Dan's Date Night Dinner

In my mind there could be no better meal than a succulent, mouth wateringly soft roast. Slowly barbecued over a low heat for many hours, scented with beautiful fruit wood smoke and boasting a sticky, dark, well caramelised outer bark. Divine! 

The trouble is, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve come back from a hard day’s work behind the grill, smelling of wood smoke to find I’m being ‘encouraged’ to take a shower immediately before I am allowed to more than ten feet through the door.

This is clearly not the reaction one would want, especially on Valentine’s Day.

So, while a joint cooked low and slow is delicious, on this special day I want to serve something a little lighter and a little more refined. A dish that won’t take 24 hours to cook, and could easily be done after work.

My dinner idea for Valentine’s day is the wonderful Lobster Thermidor. It’s an old school classic, but like many of these dishes that never seem to fall out of favour, it’s always been a crowd pleaser.

Lobster Thermidor is a French dish and was created around 1880 by culinary legend August Escoffier at the Parisian restaurant Maison Maire. It takes it’s name from a play entitled ‘Thermidor’ which was staged at a nearby theatre in late 1800s. 

The dish consists of a creamy mixture of cooked lobster meat, egg yolks and mustard, stuffed into a lobster shell. The flavour is made even more delicious by roasting the lobsters the Weber Way, indirect in either a gas or charcoal barbecue until there is a golden, cheesy crust.

On first appearance you might think Lobster seems a little adventurous, but the Weber recipe I’ve chosen is simple to follow, and in under 1 ½ hours you’ll have a meal to remember. For extra decadence you could even try replacing the white wine for Cognac and the Parmesan for cave aged Swiss gruyere Cheese – that’s sure to impress!

It is sometimes hard to think of a recipe that expresses your true feelings for someone, but this little beauty is sure to win a heart or two.

All that’s left to do now is set the table, light the candles and open the wine!

Check out our Lobster Thermidor recipe here.