Daoust

So as we all know, Valentines Day is only a few dalys away. And as none of you know but are about to find out, I'm a miserly old bastard who'd rather make a meal for my Valentine than go out somewhere fancy and buy one.

With that in mind, I'm looking for a meal that I can make. I am not by any means an expert cook, but I'm not dumb either. I know my way around the spice rack.

So I'd love some suggestions. I'm thinking appetizer, main dish, desert. We're not into crazy ethnic experimentation, like Lebanese cuisine or anything like that.

We like meat and potatoes with a vegetable kind of meals. But I'd love some interesting suggestions.

If you've got any tips at all on what I should do for V-Day you can drop them here too. Give me all you got.

Thanking you in advance,

Daoust

__________________
I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

maleficent

Some of my favorites:

Shrimp Scampi served over linguine
(requires shrimp, garlic, butter, parsley -- could also be made with chicken)

A more rustic type dish, and alittle messy, which is fun...
Hunter Style Chicken (Chicken Caccitore (I can't spell it))

Dessert
Chocolate covered strawberries
(super duper easy)
In a bowl over a pot of simmering water - so that the bowl is not touching the water but gets the heat, melt a package of chocolate chips - -you decide what kind you want)
add in a tablespoon or two of shortening (crisco works fine)

Stir and melt

Dip Strawberry into melted chocolate and put onto a sheet of waxed paper.
(decorate with chopped nuts, powedered chocolate, cocoanut if you wanna but not necessary)
Once all berries are dipped refridgerate until chilled
Chocolate will harden

Serve with champagne.

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Charlatan

For desset I would recommend something that is reasonably easy to make and looks like it was really hard... additionally it is chocolate and tastes amazing: MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

I would also suggest that for an appertif you serve champagne... I would suggest that you go with either Kir Royale or puree some raspberries and mix it with the champagne... it is different and awesome...

Make sure you have a cheese course between the main and dessert... it is a nice touch and easy to set up in advance.

As for a main, I would suggest a scallop and pasta dish (much like Male has suggested above) that I've done for my wife... I'll see if I can dig it up. Again, it is quick but impressive.



MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

8 ounces plus 6 tablespoons butter
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 yolks
6 eggs
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup flour

Melt the chocolate and butter together. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks and eggs then mix in the powdered sugar. Whisk this into the chocolate mixture then whisk in the flour. Fill 12 greased 4-ounce foil tins with the batter and refrigerate until ready to bake, or bake immediately. Bake in a preheated 450 degree F oven for 5 to 6 minutes from cold, or 4 to 5 minutes from room temperature. Turn out of tins immediately onto the plate.

Optional Garnitures:
White Chocolate Ganache:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped


Heat the cream in a saucepan until boiling. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Whisking well, pour the hot cream over the chocolate to melt it. Cover and chill overnight. The next day, whip it up like whipped cream until soft peaks. Place a dollop of it on the cake before serving.

Satin Chocolate-Mint Sauce:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup hot water
1 teaspoon mint extract

In the top half of a double boiler, combine the 2 chocolates over simmering water. Stir constantly until melted, then whisk in the syrup, water, and mint extract without removing the double boiler from the heat. Whisk until smooth and shiny. (The sauce can be made up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerated. To rewarm, stir over low heat or heat in a microwave.) Drizzle this over the cake and plate just before serving.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

maleficent

You will also want candles on the table... if you don't have fancy candle holders - -anything can be substituted...

Votive candles in cleaned tin cans (that maybe you tied a red ribbon around) make for nice reflective light. have some candles other than the table where dinner will be served.

Flowers are also a nice touch on the table, but don't have a really tall arrangement in the middle of the table - makes conversation difficult.

Have the table set before she arrives (or while she is out of the room, include napkins - fork, knife, spoon, plate)

If something doesn't turn out perfectly, don't stress it, so what, it's honestly 100 percent the thought that counts...

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maleficent

I love the idea of a cheese course - very classy...

the setup on it is easy, 3 -4 different cheeses (of different textures - ie a hard cheese, a soft cheese) a bunch of grapes and an apple or a pear sliced up, with a loaf of crusty bread.

An appetizer (or hors dourves) you could do is stuffed mushrooms (I know theres' a thread on TFP that has a few recipes in it)

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Charlatan

Definately fresh flowers...

If you don't have votives... get thee to Ikea. They have all you will need to fill your room with tea lights...

Another dead easy, but good appetizer is Bruchetta... it's chopped tomatoes, some herbs and olive oil on some french bread...

The other thing is soup... you can buy fresh soup at Loblaws (you're Canadian right?)... Just heat and serve. The best soup this time of year, IMO, is a squash soup topped with some coconut milk poured in a swirl pattern... Again, you can get this from Loblaws either in their deli section or look for the Tetra pack soup (same pack that juice boxes)... great quality.

Definately avoid canned soup.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Charlatan

Oh... if you can afford it, get some port or an ice wine to have with the cheese course...

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Daoust

Sweet merciful crap, Charlatan (edit: and Maleficent) ! You should write a book. lol. Keep the ideas coming. I love all the suggestions so far.

__________________
I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

Charlatan

I spend a lot of time thinking up ways to make my wife happy... dinner is just one of those way... I love cooking for her.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

maleficent

Something different you could try -- that's a minimum of fuss is fondue...

All you really need is a fondue pot and fondue forks (whcih are usually sold as sets and are not expensive at all)
You could do a cheese fondue, or a beef or chicken fondue (which is chunks of beef or chicken cooked in hot oil) then serve a variety of sauces on the side. One version of a cheese fondue uses cheddar and dark beer, the more traditional is a swiss or my choice gruyere with some white wine -- dippers could be chunks of bread, or small boiled red potatoes, or other veggies.

For beef, some of the sauces could be a mushroom sauce, a horseradish sour cream sauce, for chicken a curry sauce is nice. (I could go thru my memory banks for sauces I've done inthe past.)

Fondue is good because all the prep you've done is in advance and you get time to enjoy with your guest.

There are some really cute traditions regarding fondue, like if your piece of whatever falls off teh fork while in the pot you have to kiss the person to your left...

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hambone

Agreed. I know my wife always gets all romantic when we have fondue. It is very easy to do, and since it takes some time (when you do meats, that is) to cook them, you get to talk to each other a lot, instead of someone stuck in the kitchen until the food is ready and then everyone just stuffing their faces.

Have fun!

__________________
"Like liquid white from fallen glass,
Nothing to cry over"

Daoust

I think we have a fondue set at home. I saw them eating fondue on The O.C. last night and it got me thinking it would be a good meal. lol. Great suggestions. Don't stop yet.

__________________
I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

maleficent

Ok - go for traditional...

Cesear Salad (pretty simple to prepare)
Grilled Steak with blue cheese/butter or Grilled Salmon/Sweorddish iwth herb butter
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (bunch of red pototoes, quartered or halfed, depending on size, splash with olive oil/ coarse salt/pepper and rosemary -- roastin oven til done.
Asparagus/Brocolli with Hollandaise sauce (Hollandaise sauce is also super easy to make - toughest skill involved there is separating an egg)

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WineDrinker

There was another thread on this, and my advice there was that you want to pick food where as much of the preperation is done ahead of time as possible. That way when your date arrives you can be nicely dressed and not covered in food. Even a salad can be prepped ahead of time, just don't put the dressing on till you serve it (also be careful with tomatos!).
Also be careful you don't have things in the oven that are time sensitive, in my experience Valentines dinners can have unexpected "intermissions"...

Charlatan

To Sum up so far....

1) atmosphere... fresh flowers... pay attention to how the table is set, use good china and cutlery... maybe sprinkle the table top with rose petals. Lighting is important candle light is best but make sure no sented candles they will interfere with the food. Music... nothing overpowering... Ella Fitzgerald is always good but use your best jedgment...

2) Appertif... definately a champagne. For kicks go with the Kir Royale or Raspberry puree and Champagne... they are a little sweeter and fruitier than just Champagne.

3) Appetizer... this can be made in advance and popped in the oven or microwave at the last minute. Good quality soup is nice on a cold February evennig... Salads are always good... The other way to go is light finger foods like bruchetta or stuffed mushroom caps... Remember light and easy you are trying to build an appetite

4) Main -- winedrinker makes a good point... thing of advance preperation where possible. Pasta with scallops, scampi or prawns is very quick and easy to make (use fresh pasta rather than dry)... the oil fondue is good too... hot oil and dipping various meats, cheese and veggies (think tempura as well)... It is a slow and easy way to cook food together the prep is all in advance and you can chat and stare into each other's eyes while your food simmers in the oil...

5) Cheese course. Four or five nice cheeses, some olives and an assortment of crackers. Cleans and revieves the pallate before dessert... Soft- go with a nice brie or camambert Hard - a stilton also go for a blue and a goat... if you aren't too much into cheese or don't like the more exotic types go for an aged cheddar or a smoke Gouda. Try to have a nice port or ice wine to go with this... it would be good if you can have small glasses just for this

6) Dessert. Chocolate dripped strawberries are nice and you can feed them to each other, but trust me on the molten cakes... make them in advance and pop them in the oven at the right time... if she doesn't jump you bones after eating one she's a zombie. You could also serve tea or coffee here if you want... if you can do it, espresso is the most appropriate... strong and in small demitasse (you can buy a small stove top esspresso maker for 10 to 15 bucks at Ikea)

7) wines... don't worry too much about what goes with what with regards to reds and whites etc... go with what you like. The key here is to get one that tastes great... knock her socks off. If you can try to have a different drink for each course as suggested above and try to match them flavour wise not colour wise (if you are in Ontario ask someone at the LCBO if you go to one of their superstores they have wine experts that know how to match) otherwise ask winedrinker or jj rouseau...)

Most important... think it through in advance so you can relax... don't panic ever. if something goes wrong, move on to something else or make the best of what you have... the idea is to romance and charm your date not make her tense. This is why advance preparation where possible is the best course.

Wear an apron in the kitchen... you will thank me for this...

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

maleficent

Awesome summation....

Everyone should take a copy of it for "how to cook for your date"

Next episode of "good eats" with Alton Brown and Charlatan

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Lockjaw

I want to hop in here to get some advice as well instead of making a new thread.
I'm making my girl dinner next Sunday before St. Vals and I'm thinking Chicken Cordon Bleu.
I've made this in the past for family and it's hard to beat French on a romantic occasion. But I'm having problems thinking of accompanying parts of the meal.
I wanted to start out with a soup because I've got a feeling it might be cold. I have always in the past made French Onion soup to go with the Cordon Bleu but it's probably not the best idea to serve a onion soup if you are planning on getting some loving possibly later. So...if somebody could suggest a good hot soup, and maybe another course before the main entree I'd be greatful. The dessert I've got handled(homemade white chocolate truffles in the shape of hearts are already in the plans).

maleficent

Vichyssoise (Boy did I slaughter that spelling) is a french soup. It's a potato and leek soup, that is generally served cold, but I don't see a reason why it couldn't be served hot.

Just for the record, onion soup I love, especially a really good one, the onions in the soup are cooked so well, that onion breath would be non-existent. Though between the cheese in the cordon bleau, and the cheese ithat is usually melted on the top of the onion soup, it might be a l ittle too much cheese and too rich.

What about a simple white bean soup (it's more Mediterrean,than French, but served with a crusty frech bread, no one would have to know)

There's another French soup from the Provence region - that's a chicken broth with walnuts and pasta squares. (then covered with cheese and baked til the cheese browns)

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Suave

You forgot the most important ingredient of Bruschetta: garlic.

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"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." - Albert Einstein

"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato

Bryndian_Dhai

All the suggestions so far are wonderful, and honestly I don't have a lot to add.

One thing I do want to suggest is that rather than do Kir Royale or raspberry puree with champagne, serve the champagne with fruit, fresh is best, though some places have fairly nice frozen (not mass produced frozen, I'm talking like a farmer's market or something. My local "veggie stand" has a freezer section with frozen veggies and fruit that are done locally). Of course, serve it defrosted, but serve small bowls of strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blueberries..... whatever you like. Most fruits taste wonderful with a good champagne, and the whole dipping and eating can be quite sensual.

My hubby, a retired chef, actually tends to favor a really good steak when he makes me dinner for a special occasion. He usually makes either French Onion soup (which he excels at.... his French Onion is to die for) or homemade cream of mushroom soup, with lots of different kinds of gourmet mushrooms. He grills veggies, and serves some sort of herbed rice or pilaf or even potatoes, like the herbed rosemary red potatoes already mentioned or smashed red potatoes. Salad is either caesar or spinach with hot bacon dressing. His specialty for dessert is chocolate chip bread pudding, with a Bourbon chocolate ganache. Sometimes he buys a cheesecake (he doesn't make cheesecake, lol) from a local bakery that I like a lot, or makes tiramisu. He always has great wines, and gives me a lot of attention (that, of course is the best part. *winks*)

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~Sinclair Lewis

shesus

Well, it seems as if Maleficent and Winedrinker have already helped you a lot. However, I thought I would share one of my most romantic moments. It was for my birthday, but it could translate. My boyfriend (now husband) gave me the best birthday. I will premise with: we were broke and both in college.
He made a card on his computer inviting me for an exclusive party. When I got there, he had a bubble bath ready (candle, wine, cigarette, and ash tray). I got to soak in a nice warm bath while he finished dinner. Now, we didn't have a dining room table or fancy dishes. However, he laid out a blanket, lit candles, and played Marvin Gaye. He made veal parmisan (veal or chicken [if you are against using veal], bread crumbs, garlic, parsley flakes, oregano, melted butter, a tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese) and couscous (very quick and easy). It was served with some red wine. The desert was chocolate syrup, whip cream, and imagination. It was the best birthday present I had ever gotten.
My point is that as long as you are romantic and treat her like a princess, your Valentine's day will be wonderful.

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I heard you sold it

Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company

Charlatan

Thanks Maleficent...

I couldn't agree more... I have done variations on your suggestion as well and it *always* achieves the desired effect...

It all depends on where you are at in a relationship with the person you are trying to make feel special... a bath or candle lit massage may not be appropriate for someone in the early stage of a relationship... On the other hand, my wife loves it when she gets in late, the kids are in bed and I greet her at the door with a bathrobe and slippers... the bath is drawn and steaming, the candles are lit... wine, cheese, fruit and her book are all laid out for her... fresh from the bath she is dried off and then escorted to the bed where she gets a very thorough massage...

Usually at this point I tuck her in because she is sound asleep...

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Lockjaw

Hmmm think I'll go with the Vichy...whatever. Looks like it won't be that cold.
Although I was thinking about something. Never made a Creme' Bruele but I think it might be more appropriate than the chocolate truffles as I think I just might buy a box of chocolates and I don't want to be redundant.
So any advice for a good Bruele?

Bryndian_Dhai

Creme Brulee requires a torch, to brown the sugar on top. Its really, really good if done correctly, but if not, it can fail miserably.

I have an alternative suggestion. My hubby is a retired chef, and used to compete. He's got a recipe for Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with a Jack Daniels chocolate ganache for the sauce... I hate bread pudding, but his freakin' ROCKS.... if you can find Brioche (a rich, dense, eggy kind of bread), that's the kind of bread he uses when he competes with this recipe. You can use any kind of bread (he likes french bread if he can't get brioche). It tastes (to me) like thick, rich, warm chocolate chip cookie dough, but better.

It's fairly easy to make. You can make one big one in a springform pan, or several small ones in either smaller springforms or those new silicone pans, the large muffin sized ones. If you do make several small ones, they freeze wonderfully after they're baked.

Anyway, if you want the recipe, PM me, I'll be happy to share it.

__________________
“When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
~Sinclair Lewis

maleficent

Creme brulee isn't really that tough to make (it just looks like it is)

I have a torch now -- but you can do it without a torch to brown the sugar on top by putting the custard in it's serving dish -- then putting in a larger container (oven proof) surrounded by a lot of ice) Sprinkle the sugar on top, and put it in the broiler for a few minutes... You really have to watch it - but the sugar will brown long before the ice melts.

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FngKestrel

If you want a wine with a good label, get Dunnewood.



j/k Bonus points if you can name the movie.

WineDrinker

So, maybe now that it's the 15th we need an update on how dinner went?

Daoust

Gladly. I read, studied and committed to memory all of your suggestions....then I didn't use any of them.

I opted for something more my style. Mussels for appetizer, chicken piazzatola for main course and we went out to a fancy restaurant for dessert. It went off well.

I should mention... before dinner I sent her off to the masseuse for an hour. She came back, I was out, but I had run a bath for her and set a bunch of candles. I got home (had to drop the baby off at the mother in laws) worked on the appetizer while she bathed, we ate, had a bath, had some very pleasant sex, showered, went and had dessert, and picked up the baby. Then had sex again. All in all a good night. I know that part should be in the "got some" thread, but I didn't feel like double posting.

__________________
I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

Charlatan

A true artist... does just this. Commit to memory and then make it your own...

Sounds like you had a great time. I'm totally jealous. My Valentine's Day dinner was bad pasta with the everyone... followed my my wife going to bed at 8pm and me making sure the kids got to bed on time...

At some point in the coming weeks we are supposed to have a romantic weekend to ourselves... a time when she has no papers due.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke