Palentine’s meal – Everyone’s kitchen

Zucchini Flowers with Fresh Goat Cheese and Mint

Valentines Beet Soup

Lava cake

Harvest of the day: mint, parsley, bay leaf

Zucchini Flowers with Fresh Goat Cheese and Mint

Ingredients (x12 tartlets)

• 2 rolls of puff pastry
• 4 zucchini
• 150 g fresh goat cheese
• 4 sprigs mint
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Wash the zucchini then cut them into thin slices using a mandolin. Blanch them for 1 minute in boiling water then stop the cooking by immersing them in cold water. Dry in absorbent paper.

Put the goat cheese in a bowl, add the chopped mint, salt and pepper and work with a fork to soften.

Cut the puff pastry into 6 strips and spread them with the goat cheese preparation.

Place the zucchini slices on the upper half of the strip, making them protrude from the dough and overlap. Fold the bottom part of the dough over the zucchini. Gently roll the band on itself, squeezing well. Immediately place in a muffin tin or paper cups. Repeat the process until the dough is used up.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Valentines Beet Soup (Brosch Variation)

Ingredients (x4)

• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium carrot
• 3 small potatoes
• 2 beets
• 1 medium apple
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ head red cabbage
• 6 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, pepper
  

Instructions

Peel and slice the onion. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and sauté onions on low heat.

Cut carrot, potatoes, beets, and apple into small cubes.

Add the cubes to the saucepan. Stir regularly with a wooden spoon.

Add hot broth. Let it simmer for 30 minutes, until the diced beets and potatoes are tender.

While the soup is cooking, slice the red cabbage into thin slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife.

Add the red cabbage and cider vinegar to the soup. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Check the seasoning of the soup and add salt if necessary.

Lava cake

Ingredients (x10)

• 225 g beet puree (or sub unsweetened apple sauce)
• 150 ml unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
• 185 g organic cane sugar (or sub granulated sugar)
• 75 ml melted coconut oil or vegan butter (like Earth Balance)
• 1.25 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.25 tsp baking powder
• 5 pinch sea salt
• 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 75 g chocolate chips (melted)
• 10 squares quality vegan dark chocolate 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

Add the almond milk and vinegar to a small mixing bowl and mix. Let sit for a few minutes to activate.

Add the sugar, oil, vanilla, and beet puree and beat until foamy. Then add cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until no large lumps remain.

Lastly, add the melted chocolate and mix once more.

Divide the batter evenly between muffin tins – it should come up about to the top, which is OK. Break up one square of the dark chocolate and push it down into the centre of the cakes. Cover with batter using a spoon. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the edges have pulled away slightly and the top no longer appears wet. It’s OK if it’s a little fudgy but you definitely don’t want underdone cake.

Let rest in the pan for 4-5 minutes before removing. Then gently loosen the edges with a butter knife and top with a cutting board or plate and carefully invert. Gently transfer to serving plates.