Romantic meals!!!

seamus

Need a suggestion for a good romantic meal. Post up your successes/failures/ideas.

Beruthiel

you should take a look at "can't cook, won't cook, shouldn't cook" on this board for some good suggestions and add in the following:

at least two bottles of good red wine
lots of candles - no lights on!
maybe some flowers
some nice music

that should get ya what you're lookin' for!

ps. if you're going for a desert also, go to the little french place in the food court off Middle Abbey Street, they have some wonderful little cakes/tarts (it's accross from the place that does all the fish)

Samson

Seamus, are we talking about eating in or eating out ?

Oeneus

Get some insense sticks and burn about 5 in the centre of your table, and several more around the room. Not too many, or it will be smokey! Choose some fruity smelling ones. They're the best.

Don't use cheesy Love music. Maybe some blues.

Try and make something original and presentable with Cous Cous. Its cheap and quite snobby!:)

bonkey

OK - I havent actually cooked this *exact* combination, but its taking the best from most of my romantic meals and putting them together.

I can supply the recipes below on request. They rock. Honestly.

Couple of very important points for any romantic meal :

1) Presentation, presentation, presentation. This includes the room, the table, the lighting, your clothes, as well as the way you present the food on the plate. It all counts.

2) Know your date's likes and dislikes. Do not cook something they are even slightly ambivalent towards, but also dont just give them their usual fave dish.

3) Assuming alkeehawl is being consumed, do *not* overdo it, but again, try and match the drink to your partner's tastes.

4) Dont do massive portions. If you are gonna stuff yourself, you wont be fit for anything afterwards - not even conversation.

5) Timing. I pre-prepare my soup and desert earlier in the day, so that all I need to do is reheat the soup, and dish them up. The frsh tag in the main course is the same idea - I finish cooking the chicken before we sit down for the apero, then simply start my water boiling as I clear up the starter, oh - and start reheating the chicken gently. Once the water boils, main course is 3 mins away. This way, you can really avoid being away from your date for extended periods of "getting the next course".

Anyway - on with the show.

---
Aperetif
Pelorus (Cloudy Bay) sparkling white wine, or just good ol' fashioned G&T.

Starter
carrot & orange soup

Main Course
chicken in honey & thyme, with fresh tagliatelle,

Dessert
citrus fruit "brulee" (not really a brulee, but great)

Coffee
Gloria Jeans Mudslide, freshly ground

Digestif
A good Spanish Solera brandy (Duque is nice) but thats just personal choice. I might opt for a good whiskey/whisky alternately (I have about 10 to choose from - no real favourites).

Accompanying DrinksCloudy Bay Suavignon Blanc during the meal. If you cant get Cloudy Bay (cause its not easy to find) Oddbins often have a Clifford Bay Sauv Bl which is a good equivalent. Alternately, try Fitzer's Sundial - a wonderfully buttery Chardonnay.

If you want a nice sippable red for afterwards, then I'd go for Chateau Musar.

I would also suggest good cold iced water. If your tapwater doesnt have a funky taste, then fill a nice glass bottle and fridge it for a day. Otherwise, but some innocuous mineral water, pour into a *nice* bottle, and fridge for 24 hours.

Accompanying music
Something unintrusive. My current faves for this are Officium (Jan Garberek & the Hilliard Ensemble), The Big Blue soundtrack, Tubular Bells 2 or 3 (but not the original), or perhaps something like Alicia Keys if you actually want vocals. Of course, MCMXC AD by Enigma is always a sure-fire winner.

bonkey

BYW - Seamus - following up on my last post...

If you post a list of likes/dislikes in terms of food/drink, and a rough budget, I reckon I can do you up a menu in short order - and once you approve it I can post up the recipes

This, of course, assumes you want to cook.

The best romantic meal I ever saw done by a non-cook was by a mate of mine shortly after he got engaged. He asked me to chef for the evening, and a m8 who had worked as a waiter for almost 10 years to be his waiter. I pre-agreed the menu with him, did his shopping for him (I like to choose my own ingredients), selected his wine for him (he knew and could remember nothing about wine - I knew what he liked better than he did) and he paid the bill

Anyway....

He arrived at the house with fiancee, to be greeted at the door, coats taken, ushered into pre-prepared candelight dinner, complete with music selection, nicely printed up menu, etc.

For the rest of the evening, Pete served them, and I didnt even appear out fo the kitchen until after they were finished. When myself n Pete weren't actually busy, we just sat about drinking our pay, and eating our share of the food

Overall, Pete n I had a good giggle, got a great meal, some nice wine, and only had to stay out of one room in the house for 4 hours.

Which reminds me.....

A good romantic three-course meal should never take less than 2 to 2.5 hours to get through.

You dont have to rush your food, you can relax between courses, and you can talk. Oh - and its better for you too

Just make sure you have enough music, and that you dont drink yourself silly!!!!!

jc

bonkey

Originally posted by Oeneus
Get some insense sticks and burn about 5 in the centre of your table, and several more around the room. Not too many, or it will be smokey!

I'm not sure I'd do this. Maybe burn a few around the room an hour beforehand, but once the food arrives, you want nothing taking away from its smell and flavour - incense will only overpower the food.

I would tend to use an "oil burner" for about an hour, stopping it no later than when I sat down to start my aperetif.

This, of course, is just IMHO

jc

seamus

All went good. I'm a vegetarian student on a budget, so 3-courses were out of the question, as was alcohol. In the end I just went into spar and grabbed a whole pile of stuff and threw it in together. Made a hybrid stir-fry/bolognaise/pasta thing. Of course my presentation was impeccable - small white candles in home-made polystyrene holders. Looked far better than it sounds!!!! I got an A in Home Ec. for the junior cert., so cooking isn't exactly a trial for me, it's just the ideas.

(And yes she loved it )

Victor

Originally posted by Oeneus
Get some insense sticks and burn about 5 in the centre of your table, and several more around the room. Not too many, or it will be smokey! Choose some fruity smelling ones. They're the best.

Lots of people react badly to incense - makes me want to gag. Cloves too.

Oeneus

Originally posted by bonkey


I'm not sure I'd do this. Maybe burn a few around the room an hour beforehand, but once the food arrives, you want nothing taking away from its smell and flavour - incense will only overpower the food.

I would tend to use an "oil burner" for about an hour, stopping it no later than when I sat down to start my aperetif.

This, of course, is just IMHO

jc

Chicks dig that ethnic eroma!

yellum

Originally posted by seamus
I'm a vegetarian student .....

Do you do courses like Legumes 101 , Cereals 205 , Meat is Murder 303 ?