Our food editors took to the hallowed aisles of Nisa to create the perfect Valentine's Day recipes: one with a higher-end budget, and the other with a more typical (i.e. non-existent) student budget. Total cost of this meal: £25, for the big spenders amongst you!
Homemade cheese burgers
Makes ~6 burgers
Ingredients
500g minced beef, 150g breadcrumbs, 70g cheddar cheese (grated), small bunch of basil (chopped), 1 egg (beaten) and 1 potato (for the wedges)
To serve
Bread rolls (I used wholemeal), lettuce, tomato
Method: Potato Wedges
Cut the potato into wedge-like stripes
Parboil 10 minutes in boiling water with a pinch of salt.
Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the wedges crisp up.
Method: Burgers
Crumble the mince into a large bowl, then tip in the breadcrumbs cheese, basil and eggs with 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Mix the ingredients with your hands to combine everything thoroughly. Shape the mix into 6 burgers. Chill for up to 24 hours or until ready to cook.
To cook the burgers, heat grill to high and grill the burgers for 6-8 minutes on either side until cooked through.
Meanwhile warm the bread rolls (optional) in a foil-covered baking tray below the burgers.
Chocolate cheesecake marble brownies
Makes ~16-20 portions
Ingredients:
Brownie mixture – 200g dark chocolate (chopped), 150g unsalted butter (diced), 200g sugar, 3 eggs, 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt
Cheesecake mixture – 350g cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 125g sugar, 2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 x 12-inch baking tray, alternatively, I used a 9.5 x 9.5-inch cake tin
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C (325F) Gas 3
Grease the baking tray/ cake tine and line with baking parchment
Make the cheesecake mixture. Tip all the ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth. Set this aside for later.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and thoroughly combined. Leave to cool slightly
Make the brownie mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs for 1-2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and stir until combined.
Sift the flour and salt into the bowl and fold in until well incorporated
Spoon ¾ of the brownie mixture into the prepared baking tray and spread level. Spoon the cheesecake mixture evenly over the top, then pour the remaining mixture in spoonfuls over the top.
Using a round-bladed knife, swirl the mixtures together to create a marbled effect. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until just set in the middle.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin/tray before removing from the tin/tray and cutting into portions to serve.