Romantic Dinners For Two
While dining out relieves you of cooking a meal (and doing the dishes), it's not always a relaxing or romantic experience, especially when you're situated an elbow's length from your neighbor and the person behind you is talking quite loudly. That's why we've put together a menu of some of our favorite dishes for a delicious dinner at home.
Pick a weekend day where together you can leisurely shop for groceries and prepare the meal. Put on some music, open a bottle of wine, and enjoy working together in the kitchen.
Just because you're dining at home doesn't mean that you can't recreate a fine dining setting. Set the table with linens, plates, and glasses, just like you'd find at a restaurant. Have a fireplace? Sit fireside on the floor. Set a coffee table with placemats and plates, then bask in the heat of the fire (and each other's company).
Do you have a favorite meal you cook for two at home? Share it with us below!
Starters:
Blood Orange and Date SaladWith blood oranges in season right now, there is no better time to serve this salad. When shopping at the market, look for citrus that feel heavy in your hand — this means they're full of juice. (Photo courtesy of Shimon & Tammar Rothstein)
Winter Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios
A crisp salad full of wonderful flavors that is best served in the winter when pomegranates are available, but can be adapted to the seasons according to what is most fresh.
This creamy soup benefits from a topping of buttery pine nuts, sweet raisins, and a refreshing parsley sauce.
Main Dishes:
A wonderfully rich and satisfying pasta dish full of flavor. If you can't find venison, you can swap in another ground meat, such as lamb or turkey.
Lamb T-Bone with Rutabaga Dauphinoise
Inspired by a classic steak and potatoes dish, this entrée pairs a grilled lamb steak with a gratin-like dish and an aromatic mint pesto. (Photo courtesy of Grant Crone)
Ricotta Gnocchi with Salsa della Nonna
Cloud-like ricotta gnocchi are the perfect pasta to pair with this rich tomato sauce, a favorite of Michael Chiarello; while his grandmother would use a hen when making the sauce to add more flavor, it isn't necessary.
Desserts:
Ricotta CheesecakeMake indulging in a sweet dessert guilt-free with this creamy and light cheesecake from Rancho la Puerta. (Photo courtesy of Rancho la Puerta)
This nearly-flourless chocolate cake might appear fully cooked on the outside, but once you crack a spoon through the top, you'll find the center filled with warm, molten chocolate.
This deeply-flavored cake-like pudding is served with a dousing of a buttery caramel sauce; for extra decadence, we'd add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.