Valentine’s Day Recipes

If you saw Sebastien on Global News with Minna Rhee, check out these recipes to recreate the dishes for your special someone.

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Cherry Gin Collins

Makes one

2 oz Bombay Sapphire gin

1 oz simple syrup (or 2 sugar cubes)

¾ oz lemon juice

½ cup ice­­­

4 oz club soda

1 oz Maraschino cherries

In a collins glass, muddle maraschino cherries. Add ice, simple syrup, gin and lemon juice. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a skewered cherry.

‘Plate is Pink’ Salad

Makes two portions

2 heads of radicchio (both white and red varieties)

¼ cup fennel

½ cup watermelon radish

½ cup candy cane beet

¼ cup pomegranates

½ cup yellow beets

olive oil OR rosewater vinaigrette

Mandolin a handful of watermelon radish, candy cane beets & yellow beets and set aside. Slice a small portion of fennel. Open a pomegranate and gather the pomegranate seeds into a cup. On a plate, place a few leaves of white radicchio with a couple leaves of red radicchio on top. Artfully place the slices of watermelon radish, candy cane beets & yellow beets on the plate around the radicchio. Build salad to the amount you desire to eat. Top with pomegranate seeds and fennel. Drizzle with olive oil and a small spritz of rosewater.

Beet Ricotta Gnocchi

Makes two portions

500g ricotta cheese

375g all purpose flour

75g fresh grated parmesan cheese

75g roasted garlic  (optional)

2 whole eggs

100ml fresh beet juice

10 salt

1 tsp white pepper

½ tsp nutmeg

1: Measure out all ingredients and set aside.

2: In a stainless Steele mixing bowl add Ricotta, Parm, Roasted garlic, egg’s, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Mix by hand wearing latex gloves.

3: Once ingredients have been incorporated. Slowly add the beet juice and keep mixing till desired colour is achieved. Set aside.

4: Dump all purpose flour on to work surface. Create a well as like you would making pasta. Dump the purple/pink cheese mixture into the center of the well.

5: Start lightly mixing together to form a dough. You can knead the dough a few times to incorporate the colour but DO NOT overwork the dough.

6: Once the dough is finished, cut into four pieces. Take one piece and begin rolling into desired sized logs. Generally 1” in circumference.  Cut out gnocchi to desired size and set aside. Repeat with the last 3 pieces.

7: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place Gnocchi gently into the boiling water and wait till they float. Depending on how dense they are this could take 1-3 minutes to be done.

8: Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon into a mixing bowl. Toss with a little olive oil and Serve.