ruggerp11

First off, I've never been so excited for a Valentines Day, my girlfriend Julie is coming into town and we are having a nice three day weekend at my parents lake place.

Now Julie is in charge of the movies but I had something special in mind for the food. Julie is a server and works many hard hours a week on her feet.

What I'm going to do is serve HER. The whole nine-yards, I'm going to have her sit and give her the menu of whats being served tonight and then proceed to serve her the entire meal. I will be sitting and eating with her of course but she will only get up if she has to use the washroom.

I have my meal mostly worked out buuuuuuut, I need some help.

Since I need help with the opening course and wine, I'm going to go backwards.

For dessert I am going to make Cheesecake, since it is kind of my specialty. not just any cheesecake but Extreme Chocolate Cheesecake
LINKY to the Cheesecake

For the main course I'm making a Tomato Bisque soup. I don't have the recipe right in front of me, but when I get home I'll try to remember to post it. Its a recipe from my roomate that is very good. Tomato soup also happens to be Julie's favorite

What I'm not sure of is the first course and wine. I want to buy a bottle of white and red (to give her some selection in her dining experience lol)

I was thinking maybe a cesar salad to start with, but I want to do more than open a bad of lettuce and have a ready-to-make salad.

Julie loves sweet things. The sweeter, more sugary the better. (just saying so you know a little bit about her to help you help me.)

What do you think?

Thank you in advance!

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Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it.
--Mark Twain
Do What makes you happy
--Me
BUT!
"Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness" - Chuang-Tzu

maleficent

sounds good..

Instead of cesear salad - which is nice - but - -eh - i'm bored with it- how about a
field green salad with pears and goat cheese - and then toss on some candied walnuts... (i usually serve this with a raspberry vinagrette) To make it a little fancier, you can put the goat cheese on pieces of toasted french bread and broil it a little bit so it melts. makes for a pretty salad..

Basically take a bag of ready made salad
Take 2 pears and slice them pretty
raspberry dressing
maybe some fresh raspberries
candied walnuts
and some goat cheese toasty things

and the candied walnuts are super easy to do - -takes about 15 minutes in the oven...

For main course -

Try a Steak Dianne... it's easy to make -and the final ingredient is a little bit of cognac - and a match- the flaming of the sauce is always a crowd pleaser...

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ruggerp11

I'm sorry Mal, I wrote that wrong. I'm planning on serving the Tomato Soup for the main course. Its really heavy and filling. That with a little french bread will go nicely for the main (especially since the cheesecake will be pretty filling as well). I like the idea about the salad though!

Keep em coming!

__________________
Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it.
--Mark Twain
Do What makes you happy
--Me
BUT!
"Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness" - Chuang-Tzu

maleficent

for the starter -
since she likes sweet- what about a coconut crusted shrimp or chicken satays... (ya put the chicken or shrimp onto a wooden skewer --at home i've got a recipe for the batter - it's pretty easy, and fairly light -and the coconut gives you that touch of sweetness...

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maleficent

something else to add as part of your dessert- or an after dessert snack-- chocolate covered strawberries and champagne....


More starter ideas...
an anti pasti platter -- that would have a lot of finger type foods -- really nice olives, aged parma ham wrapped around a chunk of aged provolone or parmesean, salami (though that might contribute to bad breath) roasted garlic on toasted french bread (turns sweet and incredibly rich) pretty much check out what is available in the deli case and what looks good

something fun might be a cheese fondue... or some other fondue... (though that might be better for one of the other nights you are in the house)

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majik_6

mal has some great ideas!

One of my favorite "starters" is a Shittake Frittata Bundle with Prosciutto. It's kind of like a baked omlette with cheese and mushrooms cut into small squares that are then wrapped in prosciutto and tied with a chive. It takes a bit of time, but it makes a very nice presentation.

I can't find the exact recipe around here, but here's the basic idea:

-4-6 eggs (adjust to how much you want)
-1/2 cup (at least) chopped Shittake mushrooms
-1-2 chopped shallots
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-milk (quantity is dependant on number of eggs used)
-Prosciutto ham, sliced into 2" wide strips, these should be much longer than they are wide
-Chives (at least as many chives as you'll have "squares", I recommend having some extras, as they tend to break)
-2-3 Tbsp cheese (I like Asiago)
-Salt (I like Kosher), you'll not be needing much of this, if at all
-Pepper, fresh cracked is best

1. Mix garlic, shallots, mushrooms, milk and eggs in a bowl, being sure to incorporate all ingredients fully. Season with a bit of pepper. I recommend against salting at this point, as the Proscuitto will add quite a bit of saltiness.
2. Pour mixture into a saute pan over medium-low heat. Lift the edges of the egg as it solidifies, allowing liquid egg to come in contact with the pan (as you would an omelette).
3. Once the egg begins to "set", but still has some softer spots on top, place the frittata into an oven set to broil. Watch the egg to make sure it doesn't burn. Once the egg is fully set (firm throughout), remove from the oven and turn the frittata out onto your cutting board.
4. Using a very sharp knife cut the frittata into squares approximately 1.5-2" across
5. Wrap each square in a slice of the meat, then tie with a chive to hold the "bundle" together

It sounds a bit strange, but it's an incredible food that's very attractive and wonderfully delicious, though it's quite savory as opposed to something "sweet".

I would second Mal's recommendation for the goat cheese salad. Also, you can actually sear/sautee goat cheese quickly in a pan to give it a toasted crispness that really brings out it's inherent flavors and greatly increases the pairing with walnuts.

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