Romantic Dinner Recipes,
Discover the Taste of Love!
The secret to romantic dinner recipes is to look like you've made the maximum
effort...all with the minimum of fuss!
So the best way to ensure a successful meal for the two of you is to do as much
preparation in advance as possible - because once it's dinner time you'll want to
spend as little time in the kitchen and as much time with your loved one as you can.
And this way the hard work and the stressful moments are taken care of well before your partner is on the scene...so the two of you can enjoy the fruits of your labour in a relaxed atmosphere! The following romantic dinner recipes can either be fully or mostly prepared in advance with the minimum amount of cooking required at dinner time. And they're all quick, easy...and delicious! We've got two choices of appetizer, main course and dessert. These romantic dinner recipes can be mixed and matched in any way that you like. And don't feel that you have to make all three courses....most people would feel pampered with just two! And don't forget candles, romantic music and flowers to really set the scene for your romantic meal. ROMANTIC DINNER RECIPES - APPETIZERS
Garlic Prawns
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 2
10-12 raw jumbo prawns (shelled and de-veined)
1/2 cup/100g/3.5oz of chopped spring onion
1/4 cup/50g/1.8oz of minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped coriander root
Method
1. In a frying pan, heat the oil over high heat.
2. Fry the pepper, sugar, garlic, coriander root, fish sauce and prawns. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the ginger and spring onion. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Make sure the prawns have turned pink.
3. Stir well, remove from heat and serve on a bed of salad. Home Made Tomato and Basil Soup
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
12 plum tomatoes, quartered
400g/14oz of canned plum tomatoes
150ml/5 fl oz water
20g/0.7oz fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated cheese or sour cream (optional) Method 1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and quartered tomatoes and cook together for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are well softened, stirring regularly. 2) Tip the canned tomatoes into the pan and stir in the water and basil leaves. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover loosely, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little extra water if the soup becomes too dry. 3) Remove the soup from the heat and use an electric hand-held blender to mix the tomatoes into a smooth consistency. Watch out for splashes as the soup will be extremely hot. Adjust seasoning to taste and add a little more water until the soup reaches the right consistency. 4) Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with grated cheese or sour cream. Serve hot with crusty bread. ROMANTIC DINNER RECIPES - MAIN COURSES
Beef Stroganoff Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, sliced
250g/1/2lb rump steak
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp paprika, plus extra for sprinkling
125g/5oz chestnut mushrooms (halved)
100ml/3.5 fl oz beef stock
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
142ml/5 fl oz carton soured cream
Method
1. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan.
2. Cook the sliced onion for 5 minutes until softened. Meanwhile cut the beef into thin strips. Season the flour with salt, pepper and paprika, then toss in the beef to coat lightly, shaking off any excess.
3. Add the beef to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to brown.
4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Pour in the stock and vinegar, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
5. Stir the soured cream into the pan and cook gently for 1 minute, without boiling (if the mixture boils it will curdle), then season to taste.
6. Spoon the stroganoff onto a bed of rice or noodles and sprinkle with a little extra paprika.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Approximate Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts with skin
100g/3.5oz Emmental cheese/goat's cheese
250g/9oz sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, shredded
1tbsp olive oil
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Make one horizontal cut in each chicken breast to make a pocket, taking care not to cut all the way through.
2) Chop the cheese into small pieces and mix it with the basil and half of the tomatoes. Fill each chicken pocket with the mixture. Secure with a cocktail stick or tie with string.
3) Put the chicken breasts on a lightly oiled baking tray and brush with oil. Place the rest of the tomatoes in the baking tray and drizzle with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden and the meat cooked through. Remove cocktail stick or string.
4) Serve the chicken and tomatoes with new potatoes, rice or pasta. ROMANTIC DINNER RECIPES - DESSERTS
Chocolate Mousse
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Approximate Chilling Time: 6 hours
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
250g/9oz dark chocolate
1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 cup/200g/7oz fresh cream
Sliced fruit eg raspberries, strawberries, mangoes
Chopped nuts (optional)
Grated chocolate (optional)
Method
1) Combine the chocolate, golden syrup and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan and melt over gentle heat until it is a smooth mixture.
1) Cool slightly. Whip the cream till soft peaks form and fold in the chocolate mixture.
3) Pour this mixture into 2 glasses cocktail glasses are ideal but any glass will do. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until the mousse has set.
2) Serve chilled. Just before serving garnish each mousse with sliced fruit and/or chopped nuts and grated dark chocolate (optionally in the shape of a heart for the ultimate in romantic dinner recipes!). Banoffee Pie
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Chilling Time: 30 minutes
Serves: Many!
Ingredients
1 x 400-450g/14-16oz tin or jar of pre-made caramel eg Nestle's Caramel Treat or Dulche de Leche
300g/10oz digestive biscuits or cookies
100g/ 3.5oz butter
3 large bananas
284ml/12fl oz carton thick double cream
Grated dark chocolate or cocoa powder (optional)
Method
1) Put the biscuits or cookies in a clean plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into a bowl.
2) Melt the butter in a small pan. Then add this to the biscuits/cookies, mix them together and press into the base of a 20cm/8inch flan tin or dish. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3) After 1 hour take the biscuit/cookie mix out of the fridge. Spread the caramel over the biscuit layer.
4) Peel and thinly slice the bananas, and arrange in a layer over the toffee.
5) Finally, spread the cream over the bananas. Decorate with grated dark chocolate or cocoa powder (optionally in the shape of a heart for the ultimate in romantic dinner recipes!)
6) Refrigerate until ready to serve. As an alternative to bananas in this romantic dinner recipe, why not try using other fruit to suit your partner's tastes? For example, using strawberries would turn it into a strawboffee pie, with mangoes it would become a mangoffee pie, cherries would make a cherroffee pie...you get the picture! This recipe is really that versatile! So now you know some romantic dinner recipes, enjoy wining and dining your loved one!
Return from Romantic Dinner Recipes to Romantic Tips
|
