more before I realised it was, give or take, the River Cafe's recipe — by w…

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Scallops on the Shell

I can't quite believe how simple yet luscious these are. I prefer to get my scallops from the fishmonger for this, which is just as well as I don't think I could ever get a supermarket to supply me wi…

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Chicken Schnitzel With Bacon and White Wine

This is one of those fast and easy suppers that makes you — and whoever else is eating it — purr with delight. You don't have to use garlic infused oil, but minced garlic is likely to burn. What I'd s…

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Gammon Steaks With Parsley

Of course, I'm tempted to do a gammon steak with pineapple, and I wouldn't begin to stop you, but I think parsley is really the key here. When I've got time, I am happy to stand at the hob, whisking u…

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Eggs in Purgatory

You don't actually need to have a hangover to enjoy this for breakfast (or anytime), but there is something about this easy and quick dish of eggs cooked in a fiery tomato sauce that just hits the spo…

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Green Eggs and Ham

This weekend breakfast favourite can, frankly, be eaten at any time of the day with equal relish and has also in its favour that children (who in my experience would probably eat anything if it had pe…

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Cheese Fondue

I don't suppose this is ever going to win plaudits from the World Health Organisation, but a cheese fondue is surely the stuff of dreams. On the plus side, health-wise, I love it best with radishes, c…

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Monkfish Wrapped in Rosemary, Lemon and Parma Ham

I am fully expecting a phone call from the 1980s asking for its menu back, but in my defence this is simple, superfast (to prepare) and sensational (to eat, which is what counts) and I am not suggesti…

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Mirin Glazed Salmon

This must be the fastest way there is to create a culinary sensation. You do scarcely a thing — just dibble some salmon steaks in a dark glossy potion, most of which you get out of a jar — and what yo…

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Tarragon Salmon

I like my salmon almost sushi-coral and cooked for two minutes a side, but if you want yours less pink, then cook for three to four minutes a side and add some water to the vermouth mix, as the longer…

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Absolutely great! Loved everything about it. A great fast and easy dish to make.

Liquorice Pudding

Liquorice is one of the signature tastes of Italy. As this is an ingredient that divides people viscerally, I've made it just for 2, or possibly 1 very greedy liquorice eater... I use the tiny liquori…

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Tiramisini

Some say, challenging more generally accepted ideas about the provenance, that tiramisu was invented in a casa chiusa (a house of ill repute) to give the working girls a pick-me-up, as the name (tira-…

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Red Velvet Cupcakes

Even though I do give instructions below as to how to make these into one big Red Velvet Cake, I like them so much more as cupcakes. Yes, they do use food colouring — and I advise the paste rather tha…

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Made this twice and believe me, this recipe makes the best red velvet cake/cupcakes ever. The cake was super moist, fluffy and sweetness was at perfection. Red velvet cake can not get any better than this. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Nigella. We loved it.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes

These are the acceptable face of culinary cute: their intensity guarantees the triumph of chic over prettiness. And, what's more, they're easy to make. You can make the mixture up a few hours in advan…

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Quick Calamari With Garlic Mayonnaise

Strange though it might sound, this is another of my supper-standbys. I keep the frozen squid in the deep freeze, taking it out in the morning at breakfast to let it thaw in time for the evening's mea…

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Mustard Pork Chops

This is possibly the easiest route to a proper, filling and yet strangely delicate dinner. The pork is cooked just enough time to take away any pinkness but ensure tenderness within, and is gloriously…

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I've made this for my daughter and I a couple of times now. Its so easy yet yummy and so quick to do, from walking in the door to on the table in twenty minutes.

Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

You just cannot beat a pav in my book, and I glory in particular this dark beauty. The crisp and chewy chocolate meringue base, rich in cocoa and beaded nuggets of chopped plain chocolate, provides a…

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Goujons of Sole With Dill Mayonnaise

Goujons have fallen from grace, but it is hard to work out why. The crunch of the breadcrumb casing, the tender, yielding softness of the white fish within: this is a fish finger taken to the highest…

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Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie

Even the word pie is comforting. But then, it would be hard to deny the very real lure of pastry, especially when, as here, you know you're going to dunk it in gravied juices till its luscious lightne…

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Crepes Suzette

This is probably the queen of retro desserts and deservedly so. My version is a speeded-up and simplified one by virtue of using shop-bought crepes. But there is no need to feel this is a cop-out. For…

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Arabian Pancakes With Orange-Flower Syrup

Don't think breakfast pancakes, but rather a dreamy, light, aromatic and sweet pudding, slicked with orange-flower syrup and nubbled with pistachios, to go after a vaguely Middle-Eastern dinner eaten…

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Slattern's Spaghetti

My version of pasta alla puttanesca has had a slight name change. And yes, I realise that it’s not really necessary to translate the title, as this store cupboard standby of pasta with anchovies, oliv…

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Happiness Soup

Forgive the tweeness of the title, but this is a soup of such sunny, mood-enhancing yellowness that it overcomes even the most pervasively innate cynicism. To eat this is to feel cheered; even cooking…

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Sake Steak and Rice

Like all old favourites, this changes pretty well every time I cook it. Sometimes I use the sake, both in the marinade and the fluid sauce later; sometimes I use Marsala or sherry. And there is no rea…

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Tomato Curry With Coconut Rice

Balance is everything in cooking: here, the acid brightness of the tomatoes is met with the sweetness of peas and the rich creaminess of the coconut rice, itself pricked with the sharpness of lime and…

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Mexican Scrambled Eggs

This is not only the best way to start the day, but the best way to end it, too. You can make it even more of a meal by serving some refried beans alongside, but I love it just as it is. It also happe…

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Perfect! Feeling slightly fragile this morning and this has perked me up no end!

Linguine With Mushrooms, Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

This is one of my proudest creations and, I suppose, a good example of a recipe that isn't originally from Italy, but sits uncontroversially in her culinary canon. I don't think it would be too presum…

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So easy and so delicious! I can't wait to cook it again.

Yellow Spaghetti

Although this recipe does not itself issue from Italy, the inspiration is entirely Italian. One of my favourite things to eat is a risotto Milanese, sometimes called "risotto giallo" — or yellow risot…

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae

This is the ultimate ice cream sundae. Obviously, if you're not a peanut-eater, it won't be for you, but for everyone else it is the stuff of dreams. Last time I made this sauce, I nearly had to make…

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No-Churn Margarita Ice Cream

This is a cinch to make, and easy-easy-easy to eat. If you want to serve it in glasses with rims dipped in sugar and salt, by all means do. But it is so good that, even as someone who is not a committ…

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I love this recipe! I've made it a few times and every person who tries it adores this ice cream! So easy to make and eat ... One of my favourite treats!

No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream

It's not hard to think of a pudding that can be made in advance. But mostly the advantage is simply that all the effort is upfront and early. The thing about this recipe is that you do it in advance —…

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I'm not a natural in the kitchen and this was easy to make, tasted indulgent and lovely, and I can't believe I made ice-cream. Thank you Nigella.

Vin Santo Ice Cream With Cantuccini

One of the loveliest puddings, if it quite counts as that, to order in restaurants in Tuscany, is a glass of vin santo, that resinous, intense, amber-coloured holy wine, with a few almond-studded bisc…

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Crab and Avocado Salad With Japanese Dressing

Now that I can find good, fresh tubs of crab meat at the supermarket I can really rely on this as a table-and-tummy filler when I don't have much time for slow, store-by-specialist-store shopping. The…

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Gingery Hot Duck Salad

This recipe is a slight reworking of a Cambodian beef salad I often make; here the lime juice in the steeping mixture (which turns into the dressing) is supplemented with orange juice (Asian evocation…

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Red Mullet With Sweet and Sour Shredded Salad

We are in rose-tinted heaven here: the pink glint of the red mullet's skin flashes like a Barbie-mermaid's tail against a salad of shredded pawpaw, red chilli pepper, carrot and spring onions, sprinkl…

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