This recipe is a delicious recipes for Valentines.
The sauce can be made a head.I am using delicious Irish beef striploin but you can use rib-eye or fillet steak.

Serves 4–6

Prep 30 MINS

Cook 30 MINS

  • 4–6 × 150–175g (5–6oz) striploin or
  • sirloin steaks, well trimmed and at
  • room temperature
  • rapeseed oil, for brushing
  • sea salt and freshly ground black
  • pepper

FOR THE RUSTIC POTATO SLICES

  • 675g (1½lb) potatoes, scraped or
  • scrubbed clean
  • 1 fresh rosemary sprig, broken into
  • tiny sprigs
  • 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed (skin
  • still on)
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

FOR THE PEPPERCORN SAUCE

  • 15g (½oz) butter
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 450ml (¾ pint) beef stock (from a
  • cube is fine)
  • 2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
  • 4 tbsp cream
  • 2 tbsp Cognac

TO SERVE

sautéed Savoy cabbage

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Cut the potatoes into slices 5mm (¼in) thick and arrange in a single layer in a roasting tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Add the

rosemary and garlic and season generously with salt. Drizzle over the oil and toss until evenly coated. Roast in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden, turning once or twice.

Meanwhile, to make the peppercorn sauce, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Stir in the stock and cook for 10–15 minutes, until reduced by half. Strain the sauce into a clean pan, discarding the shallots and garlic. Add the crushed peppercorns, cream and Cognac and season with salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened. Keep warm. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Brush the steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. Serve the steaks with sautéed Savoy cabbage, potato slices and peppercorn sauce.

Warm chocolate brownie with fudge sauce

There is definitely something addictive about chocolate. It contains several stimulants, including caffeine and pleasure inducing endorphins. These are intensely chocolatey brownies,

which get smothered in a rich fudge sauce that's flavoured with – you’ve guessed it – more chocolate! If the brownies have gone cold and you want to heat them up in a hurry, pour over some of the fudge sauce and flash them under a hot grill until bubbling.

SERVES 6–8

  • 400g (14oz) plain chocolate (at least
  • 55% cocoa solids), finely chopped
  • 225g (8oz) butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 275g (10oz) caster sugar
  • 100g (4oz) self-raising flour
  • 75g (3oz) cocoa powder
  • 100g (4oz) mixed nuts,
  • roughly chopped
  • vanilla ice cream (page 389), to serve
  • FOR THE FUDGE SAUCE:
  • 150ml (¼ pint) cream
  • 25g (1oz) butter
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 175g (6oz) plain chocolate (at least
  • 55% cocoa solids), finely chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/gas mark 3). Line a deepsided baking tin (30cm x 25cm, 12in x 10in) with non-stick baking paper.

2 Place 100g (4oz) of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl with the butter and set over a pan of simmering water until melted, then stir to combine. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

3 Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl until stiff and holding their shape, then whisk in the sugar until you have achieved a stiff sabayon that can hold a trail of the figure eight. Sift over the

flour and cocoa powder and lightly fold them in. Add the melted chocolate mixture with the remaining chopped chocolate and the nuts and continue folding gently until just combined.

4 Pour the chocolate batter into the lined baking tin. Bake for 35– 40 minutes, until the top is crusty but the centre is still a little soft.

5 Meanwhile, make the fudge sauce. Place the cream in a pan with the butter and sugar and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes, until thickened and toffee-like, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from catching. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

6 Place the chocolate for the sauce in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until melted. Whisk into the cooled sauce until smooth and well combined. Leave to cool completely, then transfer to a bowl. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

7 Remove the brownies from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the baking paper. Reheat the fudge sauce.

8 Cut the brownies into rectangles and arrange on serving plates with the hot fudge sauce and scoops of the ice cream.