Dine with my Valentine

As an old married couple (this was our second Valentine's Day as husband and wife) we now take the opportunity to get some of my hubbie's favourite things to cook at home. After watching countless episodes of Hells Kitchen I wanted to give scallops a go and selected a recipe from Gino d'Acampo's book, Buonissimo: Scallops with matchstick leeks and crispy pancetta. The scallops were served on an onion purée with a sprinkling of crispy pancetta and leeks. The sweetness of the caramelised onion puree was surprising but it went very well with the juicy scallops, beautifully browned in the pancetta fat in the pan.

Next course was duck and mushroom risotto, my husband's two favourite ingredients in one of his preferred dishes. This one seemed to work perfectly with just the right amount of lovingly prepared duck stock. It needed a little more seasoning to really bring out the flavours but we happy to add that ourselves as I was a little concerned I would over season the dish, and once that happens, there's no rescuing!

With a romantic looking dessert (to feature in another post) it was a beautiful dinner in no better setting than our candlelit balcony. Can't beat that for our ideal Valentine's meal!