All language subtitles for Hairy.Bikers.Everyday.Gourmet.S01E02.1080p.WEB.h264-POPPYCOCK

MUSIC: "A Fine Romance"

# A fine romance... #

One of our all-time
favourite sayings is,

"The way to a man or a woman's heart
is through their stomach."

Oh, food and love!
There is no better combination.

Especially if you have
a hunger for either.

And we passionately believe that
a spectacular dinner for two

should be within the grasp
of everybody's budget.

For just a fraction of the cost

of taking out your loved ones
or friends for a meal,

we're going to show you

how to create a top-quality
restaurant meal at home.

Oh, I didn't know you cared!

Oh, you obviously don't.

Any gourmet dinner for two
has to have that wow factor,

and our first dish looks and tastes

like it's straight from
a top restaurant,

without the eye-watering bill
at the end.

It's called a salmon tian
and it's only £3.40 a portion.

It looks like a flower on a plate.

And this is very simple products.

It just shows what you can do with
a bit of care, a bit of cooking,

to make them really, really special.

Gourmet, even. Gourmet. Indeed!

I'm spuds and dressing.

I am tian and salad.

Now, while Dave's prepping
those fantastic potato galettes,

I'm going to knock on
with the salmon tian.

Mix four tablespoons
of creme fraiche,

a finely chopped spring onion,

one tablespoon each
of baby capers and dill,

together with a pinch of sea salt
and a good squeeze of lemon.

We've got some
lightly smoked salmon here.

We'll want about 150g of that.

That's about...that.

Discard the skin.

I'm going to just flake the salmon.

Using the salmon like this
is a great way

of making it go much further
for your money.

For the potato galettes,

we're going to peel and slice
300g of baby Charlotte potatoes.

Most new potatoes would do - just
make sure they're firm and waxy.

Now I get to use a device that
I haven't used for three years

since, the last time I did it,
I ended up covered in plasters.

'If you're thinking of
precision and presentation,

'it's worth investing in a mandolin.

'Not only does it cut the slices
consistently thinner
than you ever could,

'it'll also do it in half the time.'

And as the potato gets smaller,
take the guard...

and lock and load.

How are you getting on? Smashing.

Are you still there with
your fingers and that? Absolutely.

Wised up as the years
have gone on. Beautiful.

Salt and pepper
go on to the potatoes.

We're making a hot potato galette.

And what it is, it's like
a very decorative potato cake.

As you'll see as I put this
together, it'll look like a flower.

On the flower will sit the tian.
On the tian will sit the salad.

And around it we'll have blobs
of this seductive dressing.

50g of melted butter
go onto the potatoes.

Pile up the potato slices carefully
on a lined baking tray.

Make sure they all overlap slightly

and your finished galette should be
a bit bigger than the tian.

Now, we need to lightly
grease your chef's ring

and then we're going to pack
that lovely mixture into the ring.

Once you have your mixture
into the chef's ring,

just press it down
with the back of the spoon

to make sure that it
absolutely fills the ring,

so you get a beautiful shape
when you come to presentation.

Cos, don't forget,
this is for the one that you love,

an intimate dinner for two.

Now, what we need to do
is cover these with Clingfilm.

Put it in the fridge
for about an hour

until the creme fraiche and all
of those just slightly firms up.

And then we'll show you a tip
about how to get this out the mould.

It's a corker!

'The salmon tian will
take at least an hour to set.

'You can prepare it
and leave it in the fridge overnight

'if you're a bit pushed for time.'

Now look at them!

We pop that into a preheated oven -
180 degrees Celsius -

for about 30 minutes.

And the butter and the potatoes
will all fuse together.

They'll go golden.

And you'll be left with this
wonderful golden rosette of potato,

which we will serve warm.

Ingredients don't come
much cheaper than a potato.

But with a bit of
thought and creativity,

you can elevate it into
something really special.

Now, we can get on with
the salad and the other
accoutrements, couldn't we?

Yep. Shall I do the dressing?
Yeah, all right, man.

I'll knock this salad out, then.

For the salad you'll need
half a small fennel,

half a red apple, about three
tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley

and two teaspoons of lemon juice.

The dressing -
one egg yolk goes into a bowl.

The white - we'll save you
and make you a meringue later.

That's what they always
say on telly, isn't it?

"Just save the whites
to make a meringue".

Nobody ever does, you know?
It goes down t'sink.

Add white-wine vinegar,
one teaspoon of Dijon mustard

and half a teaspoon of caster sugar.

Next, add two tablespoons
of sunflower oil,

but drizzle this in
very, very slowly.

This is not
a standard salad dressing.

Using egg yolk makes
it creamy and gorgeous.

With a little more effort
and no extra expense,

making the salad dressing yourself

really makes a difference
to the taste.

Now, we pop in the dill.

This will be a great dressing
for gravadlax as well.

Oooh! Let me just
leave that to infuse.

Love it!

Galettes. Galettes are go!

Oh, yes!

Oh, they're fantastic!

Van Gogh could have painted them.
I'll let those cool slightly

and I'll be able to slide them off
in the centre of the plate.

Leave them for a few moments to cool
and then start building.

'Go slowly and gently
with your taters

'or you won't get past first base.'

Should hold together.
But be careful.

It is just, after all,
potatoes and butter.

Nicely done, mate.

Nicely done. Oh, look at that,
it's mint. Beautiful!

That is a stage, all we are
awaiting now is the players. Ha!

Great. Now Dave's got that
onto the plate nice and safely,
I'm going to show you a top tip.

Tease your tian
out of your chef's ring,

simply soak a J-cloth in hot water
and wrap it around, like so.

Resistance from your tian
will be futile.

Oo-ooh!

The power of Grayskull.

And it comes out... Mint.

Now for the salad.

With that chef's ring,
if I hold it lightly,

do you want to pack
some salad on there, mate?

Absolutely.

It's fine food, isn't it?
It's lovely food.

Perfect. Look at that. How lovely?

Tastes amazing. And, Kingy,

I don't think it looks
too shabby either, eh?

I don't think we've ever
done anything so perfect.

I love it!

Great, let's eat it!

The sauce, when you put it
next to the potato,

and you get that lovely cream
with the salmon,

and then the kind of
tartness of the salad,

it's a perfect cornucopia
of gorgeous flavours.

Look how much difference that
little extra attention makes.

All those flavours
given the style they deserve.

There's no point cooking great food
like this if you can't share it.

So we've come to High Wycombe
on the River Thames

to help someone very special plan
a delicious three-course dinner.

And we'll be racking our brains

to help them make something
truly wonderful on a strict budget.

Hiya. Hello, Paula, how are you?

Nice to meet you.
And you, sweetheart.

'Paula wants to make
a surprise romantic dinner for two

'for her parents on
their 40th wedding anniversary.'

What we know about you is that
you've had a pretty rough time

the past few years.

And we can honestly say
we don't think anyone deserves
our help more than you.

Thank you.

Why are we here to help Paula?
Well, it's simple.

18 months ago, while
she was expecting her first baby,

she fell seriously ill.

Baby Dylan had to be delivered
three months early

and, being so small, it was touch
and go whether he would survive.

On days when he was very ill,
we were told to expect the worst.

And that was terrifying for me.
Absolutely terrifying.

Throughout this time,

Paula relied on the support of
her parents, Alison and Gerald.

They kept her going
when times were tough

and made a place for her
in their home

when Paula's finances made it
impossible for her to live alone.

It's really hard to express
how much they mean to me

without getting really tearful.

They mean everything to me.

They've sacrificed
so much to look after us.

And even now, they keep
sacrificing things for me and Dylan,

and they mean
the absolute world to me.

I really don't know
what I'd do without them.

Now that little Dylan
is a healthy, bouncing baby,

Paula wants to say thanks.

And guess what? We're here to help.

What would you like us to do?
Give us the brief
and we'll see if we can help.

I can't afford to take them out for
a fancy meal in a posh restaurant.

Well, around here, there's not
many economy establishments!
No, there are not.

I can't get them a meal for £40,
which is about my limit.

So, do you want wine
for that as well? If I can.

They'd love a bit of wine.
Do they love good food? They do.

They're especially fond
of Italian food.

That's their favourite at the moment.
They both love that.

Italian's a good lead.
It is a good lead.

Because a lot of Italian food,

you go to a really high-end,
Michelin-starred Italian restaurant,

the value of what's on the plate,
it's really quite economical food.

You know, we can try and get as much
as we can for as little as possible.

And they've no idea about
our involvement? None at all.

Oh, you little devil!
It will be a shock. Brilliant.

We'll do the waiting as well.
We come for free.

We're all right with the waiting.
I'm not asking for much, am I?

Three courses with wine.
Wow! We'll be all right.

Excellent. I'm looking forward
to this. Yeah, so am I.

We're going to do the best
we possibly can for you. Thank you.

THEY DRUM
# Bamba, bamba! Bamba, bamba! #

Hey! Time for chilli. Ye-ee-s!

This is gourmet chilli.

Gourmet chilli on a budget.

MUSIC: "ABC"
by Jackson 5

Paula told us that Alison
and Gerald like traditional food

and you can't really get
any more traditional

than an old-school chilli con carne.

But there's an easy way to turn
this yawnsome dish into gourmet
gold,

with the addition of
one unusual special ingredient.

Cue the drumroll...

For our next recipe, we're
going to make a chilli con carne.

With chocolate.

By adding chocolate,

our chilli's being raised from the
average Joe to a culinary superstar.

Unusual food combinations like this
really are worth giving a go.

All it takes is that special pairing
of flavours and a leap of faith,

and there are plenty
out there like...

apple pie with cheese...

strawberries in balsamic vinegar...

Even vindaloo ice cream.

The starting point is like
an ordinary chilli,
with chopped onions and celery.

But here's a difference...

We're using two different
types of beef -

500g of diced beefsteak
and 500g of mince -

which give the chilli
a more luxurious texture.

Into a hot pan goes the beef.

Brown that off, nice colour,
take it out, set it aside.

Do the same with the mince.

The more expensive steak
provides an upmarket bite

with a much cheaper mince
making up the volume in the pan.

Any fat in the mince
just adds to the flavour.

We're cooking enough
for about eight portions,

so you can freeze the rest and
have an impressive dinner on hand

whenever a friend
pops round unexpectedly.

Chocolate, as one of the primary
ingredients in the humble chilli,
elevates it to gourmet status.

Get it wrong, you've got mud.

Get it right,
you've got a culinary treasure.

You have a fiesta on your tongue.

And we are talking
dark, bitter chocolate.

You know, the kind of
80% cocoa solid stuff.

You know, it's not like

a melted Easter egg
chucked in for a laugh. No.

Once the beefsteak and the mince
are nicely browned,

take them out of the pan.

And I'm going to
sweat down me red onions,

me white onions and me celery
in the beef juices.

I might need to put
a bit more oil in there.

Certainly need to turn that down,

cos, after all, we're not
making burger-van onions.

And just give them a stir so all
of those beef juices in the oil

coats that lovely
celery, onion mix. There we are.

This chilli might be gourmet but
it's still cheap as chips to make.

These are generous portions and this
is coming in about two quid a head.

You canna whack that, can you?
Even with the chocolate.

Right, they're going down.
I've just got a couple of minutes
to go on those.

I'd better go and get
the rest of the ingredients.

Here you are, Kingy!
Hewn from the font of flavour.

Oohh! Ohhh!

Right, the time has come
to start building up the flavours.

Take one dried chipotle chilli...

Come here, come here.
Have a smell of that.

I know it looks like something found
in some dead person's sock,

but it's full of flavour and has
got a slightly smoky thing. Lovely.

It does look like
a Christian relic, doesn't it?

You see there, encased in crystal,

in a cathedral
in some suburb of France.

St Peter's left foot!

Hi-ho, obedience! Right...
There you go.

We'll just liven up that left foot

with a tablespoon of chilli flakes.

To really spice things up, add half
a tablespoon of chilli powder,

two teaspoons of oregano
and two tins of chopped tomatoes.

Now, top tip when you're cooking
with tomatoes in anything,

use a wooden spoon.

You know sometimes
when you get that metallic taste

when you're cooking with tomatoes
and you've used a metal spoon?

There is a chemical reaction
between the acidity in the tomatoes

and the spoon, you see,
and it goes all...phew!

Next, add half a litre of beef stock
to bring out all the flavours.

That chipotle chilli
now is going to go...

MEXICAN ACCENT: "Oh, I am relaxing
in that bath full of broth.

"I will swell up and give
my lovely smoky chilli flavour out.

"Ooh!"

Mrs Miggins,
come and have a look at that!

Look, it's got more lustre on it
than your reproduction furniture.

Look at that!

'Now add the beans. We're using
a 400g tin of kidney beans

'but adding the same amount
of black-eyed peas too,
to mix it up a bit,

'and three tablespoons of light
brown sugar - it's a killer combo.'

Honestly, it all works because
the tomatoes can be quite sour,

the sugar livens it up
and the chocolate is bitter.

It'll all come right
in the end. Uno!

Dos!

Three!

What I'm going to do...

is put the lovely beef, chunked, in.

Oh, that beef's saying,
"I am in that Jacuzzi of flavour.

"Now I will give my all."

And then, you see, look,
textual differences going on.

You get a bit of chew, a bit of
melt, the lot. Lovely. Mmm!

Just make sure that you turn
the meat all the way through

so it's evenly distributed
through the dish.

I love this recipe -
all the colours of a Mexican market.

Now, whack the lid on your pan

and stick it in the oven at 140
degrees for two to three hours.

# Chilli con carne... #

Slow cooking like this
tenderises the meat

and intensifies
all of those flavours.

Ahhh!

Look at that! Look at that chilli!

It's just pure flavour.

The thing is, though, that, to me,
it's like a bride without a veil.

It's like Fred without Astaire.
A ladder without rungs.

And do you know what's missing?
Chocolate. Chocolate.

After a great deal
of experimentation, we have found

the optimum measurement of chocolate
for a pan of this size is 75g.

Half a big bar of
very bitter, dark chocolate

and just break it into chunks
and watch it melt.

It's melting. Oh, yeah!

Oh, you can smell it as well!

Beautiful, isn't it? Yes.

Now, look what it's done, though.
Look at the sheen that's on it.

Have a look - it's just gone... All
the colours have gone really deep.

Now, we need a few garnishes,
don't we? Yes.

Some spring onions, some
salad cream and some coriander.

These extra flavours will make it
feel even more decadent.

Throw in some salt
and freshly ground pepper

and you've got a gourmet chopped
chilli of epic proportions.

There's a lot there.

There's a lot of portions there.
It is.

Oh, hey, that is lovely.
That is so good.

What's great is those
chunks of beef are one thing,

and then the mince...

just gi...

Gives a savoury note for the...

I know this is meant to be
dinner for two,

but this one, I'm not sharing.

Chocolate and chilli?

Not a match you'd think
was made in heaven,

but these two are
perfect gourmet partners.

It's definitely delicious
and traditional,

but Alison and Gerald
love Italian food

and I think that's
where we need to focus.

So, after some debate,

we've come up with a starter
that's proper Italian.

But on this show, ordinary food
isn't good enough. Oh, no!

It's got to be a cut above.

For the starter
we're going to bake figs,

stuffed with a dreamy Dolcelatte
cheese wrapped up in Parma ham.

The sweet taste of the figs
is offset by the strong cheese

and lifted up by
the ham's salty tang.

With our fig starter in mind,
we'd better get cracking

on the ingredients
and spend our money wisely.

As we're going to be cooking
Italian, where better to go shopping

than an Italian deli
staffed by an Italian family.

It's like a palace of creativity.
Oh, it's wonderful.

Places like this stock
a better range of ingredients,

with several types of Gorgonzola
and three kinds of Parma ham.

They're about getting the right
ingredient for the right job.

Got the list. Oh, nice one, dude!

We're looking for a particular
type of Parma ham -

you seem to have several.
We do, there's quite a few.

You're going to be, what, cooking
with it, wrapping with it, eating it?

We're going to wrap and roast.
Can we have some prosciutto, please?

Good morning. Good morning.

This is what I call shopping!
Try before you buy.

At least have one each.

This prosciutto is two-thirds
of the price of the Parma ham

we had in mind, but it does the job
and it's just as tasty.

Quids in! Back of the net.

This is aged for 18 months.

It does all the same things,
but the pigs aren't reared in Parma,

so they can't call it Parma ham
or they can't call it San Daniele.
It's prosciutto?

Hence the difference in the price.
If you're cooking with it, it's
perfect, it's exactly what you want.

Look at that! With a smile as well!

THEY LAUGH AND CHEER

We want to wrap the figs
in the ham, bake the figs,

and we want to melt
some blue cheese.

We thought a Dolcelatte
or something on the top?

We have Dolcelatte, but you
can't buy Dolcelatte in Italy,

so the real stuff is Gorgonzola.

If you're melting it,
you want something a bit creamier

and a bit of flavour behind it.

With expensive ingredients,

you want to buy the correct amount
you need for your recipe.

That's beautiful,
absolutely beautiful.

There are specialist delis
and wholesalers like this

dotted all around the country.

It's sometimes worth paying
a bit more for special ingredients,

as they can really
transform your dish.

I have come here to experience
what perhaps

is the most romantic, wonderful
dinner for two in the world.

It is at the two-Michelin-star
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

But there is only one snag - him!

Don't spoil it for me.
It's not... Not right.

Olivier Limousin has been
cheffing for 20 years

and came here seven years ago
to dazzle punters

with exquisite food
and artistry on a plate.

His dishes are basically
as good as it gets - the show-off!

Olivier's restaurant
is like the Tate Modern of food -

all intricate shapes
and terms you don't understand,

but with world-class art on display.

If we're going to learn
how to make things look good,

it may as well be from the best.

If you want to make
something for your love,

you have to create something special.

One of the jewels in Olivier's crown

is his set-menu
flattened chicken breast,

that begins with sliced artichoke
and cherry tomatoes.

I noticed you've left
the stalks on the tomatoes?

Yes, because it will be
beautiful on the plate.

There's more elegance
with the tomato like this.

It's very elegant. It's beautiful.

'The ingredients could hardly
be simpler or cheaper.'

I think you're a genius.

Yeah, we love you - you're great.

Just a little colour on those
artichokes. Just enough, isn't it?

And you can keep it on the first
pan. It will stay...finish to cook.

Flattening your chicken breast
will make it go a lot further,

and it's something you can
ask your butcher to do.

Why did the chicken cross the road?
Don't know. To see his flat mate!

FAKE LAUGHTER

Is it just me?

After a quick bit of seasoning,
this chicken's ready to fry.

The beauty of it being so thin is
it barely takes any time to cook.

Oh, man!

See, the colour's perfect.

And it's only been in there
a few minutes,

so you know the inside's
going to be juicy.

Even the way he flicks his spoon,
I mean, it's got style and finesse.

It has, it has.

You know, I love the way the chicken
is echoing the shape of the plate.

'And that's no coincidence.

'For Olivier, it's a simple recipe
where presentation's the key.'

Is it true you never put even
numbers on a plate of food?

No, never. Never.

Yeah - one, three, five,
seven, nine's good.

Two, four, six, eight - bad. No.

The way the artichoke

is nonchalantly leaning
against the tomato...

That's not food, that's art.

And I will put some tomato confit

and lemon confit.

'Look at that - tweezers!

'Olivier delicately places
more of those Parmesan shavings,

'and then the whole lot's topped off

'with some baby gem lettuce leaves
in a fresh dressing.'

'The skill of a Michelin-starred
chef doesn't come cheap,

'but you can create
great dishes at home

'using the same sort of food
for a fraction of the price.'

Do you know, it's the most
wonderful plate of food.

You know, the application of
those ingredients on that plate,

with the love, care, skill and
dexterity that Olivier possesses

has made what are simple ingredients

into the most exquisite
plate of food. Yeah.

And Olivier's cooking
has got us thinking.

Different cuts of chicken

offer all kinds of options
for texture and taste.

It's versatile and low cost.

It also goes brilliantly
with tomatoes,

which is a classic Italian
combo with pasta.

So after racking our brains
to give Alison and Gerald

a real gourmet
Italian experience,

we're going to create a main-course
pasta dish of chicken puttanesca.

Our puttanesca is based on
an authentic Italian recipe

which combines tomatoes, basil,
anchovies and capers.

Well, that just leaves dessert.

So, we're going to experiment
with a real corker of a recipe,

but adding a little gourmet twist
for Paula's parents.

Now, you might think that

making gourmet desserts
is all complicated,

like a kind of pudding origami.

But our next recipe
is simplicity itself.

We're making a dish that uses simple
ingredients for cracking flavours.

It's one of those special desserts,

it's like you put it down
and she goes, "Oh?"

And he goes, "Oooh!"

It's a poached pear in a cardamom,
cinnamon and chilli syrup with...

..a salt caramel.

You can make this sensational
poached-pear dessert

for about £1.90 per portion.

Now, how's that for value?

The beauty of this delicious dessert

is that you can poach your pears
a day or two in advance.

Doing it this way gives you
more time to savour with your guest.

Righto, chieftain, let's poach
pears! There you are, tea towel.

It's obligatory.
Shall we get the liquor on?

Yeah, let's do that
and then we'll peel our pears.

The basis for these poached pears
is pear cider.

Pear cider is often thought of
as being a bit trendy now,

but it's been around in Britain
an awful long time - perry -

it's as old as, well, apple cider.
Yeah, it's true.

You're partial to pear cider,
aren't you? It does make us giggle!

It sends him stupid!

For this, we need a
bottle-and-a-half of pear cider.

We start with that, put the sugar in
and make a pear-cider syrup.

Get in!

Boiling alcohol and sugar is
the basis of many a good syrup,

but with those flavours
from the perry,

this one's a bit extra-special.

We have dinner for two,
let's get hot - some ginger.

'You'll need to chop up a 2.5cm
piece and add it to the pan.'

In this country we've been using
ingredients like ginger,

cardamom, chilli and other spices
for donkey's years to liven up

what could otherwise be just
relatively ordinary foods.

To that, put in a chilli.

If you don't want it hot,
don't pierce the chilli.

If you want it to be spicy,
a little slash down the side.

Cloves, cinnamon and cardamom pods
work particularly well together,

giving an exotic, luxury flavour.

It's a great opportunity
to break out

all those spices from the cupboard
that you never really use.

Now, the pears.
You don't just chuck them in.

You peel them
and leave the stalk intact.

It's lovely - you can pick it up and
just gnaw it. Peel them carefully.

Be gentle. Love your pear.

And by peeling the pears, it allows

all those exotic gourmet spices
to be absorbed into the flesh.

So every mouthful
tastes as good as the next.

There you are -
look at that little beauty.

You just pop that in your syrup.

Pop!

Pop the rest of the pears
in the syrup and bring to the boil.

We're cooking four.

That's two for your dessert

and two for you to have all
to yourself the following day.

Right, is that boiling, Kingy?
Yes, mate, it is. Great.

Turn this down to a gentle simmer.

Poaching isn't boiling.

Poaching is just at that point
of a gentle simmer

and it's very relaxing,

and it kind of lulls it into this
false sense of security and comfort

in that bath of sweet spice.

There's one more tasty spice to add
to the syrup, and that's vanilla.

We're using seeds freshly
scraped from the pods,

rather than vanilla extract.

They not only provide
a subtle hint of flavour

but add a touch of class
as to how the dish looks too.

If you want gourmet,
fresh ingredients are always best.

Because of the way
they're produced,

vanilla pods are expensive,
at around £1.70 each.

But with all that flavour, they are
definitely worth splashing out on.

Just take the point of your knife
and run it down the vanilla pod.

Scrape out all the seeds - that
wonderful, wonderful black gold.

Oh, look at that. I know...

It's so satisfying when you
do that, isn't it? It's lovely.

Just look at that,
it's like spice caviar.

And for good measure,
just put in the pod.

Cartouche. Cartouche touche. Yes!

'That's a fancy French word.

'In cooking terms, though, it means
a bit of circular greaseproof paper

'a bit larger than your pan
that you place over your pears.

'It keeps the moisture in the pan
and it intensifies the taste.

'Leave the pears to cook
for about 35 to 45 minutes,

'or until they're tender.'

The cartouche has wilted.

Oh, look at them,
they're all golden.

And that syrup,
it's a gift from the gods!

It's spicy, it's sweet,
it's savoury...

Oh, yeah, all those flavours
have properly infused

and they smell fantastic.

I think we should get those pears
out and put them really safe
before we make the caramel.

On its way...

Part of everyday gourmet

is taking what could be
relatively ordinary food

and giving it that special attention
that it really deserves.

How lovely.

Quite beautiful, aren't they?
Absolutely gorgeous.

That's only the beginning. Oh!

Don't worry, that spicy syrup
is not going to waste.

It's the cornerstone of
your salted-caramel sauce.

You could make brilliant martinis
with that, couldn't you?

It smells fantastic. Use it like
the ultimate golden syrup.

'Pour the syrup through a sieve

'but keep the chilli
and vanilla pod to one side.

'You'll be needing those later.'

You want about 200ml
of this reserved syrup.

That's not muck and dust,
you know, that's vanilla.

That'll be enough.

I think so. We have to boil that
and reduce it by volume by half.

That's it.

Turn down to a simmer...
add some cream

and let that simmer away
for a further two minutes.

'It's whipping cream and
you'll need to add about 300ml.'

It's tasty, it's spicy,
it's really rather racy...

Two minutes on the bubble. Oh, yes.

'When the spicy-caramel sauce
has simmered down,

'what we add next might be
a bit of a shock. Are you ready?'

'A teaspoon of sea salt!

'This accentuates the caramel

'and offsets the fruity flavour
of the pear,

'and it's really quite in vogue
at the moment, don't you know?'

Oh, yeah...

Remember, there's chilli,
cardamom, ginger -

all manner of good things in there.

Isn't that bonnie?

It's just the simplicity,
it's perfect,

it's really rather Japanese. Yeah!
It is, isn't it? It's a bonsai.

Shall we? Yes.

Oh, hey...

The poached pear has taken on
all of those flavours

in that syrup that we made.
Absolutely superb. Oh...

the pear is succulent...

Very, very good.
I think that's a result, dude.

Back in High Wycombe,

we borrowed a corner of the kitchen
at the Monkey Island Hotel

to get cracking on
a romantic anniversary dinner

for Paula's parents.

All hands on deck,
it's three o'clock,

your parents are
turning up at 4pm. Yep.

'They're making their way
here by boat.

'With all the cameras,
her parents know something's up,

'but they don't know they're
in for a gourmet treat with us.'

All I hope is that they don't think

it's all a big surprise that
they've won the lottery.

Do they do the lottery? Yes. Oh, no.
They're going to be disillusioned.

They're going to be waiting
for Dale Winton with a cheque

and it'll be us with
a plate of food.

I bet they'll give you a thick ear
when they get you home!

'By now, they should be
safely on the boat,

'drinking their first bit of fizz,

'as they go up the Thames River
they love so much.'

Yeah, I think that will
calm them down a little bit,
if they're nervous.

For when they arrive,
we've set up a lovely table for two

overlooking a beautiful part
of the River Thames.

For starters,
we'll be making luscious figs

stuffed with creamy Gorgonzola
and baked in tasty prosciutto.

All served up with rocket,
drizzled in balsamic reduction,

costing around £1.50 per portion.

This is a fantastic
dinner-party recipe,

because it's so posh, yet it's easy.

'Simply put a cross shape
into the top half of each fig

'and wrap it in prosciutto.

'Then open it up slightly
and add a chunk of Gorgonzola.'

And what we'll do is,
when they arrive...

They'll take between eight and
ten minutes for the ham to crisp up,

for the figs
to go soft and unctuous.

Is this really on my budget?
This looks really expensive.

It's about £1.50 per head. Really?
Per head, yeah. For two of these.

Better start making
these at home, then.

Everyone will think it's really posh!

Helping her stay on budget

means Paula can treat her
friends and family in the future.

For the main course,
we've got chicken puttanesca,

with roasted tomatoes
on a bed of linguine,

all for around £3.40 per portion.

Bellissimo!

So, are they chicken thighs?

Yes, chicken thighs are cheaper,

but because we are going to
roast them in a sauce,

the chicken thighs are
going to give us more flavour.

I think they kind of roast down
better than chicken breasts.

I love my chicken supremes

if they're grilled or barbecued,
or indeed poached.

But roasted like this,
with big flavours,

chicken thighs
stand up to it better.

Tying up the chicken into parcels
stops the thin meat

from drying out while it cooks.

The puttanesca sauce is easy to do,

but first you've got to
brown off the meat.

And we're going to recycle
all the flavours, so all the juices

that come out of that, that's what
we're going to make the sauce in.

We're going to take those out,
set them aside,

and all those lovely flavours
and the caramelisation

stuck on the bottom of the pan
is just going to infuse the sauce.

Lovely. Fabulous.

'Once the chicken is
nicely browned on both sides,

'put aside on a baking tray.

'Saute some onions and garlic
in the chicken juices.

'And here's the real secret. We add
chopped anchovies and capers.'

'Then we throw in
a chopped dried chilli

'and a can of cherry tomatoes.'

Just lovely. What we're going to do
now is pour that over the chicken,

splash of olive oil, cook it
for 25 minutes in the oven,

180 degrees Celsius,
and then we remove the chicken,

cut all the string off, and then
we finish the sauce with...

With some capers, some basil
and some olives. Sounds lovely.

Oh, look at that.

Right, oven. Oven.

Do we know where it is
in this kitchen? Over here, mate.

'So that's the three
rather posh courses done,

'with three bottles of wine,
for under 40 quid.'

'Proof of the pudding,
though, mate.'

Did you have a nice trip?
Lovely, thank you! Nice drink?

Very nice!

I was ready for it!
THEY LAUGH

Stand there, and I just want you
to look over at that gate

over there in the hedge.

There's a little surprise.

I've had a little bit of help today.

Some of my friends have come
to assist, just to thank you.

Hello, Gerald. Hello, Alison.

SURPRISED LAUGHTER

How are you doing? Better for
seeing you. It's great to see YOU!

Hello, Alison. I'm going to cry!

We've got together with Paula

and we've decided to give you
a right old treat.

Because you deserve it.

Yeah. Thank you!

We've heard some
wonderful things about you,

and she's very, very, very proud
of you. I can't take all this.

We've cooked you a meal
in what we think will be the
most beautiful, romantic setting.

And then what we're going to do,

your daughter here is just
going to ply you with drink.

Sounds good to me! Should we
show you to your table? Thank you.

Madame...

We could do it, as well!

So how long is it since
you've been out for a slap-up meal?

Oh, God, long time!
SHE LAUGHS

We've only got one menu,
cos my felt-tip ran out.

THEY LAUGH

'Anyway, you know
what they say, Kingy -

'two's company, and all that.'

'Ah, married for 40 years,
how fantastic.'

POSH ACCENTS: After you, Alfonso.
Thank you, Alfredo. For madame...

And this is the roasted figs,

wrapped in Parma ham with Gorgonzola

and a balsamic reduction.
And a little glass of Bordeaux.

I think that's going to go down
quite well at home, that recipe.

Enjoy your starters. Thank you very
much. Bon appetit. OK, thank you.

Is it nice? Yes.
Very nice. Is it? Mmm.

I think we've done them proud.

We've even roasted off
some extra tomatoes

to go on top of the puttanesca.

That looks absolutely fantastic.
I wish it was dinner for three now!

'It's a delicate thing,
this gourmet food.'

'Inspired by Olivier,
we're adding little details

'like finely shaved Parmesan,

'and keeping the stalks
in our roasted tomatoes.'

So, Paula, what does it mean to you

to see your mum and dad
being treated like this,

being spoilt and having a good time?

It means a great deal.
They don't get spoiled by anybody.

You can tell by their faces,

they didn't imagine
in their whole lifetime

they would be able to be
part of something like this.

I think they are having an absolutely
fantastic time and lovely food,

so thank you.

Right, we've got work to do, you.
We have. Come on.

All that's left is to bring out
our spicy-pear dessert,

and we've decided to make a
more romantic chocolate sauce

to go with it.

It's a steal
at around £4.80 for two.

There you are. Some spiced
poached pear and a chocolate...

Oh, some lavender, you were
talking about that the other day.

I love puddings!

Have another drop of wine, Gerald.

You're on your holidays. Oh, OK!

Shall we go and have a cup of tea?

Yes!

Enjoy.

Have a lovely time.

'Whilst they're busy
tucking in to a romantic dinner,

'it's time for the guest of honour,
little Dylan.'

Oohhh!

Hello!

Yes!

What have you been doing?
Oh! That's a big step!

'It's like a metaphor
for marriage, isn't it, Dave?

'Kids come along, bless them,

'and all the romance
goes right out the window.'

What did you think of the meal?

When can we get it again?!

Just, yeah... Completely
unbelievable. Thank you.

Me and Dylan just
wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for the last 18 months,
everything you've done.

Well, you're through it now,
aren't you? Thank you.

It's been a tough few months,
but thank you so much.

I think a Hairy sandwich
is in order, dude.

THEY LAUGH

Well done, Paula. Thank you so much.

Well done, Paula. Thanks very much.

You're welcome, Gerald. Thank you.

Right, Alison,
I'm coming round for a snog!

Best of luck for the future.
Thank you.

Dinners for two
are a thing of intimacy

and about creating food that shows
you care about your loved ones.

I think today proves food doesn't
have to be expensive to be gourmet.

And Gerald and Alison
certainly didn't feel like

they were eating cheap ingredients.

And we were under budget, too.

We spent a total of £33

to cook a three-course gourmet meal
with matching wine,

but it's the attention to detail

that really made the difference,

and I think Paula's
pleased as punch.

It just shows that with a bit
of flair and a bit of wizardry,

you can make the everyday
into something truly gourmet.

Job well done, Kingy.

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