St Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, so here is a meal that will impress and that you will have plenty of time to prepare at home. If you haven’t sent a card, you are running out of time. Remember, a present will not go astray. And don’t forget the flowers.

Cowboy steaks are becoming very popular. Some supermarkets are now selling them from their butcher counters or your butcher will be happy to cut one for you. They are a very tender beef cut, with the bone in the rib eye traditionally being used as a handle by cowboys, hence the name.

It is a very fine-grained and juicy cut, with generous marbling throughout and a very rich flavour. They are the perfect size for a nice, generous meal for two. The basil hollandaise makes a nice change. Serve with some chunky oven chips and you’ve got the prefect St Valentine’s Day meal.

Now you need a dessert to match. Peanut butter chocolate fondants are just the thing. They are also great for any dinner party and can be made up to 24 hours in advance and kept in the fridge until just before you pop them in the oven. The chocolate soil will keep well for up to a week so you should have no last-minute stress on the night. They also freeze very well.

Keep an eye out for cooking in Trinity College on next Wednesday’s Home Chef on RTÉ One at 7.30pm. And didn’t Ray do well? Full of talent he is. Great guy.

Happy cooking.

Cowboy rib eye with basil hollandaise

Serves two

1 cowboy steak, about 600g (1lb 5oz – 1 bone thickness)

4 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil

4 garlic cloves, skin on

Handful fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

For the basil hollandaise

100ml white wine vinegar

Small bunch basil, stalks roughly chopped and leaves reserved

1 bay leaf

Few peppercorns

2 egg yolks

250g (9oz) unsalted butter, melted and skimmed of impurities

Squeeze lemon juice

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Chunky oven chips, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF/gas mark six). Put the steak on a plate and rub with half of the oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Heat a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan until very hot. Add the steak to the pan, with the oil from the plate, the garlic cloves, thyme and bay leaf. Sear for three minutes on one side until well browned, basting with the oil and herbs. Carefully tip off the oil and add the remaining two tablespoons to the pan and sear the second side of the steak in the same way. Using a tongs, quickly brown around the edges, then transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes, turning over halfway through. This timing is for a medium steak. If you prefer yours well done, give it an extra five minutes on each side.

3. Remove the steak from the pan and sit it on a rack set over a roasting tin. Tip the oil, herbs and garlic from the pan over the steak. Leave to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the basil hollandaise. Place a medium pan of water on to boil. Put the vinegar, basil stalks, bay leaf and spices into a small pan. Boil until reduced down to about three tablespoons, then strain into a jug. Place the egg yolks in a large bowl with one tablespoon of cold water and one tablespoon of the vinegar reduction (the remaining two tablespoons can be kept in the fridge and used for another day), then whisk briefly until light and frothy.

5. Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water, ensuring it is not touching the water. Then whisk to a light and airy foam. Now gradually add the butter, little by little, whisking all the time to make a silky yellow sauce. To prevent the sauce overheating, lift the bowl on and off the pan, adding a splash more water if it starts to get too thick. The sauce can be kept warm for 30 minutes by sitting the bowl in a batch of just-warm water. If it gets too hot, the sauce will split. Just before serving, finely chop the basil and stir into the sauce with the lemon juice and season to taste.

6. Carve the cowboy steak at the table and arrange on plates, spooning over some of the basil hollandaise. Have a separate dish of the chunky oven chips to hand around.

Peanute butter fondants with chocolate soil

Serves six

For the chocolate soil

100g piece shop-bought chocolate loaf cake (un-iced)

For the fondants

100g (4oz) butter, at room temperature

Cocoa powder, for dusting

300g (11oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares (at least 70% cocoa solids)

75g (3oz) crunchy peanut butter

175g (6oz) golden caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

75g (3oz) plain flour

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF/gas mark four). Thinly slice the cake and lay it on lined baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes until crisp to the touch, turning once. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely, then blend in a food processor until you have achieved crunchy crumbs. Place in an airtight container for up to a week.

2. To make the fondants, melt half of the butter and leave to cool a little, then use it to brush six dariole moulds. Place in the fridge for one minute, then brush again. Dust each one with cocoa powder, tapping the bottom to remove any excess.

3. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool a little. Place the rest of the butter in a bowl with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla. Using an electric beater, beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and fold in the flour, followed by the melted chocolate. Divide among the dariole moulds and smooth down with the back of a spoon – about 150g in each. Chill for up to 24 hours.

4. To serve, preheat the oven to 200oC (400oF/gas mark six). Arrange the fondants on a sturdy baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the top is set but you should feel a soft middle when you prod it.

5. Add a small pile of chocolate soil to each plate and top with a scoop of ice cream. Finally, carefully turn each peanut butter chocolate fondant on the plate – they should come out easily. Serve immediately.