Amore Burgers

Introducing… the ultimate date night menu. Say ‘I love you’ with our Amore Burgers this Valentine’s Day: a classic chicken parmo in burger format. Yes, you heard that right… 

Time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the tomato marinara sauce:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 medium white onion finely diced
  • 400g passata
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Handful fresh basil roughly chopped

For the chicken:

  • 4 small chicken breasts
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 75g panko breadcrumbs
  • 50g golden breadcrumbs
  • 50g finely grated Parmesan

For the rest:

  • 40g rocket
  • 1 small red onion finely sliced
  • 8 cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 4 brioche buns
  • 125g mozzarella sliced into 8
  • 4 tbsp garlic mayo
  • Balsamic glaze to drizzle (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C and line two large baking trays with baking paper.
  2. For your marinara sauce - Heat your oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, add your garlic and onions and fry for 5 mins until fragrant and translucent. Add passata, oregano and sugar along with 1/2 a tsp of salt and a large pinch of pepper. Simmer for 15 mins until thickened, remove from the heat, stir through basil and set to one side.
  3. For the chicken, use a knife to slice each breast vertically and butterfly into a heart shape. Give each a gentle pound with a rolling pin and then use your knife to cut away any excess and shape into a more defined heart shape that will fit your burger (don't discard any of the cutaway chicken as you can pop this on a baking tray to cook through in the oven and use in sarnies for lunch).
  4. In a shallow dish, mix your flour, oregano, garlic powder and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Pop your beaten eggs in another shallow dish, and then your breadcrumbs, Parmesan and pinch of salt and pepper in a third shallow dish.
  5. Dip each heart-shaped breast in the flour, ensuring evenly coated all over and shaking off any excess, followed by the egg and then the breadcrumbs so thickly coated. Place 2 breasts onto each baking tray before popping in the oven and baking for 15 mins. After 15 mins, flip your chicken and bake for a further 10-15 mins.
  6. Meanwhile, mix your rocket, onion and tomatoes in a bowl and griddle your brioche buns until charred. Remove your breasts from the oven and dollop each with marinara sauce followed by a couple of mozzarella slices and a crack of black pepper. Pop in the oven for a further few mins until gooey.
  7. To assemble, spread each brioche base with garlic mayo followed by a generous handful of salad. Top each with your heart-shaped parmo and drizzle with a little balsamic before crowning with a lid.

Cupid's Cheesecake Cookies

Happy Valentine’s Day. Still got a gift on your shopping list? It’s not too late… we’ve married up a classic, creamy cheesecake with chewy, gooey white chocolate cookies for a love at first bite gift.

Time: 45 mins plus setting time

Serves: 10 cookies

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 180g full fat cream cheese
  • 40g icing sugar
  • 4 tbsp strawberry jam
  • For the cookie batter
  • 350g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 200g unsalted butter softened & cubed
  • 200g granulated white sugar
  • 3 medium eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 strawberries diced
  • 100g white choc chips

Method

  1. Start by mixing your cream cheese and icing sugar together with an electric hand whisk until smooth before gently folding through your jam to create a marbled effect. Dollop 10 tbsp of cream cheese onto a lined baking tray and pop in the freezer for 1-2 hours until solid.
  2. Line another 2 large baking trays with baking paper, in a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and 1/2 a tsp of salt.
  3. In another larger bowl, beat together your butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and your flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined into a thick dough. Gently fold in the strawberries and choc chips.
  4. Divide the mixture in half. With half, divide into 10 scoops across both trays so there are 5 on each (ensure there is plenty of room between each to expand when cooking). Use the back of a tsp to gently make an indent in the top of each scoop. Remove the cheesecake filling from the freezer and pop a frozen tbsp into the indent of each cookie. Split your remaining half of the cookie dough into 10 and then mould on top of each dough bottom, ensuring to enclose around the cream cheese filling and pinching the sides to secure- just a warning- this will be messy!
  5. Pop your cookie dough mounds in the freezer for 10 mins and preheat your oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Pop in the oven for 22 mins, ensuring to swap the trays over half way through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Be my Galentine

Girl dinner...Galentine’s edition. Serve up the ultimate picky tea next time you host girls night, with a heart-shaped half-and-half platter, because the key to anyone's heart is a charcuterie board, right?

Time: 15 mins

Serves: 8 as snack platter

Ingredients

For side savoury:

  • Continental meat platter
  • Extra mature Cheddar cut into cubes
  • Brie cut into wedges
  • Stilton sliced
  • Red grapes
  • Ciabatta or French breadstick
  • Black olives
  • Chilli jam spooned into ramekin
  • Tomato chutney spooned into ramekin
  • Honey spooned into ramekin
  • Crackers

For side sweet:

  • A selection of sweets
  • Heart brownies
  • Heart shortbread
  • Strawberries
  • Cherries
  • Raspberries
  • French fancies
  • Chocolate spread
  • Mini Battenberg cakes
  • Chocolate truffles

You will also need...

  • A heart-shaped board (optional)

Sweet Hearts

Cupid reporting for business. Share the love (and your baking) with all your Valentine’s this year, these deliciously sweet baked gifts are perfect for saying ‘I love you’.

Time: 40 mins

Serves: 12 sweethearts

Ingredients

  • 2 x 320g ready roll puff pastry sheets
  • 175g chocolate spread
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • 100g chopped hazelnuts
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 100g orange chocolate

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C and line two large baking trays with baking paper. Unroll a puff pastry sheet and spread all over with chocolate spread.
  2. Sprinkle half the orange zest and half of the hazelnuts. Take your second sheet of pastry and place directly on top of your sheet spread with chocolate spread.
  3. Cut into 12 strips vertically. Take each strip and twist at both ends to create a spiral shape. Pinch the two ends together to form the dipped, top centre of the heart and pinch centrally at the bottom centre to create the 'V' shape of the heart. Lay on your baking tray and repeat with all strips.
  4. Brush all of your pastry hearts with egg before popping in the oven for 20-25 mins until golden (ensuring to swap the trays halfway through for an even cook). Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Whilst your pastries cool, melt your chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave in 20 second bursts ensuring not to burn.
  6. Drizzle each all over with chocolate before sprinkling with the rest of the zest and hazelnuts. Spoon any leftover melted chocolate into a ramekin for dunking.