64 | February 2012 | woman this month Food Even if you don’t have a life partner to shower your attention on, it doesn’t mean you can’t be in love with something. Delicious food is extremely fulfilling and it will never leave its dirty socks lying around! Iwas discussing the subject of love and Valentine’s Day with friends recently when one of them stated, “You can never be at peace as long as you are in love with the feeling of being in love.” You see, I have been single for more Valentine’s Days than I care to remember, yet my friends have misjudged me if they believe that this means I live restless or even loveless. Love, for me, has never been further away than my refrigerator door. You see, I love food. Now, I do understand that Valentine’s Day is not about a single man and his refrigerator, but food plays a major part in every relationship. If things are good it can be celebrated with food, if it’s a first date a great meal can seal the deal and if things are rocky, a great meal and good conversation can bridge many a misunderstanding. As a romantic at heart, I do not necessarily believe in waiting for a singular day to bring the word “love” to the table. But we do all live busy lives and I understand that to cook a hearty meal can take time. So, this year I thought why not do things smaller than bigger? A message from the heart rather than the wallet this Valentine’s Day! Start Valentine’s or any day with a romantic breakfast in bed; meet your betrothed for lunch with a delicious snack for two; treat them over coffee to a sweet treat or keep a quick snack in the refrigerator for the right moment to share those three magic words, ”I love you”. James Claire is…Delicious! Love Crème Brûlée for Two 600ml cream 50ml whole milk 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out 5 egg yolks 75g caster sugar Additional caster sugar for the crust. l Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the vanilla seeds scraped from the pod. Also add the pod and bring the mix slowly to the boil. l Place the caster sugar into a mixing bowl with the yolks and the milk and whisk together. When the cream mixture is at a boil, remove from the heat and pour the mixture through a sieve onto the egg yolk mixture. (This removes the vanilla pod and any additional foreign matter from the scraping of the seeds). Stir thoroughly for a minute or two to dissolve the sugar. l Pour the sieved mixture into individual crème brûlée dishes. It should make four to six servings, depending on the size of the dishes. Place these filled crème brûlée dishes into a deep baking tray and pour hot water into the tray until the water reaches halfway up the sides of each dish . l Place this tray into the preheated oven and cook the crème brûlées for about 30 to 35 minutes until set firm, but still with a slight wobble. Remove the crème brûlées from the dish of water and allow to cool for 20 minutes on the bench. l Sprinkle additional caster sugar on top of the brûlées and caramelise the sugar under the gas flame of a grill or using a small cooking blow torch.
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