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Romantic meals usually involve appetizers that can be fed to one's lover by hand, a main course that delights all the senses and something slightly decadent for desert.
Start the meal with something like artichoke dip. The one I use comes on the back of the Progresso Artichoke Hearts can. I serve it with Ritz crackers, bagel chips or pita chips.
Artichoke Dip
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pinch of garlic powder.
Mix all the ingredients together. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°.
For the main course, I have two choices (mainly for the shellfish impaired). The first is Shrimp Toulouse and the second is Pecan Dijon Chicken Breasts.
Shrimp Toulouse
2 pounds (40) shrimp peeled and deveined
2 sticks of butter, melted plus 4 Tablespoons
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
3/4 cup white wine (use the wine you're drinking with the meal)
Heat 4 Tablespoons of butter in a large iron skillet. Add mushrooms and green and red bell peppers and sauté, until clear. Then add green onions, shrimp, and Creole seasoning and sauté until shrimp start to turn pink. Add white wine and reduce liquid by half. When liquid is reduced swirl butter, about 2 ounces at a time, over low heat. When all butter is incorporated, removed from heat and serve over white rice.
Or
Pecan Dijon Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1/2 cup flour
4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons Sherry
1 cup cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Few drops fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Chop pecans in food processor until mealy in texture. Add the flour and pulse until incorporated with the pecans.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brush the chicken with a light coat of Dijon mustard, using a pastry brush. Dredge the chicken in the pecan/flour meal. Sear the chicken in hot vegetable oil until it is lightly browned, being careful not to burn the nuts.
Place the breasts in the oven and finish roasting for approximately 10 minutes at 375°.
Remove breasts from pan. Deglaze the pan with 2 Tablespoons of Sherry. Add cream, mustard, lemon juice and herbs to the pan and stir to combine over low heat. Leave on burner only long enough to heat through and pour over chicken. Serve immediately.
Both of these meals will have plenty of leftovers that you can console yourself with, if things don't work out. Or, impress your work buddies by taking them in to work the next day for lunch.
Finally, for desert I don't believe that you can ever go wrong with chocolate. You want something that isn't so intense that it puts your enamorata into a sugar coma but, at the same time, you need something that is pleasingly rich. Go with an easy cheesecake that you can make the day before.
Philly Oreo Cheesecake
1 pkg Oreo sandwich cookies
4 pkg 8oz Philly cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
Store bought Oreo or graham cracker crust
Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor, chop up the cookies. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until mixed well. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs one at a time mix until blended. Gently stir in the chopped cookies. Pour over crust.
Bake for 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate overnight.
To drink, I recommend a white wine--I really enjoy a Riesling or Gewuerztraminer with the shrimp and a White Merlot with the chicken. I like to pair chocolate with a well aged Port or Drambuie (beyond the fact that it tastes wonderful when you eventually get to the kissing portion of the evening).
Enjoy!
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