Impress your Valentine with a three-course meal this weekend with help from award-winning Buxton chef

And for many people the thought of cooking up a romantic feast at home are a little daunting to say the least.

So if you’re wanting to impress your loved one this weekend, but don’t really know where to start, we’ve got the answer for you.

Award-winning Buxton chef Robert Stordy has put together some ideas of easy recipes you can make this weekend at home.

Good luck and happy cooking!

Starter:

Crab and mango salad, curry guacamole serves 2

Ingredients

150g crab meat, white or brown and white

½ fresh mango, cut into 1-2cm dice

30ml crème fraiche

½ lemon juice

Good handful of garlic croutons

Mixed salad leaves: frizzy, radicchio, pea shoots, lamb's lettuce

1 ripe avocado pear

½ small chilli de-seeded and chopped finely

½ tsp curry paste

finely chopped spring onion

Squeeze lime juice

Salt and mill pepper

Method:

Guacamole: Press the avocado through a sieve or blitz in a food processor.

Add the chili, curry paste, onions, mint and lime juice and mix together well, check seasoning.

Mix the crabmeat and mango together, bind lightly with the crème fraiche and add a little lemon juice to taste, check seasoning.

To serve: arrange a bed of leaves on serving plates, top with a mound of crab and mango salad, accompany with small spoonfuls of guacamole around, sprinkle with the croutons.

Main:

Chicken stroganoff

Ingredients

2 x chicken breasts, lightly seasoned

20ml corn, vegetable, olive oil

25g butter

30g finely chopped onions or shallots

75g mushrooms, sliced

1 heaped teaspoon French mustard

25ml Brandy

175ml double cream

Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in a small frying pan, add the chicken breasts and fry on both sides until golden in colour, place in a hot oven to cook through (about 10mins.)

Remove the breasts and keep warm.

Pour off any excess oil and add the butter to the pan, add the onions and cook gently for about 5mins, add the mushrooms and cook a little further.

Carefully add the brandy and allow to reduce a little. Stir in the mustard and add the cream.

Place the chicken breast back into the pan and gently simmer in the sauce, check seasoning.

Served with a crisp salad or a selection of seasonal vegetables.

Or

Stuffed peppers with olives, herbs and taleggio, serves 2

Ingredients:

1-2 medium red, green or yellow peppers, cut in half and de-seeded

25g onions, finely chopped

20ml vegetable/ sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 chili, de-seeded and finely chopped

2 tsp chopped oregano or basil

50g olives, roughly chopped

30g fresh white breadcrumbs

150g taleggio cheese, camembert, brie or boursin

150ml béchamel

Method:

Sweat the onions, garlic and chili in the oil without colour, remove from the heat.

Add the herbs, olives, breadcrumbs and half the cheese to the onions, season well.

Brush the pepper halves with oil and season lightly and stuff each one with the filling.

Place the stuffed peppers into an earthen ware dish and pour over the béchamel, top with the remainder of the cheese.

Loosely cover with foil and place in an oven at about 200◦ for 30minutes, remove the foil and return to a hot oven for about 10minutes to crisp and brown the surface.

Dessert:

White chocolate and orange liqueur mousse - serves 2

Ingredient:

65ml milk

75g white chocolate, broken into pieces

1 egg

12g caster sugar

4g leaf gelatine or powdered

115ml half whipped cream

Small measure of Cointreau of Grand Marnier liqueur

Method:

Bring milk to the simmer, remove from the heat, add the chocolate and melt gently.

Beat the egg and sugar until pale, pour on the milk and chocolate mixture and return to the pan.

Gently heat mixture stirring continually until it coats the back of a

spoon, do NOT boil, remove from the heat and continue stirring for a further minute.

Add the gelatine, stir until melted, add the liqueur then cool to almost setting point.

Fold in the whipped cream until a smooth consistency.

Pour into two glasses, ramekins or suitable molds, refrigerate until set.

Decorate with orange segments

Robert has also issued some tips to make sure your Valentine’s meal goes well.

*Consider what you are going to serve up – choose dishes that are within your scope to avoid getting stressed or disappointed with the end result.

*Whatever you are cooking make sure that you have all the necessary ingredients.

*Prepare anything you can in advance, either the day before or earlier on the day.

*Finally the odd glass of wine or beer can be therapeutic, but don’t overdo it, stayed focused.

And Robert has also teamed up the Advertiser for a new online series, aimed at helping you with meal prep and budgeting. Find out more on that here –

Buxton chef teams up with the Advertiser to help you with meal prep and budgeting.