I know most people go to restaurants on Valentine’s day, but in case you are cooking for your loved one here’s a tasty recipe using the well known aphrodisiac scallops and good Provence Rosé ;-) Joking aside, Provence Rosé is a perfect drink for a romantic tête a tête as it’s so pleasant and pretty, so perfect to set the tone for some quality time together on Valentine’s day.

To delight your beloved you will require:

6-8 nice quality scallops
2 big mashing potatoes
100 grams of Polenta
some milk and cream
a handful of hazelnuts
some nice greens to complete the dish – I used steamed Romanesco
Chives
and a little Rosé…

Peel your potatoes and cut them into small chunks. Boil them until they are very soft and mash them, best with a potato ricer. Put the mash back in the pot and add the polenta. Add a small cup of milk and some cream to get a gooey consistency, then leave on a small heat for the polenta to soften within the mash. Prepare your vegetables and keep warm.

Get your pan nice and hot, add some clean vegetable oil and a knob of butter, fry the scallops both sides until they are nice and a little crispy (about 3 minutes each side). Remove the scallops from the pan then fry the hazelnuts in the pan with the left over butter. Deglaze the pan with a glug of Rosé and let the alcohol evaporate. When not much liquid is left add some more butter to create a bit of a sauce.

Put a nice blob of mash onto a clean plate, place the scallops on top and add some sauce and nuts over each one using a spoon. Chop some chives and sprinkle over, arrange your vegetables beautifully around the perimeter.

Pour a chilled glass of Rosé and enjoy la Saint Valentin. Stephen and I actually got together on Valentine’s day many moons ago, so it’s a bit of an extra special day for the two of us and I am hoping he might cook me something this time!

The author: Jeany Cronk

Jeany Cronk, foremost wife and mother of three Cronklets, lends an ear to endless wine conundrums contemplated by her other-half and works on the Mirabeau look and feel. Her big passions are interior design, the French way of life and of course the inspirational flavours and food of Provence. View more posts by Jeany