Valentine Pots of Love
A luxurious selection of textures and flavours guaranteed to dazzle your partner. These recipes can be made in advance and plated up just before serving. Serve your dishes on a platter for two.
One bottle of Champagne will be enough to make these recipes, with a 2 glasses left to drink. We think of everything!
Serves 2
To prepare and cook all the recipes it will take around 30 minutes (don't forget to leave time for the sorbet to freeze)
Vegan
Champagne Sorbet (can be made the day before)
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes plus freezing time
Ingredients
- 200g sugar
- 250ml tap water
- 250ml Champagne
- 250ml chilled water
Procedure
- Put the sugar and tap water in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the Champagne and chilled water and allow to cool.
- Pour into a large plastic container and put it in the freezer. Stir every 40 minutes until it starts to freeze (which should take approximately 2½ hours).
- Leave in the freezer until just before serving.
Chocolate pot
Preparation time 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 avocado, peeled and de-seeded
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 drop vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Procedure
- Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and thoroughly blend.>/li>
- Scrape any mixture that sticks to the side for a smooth consistency.
- Place prepared mixture into a small serving bowl and then chill.
Champagne Jelly
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes plus chilling time
Ingredients
- 4 strawberries, chopped into small pieces
- 1 sachet Vege-Gel
- 50g sugar
- 250ml Champagne
Procedure
- Place the chopped strawberries into 2 shot glasses or two small wine glasses.
- Put Vege-Gel and sugar into a pan and slowly add the Champagne, whisking all the time with a fork.
- Bring to the boil then pour over the strawberries.
- Leave to cool for 20 minutes before putting in the fridge to chill completely.
Strawberry Tart
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 250g strawberries
- One pre-made tart case*
- 1 sachet Vege-Gel
- 1 tsp orange essence
*If you can't find a vegan pre-made tart case, line a 15cm flan case with pastry. Line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans and bake for 25 minutes, at 180C/Gas 4, and then allow to cool completely.
Procedure
- Slice the strawberries and arrange them neatly on your pastry case.
- Make up one sachet of Vege-Gel as directed on the packet.
- Add the orange essence, then pour over the strawberries.
- Allow to set.
Love biscuits
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 10-14 minutes
Ingredients
- 75g caster sugar, with a little extra for sprinkling on biscuits
- 125g vegan margarine or butter
- 125g type '00' flour
- 125g self-raising flour
- A pinch of salt
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1 orange, zest only
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- A few drops orange essence
- Pinch of dried chilli
- 1 tbsp pomegranate syrup
- Icing sugar, for dusting work top
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.
- Cream together the sugar and margarine. Stir in all the remaining ingredients.
- Dust your work top with a little icing sugar and roll out the dough to approximately 4mm thick.
- Cut out your biscuits with a heart shaped cutter and place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Finally dust with a little caster sugar and bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
- As the biscuits cool they will crisp up.
- Serve all components on a plate to share.
© The Vegetarian Society 2012. Visit www.vegsoc.org for more recipes and information.