Romantic Valentine’s Day menu

The menu

• Starters & nibbles

  Mozzarella bruschetta with shaved fennel and courgette

• Main course

  Crab and salmon fishcakes with homemade tartare sauce

• Desserts

  Lemon mousse

• Drinks and cocktails

  Rose prosecco cocktail

Menu ingredients

Serves 2

• Fruit and vegetables

  • ½ small fennel bulb, herby tops reserved

  • 1 small yellow courgette

  • small bunch fresh mint, torn into pieces

  • ½ orange, skin removed, thinly sliced into rounds

  • ½ lemon, juice only

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled, cut in half

  • 250g/9oz small potatoes, preferably red-skinned potatoes such as Roosevelt

  • handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

  • handful fresh dill, chopped

  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped

  • 4 small cornichons or gherkins, finely chopped

  • handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

  • ½ lemon, juice only

  • 1 tsp grated fresh horseradish

  • 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach

  • 3 lemons, zest and juice only

• Tins, packets and jars

  • 1 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 4 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

  • 1 tbsp capers

  • 4-6 tbsp rose syrup (available from specialist suppliers)

• Cooking ingredients

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 250g/8oz caster sugar

  • 15g/½oz powdered gelatine

  • small handful blanched toasted almonds, finely chopped

• Dairy, eggs and chilled

  • 125g/4½oz buffalo mozzarella

  • 4 medium free-range eggs, separated

  • 300ml/½ pint double cream

• Meat, fish and poultry

  • 250g/9oz salmon, poached, flaked, bones removed

  • 150g/5oz white crab meat

  • 150g/5oz brown crab meat

• Other

  • 1 thick slice sourdough bread

  • 5 tbsp cold water

  • 1 bottle prosecco

By Sophie Dahl