Treat your bae to some home-cooked deliciousness this Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just round the corner. How about planning a day with delicious goodness for the special someone, as your romantic playlist adds a special background score? You can start your day with pancakes, spend the evening sipping daiquiris and wrap up with some chocolate cake and a classic romantic film — a perfect plan, promising a lot of quality time. So get that apron on, pour yourself a drink and try out these recipes to surprise your bae with or to cook together on V-Day...

Strawberry pancakes

Start the day with surprising the beloved with soft pancakes, with the surprise bites of strawberries, topped with maple syrup and some more heart-shaped strawberries.

Ingredients:

• Flour (Maida): 1 large cup
• Baking powder: 1 and ½ teaspoons
• Eggs: 2
• Full fat milk: 1 medium cup
• Powdered brown sugar: 6-8 tablespoons
• Salt: 1 small pinch
• Finely chopped strawberries: 5-6 tablespoons
• Whole strawberries cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter: 8-10 pieces
• Butter: 3-4 tablespoons for batter, 10-12 tablespoons for cooking

Recipe:

• Sieve maida and baking powder
• Add powdered sugar, salt, melted butter and eggs. Mix well into a no-lumps batter, adding milk in small amounts
• Now, add chopped strawberries and give a quick mix
• Brush butter on a non-stick pan and heat well. Turn the flame low and add a dollop of the batter and spread
• Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until each side is golden brown
• Serve with maple syrup and garnish with heart-shaped strawberries

Tip:

• You can also serve with whipped cream along with maple syrup
• You can add choco chips or grated chocolate in the batter if you like

Heart-shaped salami with poached eggs and bacon

Let it rain some more hearts on the plate. Add some eggs (but with a twist), salami and bacon for brekkie or if you are planning to cook a brunch.

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 4
• Avocado: 2
• Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
• Black salt: 1 teaspoon
• Chilli flakes: 1 teaspoon
• Back pepper powder: 1 teaspoon
• Salami: 10 pieces
• Bacon strips: 12 pieces
• Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
• Cheese slices: 5
• Salt

Recipes:

For the base

• Scoop the avocados and mash well with a fork
• Now add salt, black pepper powder and lemon juice and mix
• Take a spoonful and add it to a plate. With the help of the back of the spoon, make an asymmetric bed of almost-guacamole

For the eggs

• Add water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil
• Now crack one egg and drop lightly into the water, or you can also crack the egg in a big, lightly greased ladle and lower it into the water for less chances of the yolk breaking
• Turn the flame medium to high and cook for 1 minute
• Take a strainer and carefully take out the eggs with a strainer
• Carefully place the egg on the avocado bed
• Repeat the process of water poaching with the remaining eggs
• Sprinkle some salt and chilli flakes on the top

For the salami

• Add one tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan and heat
• Place five salami pieces and put one cheese slice each on the top. Add the remaining five salamis making a salami-cheese-salami sandwich
• Cover, keep the flame low and cook for 45 seconds to a minute
• Cut them with a heart shaped cookie cutter
• Plate on the side of the eggs

For the bacon

• Add olive oil to the same pan in which you cooked the salami
• Place the bacon strips and cook until it’s crispy
• Strain the excess fat and add to the plate

Tip:

• Store the bacon fat for later use
• You can also cook the bacon without adding any oil. The fat it it melts easily

Easy charcuterie board

Go for some daiquiri (scroll down for the recipe) and music in the evening. Here’s a fancy looking but easy-to-make charcuterie board to go with it.

Ingredients:

• Crackers: 6-8 pieces
• Green/Black olives: 6-8 pieces
• Cherry tomatoes: 6-8 pieces
• Sliced kiwi: 6-8 pieces
• Feta cheese: 100gm
• Cheddar: 100gm
• Gouda: 100gm
• Cashews: 50gm
• Dates: 50gm
• Grapes: 10-12 pieces
• Salami: 100gm
• Bacon: 100gm
• Ham: 100 gm
• Pesto: 1 small bowl
• Mayonnaise: 1 small bowl
• Hummus: 1 small bowl
• Honey: 1 small bowl
• Tomato salsa: 1 small bowl

Recipe:

• Place all the ingredients on the charcuterie board and enjoy

Tip:

• You can cut down on the ingredients and keep just cheese, meat, one dip and a fruit if you like

Daiquiri

Add another special touch to surprise your beloved…

Ingredients:

• Rum: 60ml per glass
• Lemon juice: 30ml per glass
• Sugar syrup: 1 and ½ tablespoons
• Lemon slices: 1 per glass
• Ice

Recipe:

• Add all the ingredients in a shaker and shake very well
• Take a cocktail glass and put a round lemon slice
• Strain the daiquiri and you are ready to sip

V-Day special chocolate cake

Round it up with some gooey heart-shaped chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

For the cake

• Flour (maida): 1 medium cup
• Eggs: 2
• Full fat milk: 1 small cup
• Salt: 1 small pinch
• Brown sugar: 1 small cup
• Cocoa powder: ½ of a small cup
• Chocolate chips: ½ of a small cup
• Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
• Butter: 200gm

For icing

• Grated chocolate: 100gm
• Condensed milk: 50gm
• Water: 1 small cup
• Icing sugar: 1 small cup

For garnish-

• Kit kat- 10
• Fererro rochers-20
• Strawberry- 1 large

Recipe:

For cake

• Sieve maida, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder
• Beat the eggs well and add butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy
• Add the egg batter in the maida bowl. Now, add chocolate chips
• Fold, adding milk in smaller amounts to make a thick batter
• Grease the heart shaped mould and put a butter paper
• Pour the batter and tap lightly to release air bubbles
• Preheat the microwave for 10 minutes
• Put the mould into the microwave, set the temperature for 180°C at convection mode and bake for 30-40 minutes
• Check the cake with a toothpick. Once ready, take the mould out of the oven and allow it to rest for 10-12 minutes before demoulding

For garnish

• Take a non-stick pan and add water. Boil some water
• Now take a deep bowl
• Add chocolate, condensed milk and icing sugar in the bowl and place it on the non-stick pan with water
• Hold the bowl with the tong (saransi) and keep mixing all the ingredients in the bowl until it forms a thick, smooth frosting. Keep the flame low
• Turn off the heat when your are satisfied with the mix

Making the cake

• Demould the cake and cut it into two halves horizontally
• Add a dollop of the chocolate icing and cover the surface
• Place the other half of the cake atop and pour the chocolate frosting in small quantities, spreading well, covering the sides and the top. Smoothen with the back of a ladle
• Add a few Kit kats and Ferrero Rochers to garnish and then place the strawberries
• Put it in the refrigerator for minimum 2 hours