How to cook for your date on Valentines day
So you want to cook a romantic meal for your date this Valentine’s day. What could be more perfect? Just the two of you, good food, lots of wine, candles and romantic songs playing quietly in the background. You’re excited about it already. But there’s just one problem – you haven’t got a clue what to cook or how to go about it. And now that the big day’s creeping ever closer and closer, you’re beginning to wonder if maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Fear not, here are some pointers to help make your evening as enchanting as you dreamed it would be.
Preparation: You could learn a lesson from the boy scouts here. If you want your evening to go without any problems you need to be prepared. Don’t leave everything to the last minute, take time to consider what will make it a night to remember for you and your date. If you want to go all out with a romantic setting, you’ll need candles, flowers and posh dishes and wine glasses. Get everything ready and laid out before you start cooking so it’s one less thing for you to worry about.
Food: Firstly and most importantly, know your limits and don’t go over the top. It’s better to cook one delicious main course than to stretch yourself too far and end up with an average-at-best three course meal that you’ll struggle to eat and enjoy. As for deciding on a menu it’s important to know your date’s likes and dislikes, even on a first date. If you serve up a big juicy steak only to find they’re a devoted vegetarian, well let’s say that’s going to be painfully embarrassing at best and you probably won’t see them again any time soon! Once you know what they like – and what they really hate – you can choose a dish that will impress them. You don’t have to go overboard, a simple but tasty main course served up on your best tableware followed by a scrumptious dessert of posh ice cream or a chocolate fondue and strawberries to share would be fine – and don’t forget chocolate is supposed to have aphrodisiacal qualities!
Wine: Choosing the right wine to go with your chosen food can be a bit of a minefield if you don’t know much about fine wines, but here are a few simple tips that should help. The easiest way to find a wine that will compliment your meal is to match the colours – red for meat, white for fish and so on. If you’re having a light meal choose a light wine, if it’s spicy choose sweet. When it comes to enjoying a glass of wine with your meal the presentation is almost as important as the wine itself. If you’re serving white wine or rose make sure it’s chilled in advance, and always serve it in your best wine glasses – good quality crystal glasses make all the difference, and they make it feel special too. Remember your date probably won’t know much more than you about quality wines, they may bring a bottle with them and it’s likely they’ll have been worrying over it as much as you have!
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