Valentine Meal

When you heard the word "Valentine" you'll think of February 14th, Saint Valentine's Day.
And of course, your mind will be filled with stuffs like roses, hearts, love, couples, pink, red, and of course, chocolates.

In the spirit of Valentine, I tried to put hearts and chocolates in my meal.
A generous heart-shaped chicken croquette with rice for the main and chocolate mousse cake with coffee mascarpone and ice cream.

I found the recipe for chicken croquette from a 20-minute meals cookbook and chocolate mousse cake online.

Here's the recipe for the cake (from http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6438/chocolate+mousse+cake):

• Ingredients

• 500g dark chocolate
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 125g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbs caster sugar
• 1 tbs plain flour, sifted
• Melted chocolate, to decorate
• Chocolate sorbet, to serve

Coffee mascarpone

• 200g mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbs instant coffee
• 2 tbs pure icing sugar

• Method

1. Step 1
   Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round spring-form cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
2. Step 2
   Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Step 3
   Place eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer or use an electric hand beater and beat on high for 10 minutes until very thick and pale. Gently fold in the flour then fold in the chocolate mixture until combined. Pour into the cake pan and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Remove collar from cake pan and transfer the cake to the fridge for 1 hour to cool (this step is important as it sets the middle of the cake).
4. Step 4
   Meanwhile, to make the coffee mascarpone, dissolve coffee in 1 tablespoon of boiling water and set aside to cool. Beat together the mascarpone, coffee and sugar in a bowl until stiff.
5. Step 5
   To make the chocolate leaf, brush non-toxic leaves with the melted chocolate. When cool, peel the leaf off.
6. Step 6
   Slice the cake and serve with a dollop of coffee mascarpone, a chocolate leaf on top and a scoop of sorbet on the side.

Recipe Courtesy of Taste.com.au

Enjoy!