Steak, Home-Made Chips and Bernaise Sauce

Oh Valentines Day here you are again, as far as I am concerned it's just an excuse to over indulge in food and hopefully receive a lovely bunch of flowers. I actually made this steak, chips and bernaise sauce a few days ago and I'm not really sure what I'm going to make for tonites dinner yet, may even make this again as it his favourite!
This is such an easy and delicious meal to make for your partner, theres not many who don't love a rare steak, roast tomatoes, delicious home chips and indulgent bernaise sauce.

Steak

2 Good quality steaks of your choice of cut
Salt & Pepper
Butter &Oil

Tomatoes

Vine tomatoes or larger
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Rosemary

Chips

Potatoes
Veg or Sunflower Oil

Bernaise Sauce

3 tbsp white vinegar
1 Large shallot diced
3 free-range egg yolks
225g Melted Butter
Tarragon Leaves finely copped


The first thing you need to do is get your oven on and get the tomatoes in having sprinkled them with sea salt, pepper, olive oil and sprigs of rosemary. Put them on around 180 and cook for an hour.
Peel and Chop your potatoes and get the oil on, rinse and then dry your chips and when the oil is hot enough put them in the oil for around 5mins and then take out and leave to get on with your bernaise. Start by putting the vinegar and diced shallot into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Now strain the vinegar into a heatproof bowl and add the egg yolks and put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk together until thickened and light in colour. Now gradually add the melted butter, whisking constantly. Season with  black pepper and salt if needed, then add the chopped tarragon leaves. Now put your chips in for their second fry and get the pan nice and hot ready for the steaks and add some butter and a dash of oil, season the steaks with salt and pepper and when the pan is searing hot put the steaks on to cook. Get your tomatoes out of the oven and arrange everything on a plate and put some bernaise sauce in little pots or dish for dipping chips and steak in. God it is so yummy, I adore bernaise sauce, I want to dip everything in it!

 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY  XXX

Tomato and Mascarpone soup with Cheese and Tomato Toasties

Lord God it is bloody freezing down here in Brighton and I can't seem to stop eating tomato soup with cheese on toast at the moment. It is such a gorgeous combination though isn't it...cheese and tomato.
Especially when the cheese is all melted and dipped in hot home-made soup, yum. I only cooked enough to make a couple of bowls so feel free to increase the measurements to cook for more people.

1 tin of good quality tomatoes (I used CIRIO)
4 Medium Vine Tomatoes
2 Carrots
1 Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
A Dollop of Mascarpone
Pinch of Sugar
Olive Oil
Basil Leaves
Cracked Black Pepper

All you need to do is chop the onion and carrot into small pieces, crush the garlic and fry gently in the olive oil until they are soft and cooked through being careful not to burn the garlic. Next add your vine tomatoes with the skin and seeds removed and fry for further few minutes and then add your tin of tomatoes and simmer all together for around 15 Min's. Now add some torn basil and a big dollop ofmascarpone and transfer to a blender or just use a stick one and blend until smooth. Then put it all back in the pan and heat gently. I drizzled some olive oil and tore some basil on top of the soup. I served mine with cheese and tomato toasties which I used my trusty toasted sandwich maker for with lovely cheddar and sliced tomatoes. It is the perfect winter warmer and satisfying enough for a lovely cosy supper by the fire (if your lucky) or otherwise maybe the radiator.