Scarlet Hearts

Name: Scarlet Hearts
Yield: Serves 10
Ingredients: 1 small raw beetroot; 450 g/1 lb small cleaned squid; 2 level teaspoons caster sugar; 1 rounded teaspoon salt; 1 litre/1¾ pints water; 1 medium onion; 300 ml/ ½ pint creamed smatana or soured cream; 4 level teaspoons gelatine; juice of 1 lemon; 2-3 pinches cayenne pepper; sprigs of fresh dill, to garnish; 3 tablespoons milk; 300 ml/ ½ pint creamed smatana or soured cream

Preparation info

Serves
10

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Josceline Dimbleby’s Complete Cookbook

By Josceline Dimbleby

Published 1997

About

A jewel of a first course for a Valentine’s Eve party, these transparent ruby hearts are the ultimate in romance. However, if you feel squid is un romantic, substitute prawns or just feathery herbs. If you have no individual moulds you could use one large heart-shaped cake tin.

Ingredients

450 g/1 lb small cleaned squid
1 small raw beetroot

Starter
Pescatarian

Method

Slice the squid across thinly into rings, including the tendrils but discarding the goggly black eyes if they are still there. Then cut the squid rings in half. Steam over boiling water for 1 minute only, until just opaque. Rinse through with cold water to cool quickly and leave on one side.

Peel the beetroot and chop up into very small pieces. Peel the onion and chop up fairly small. P