Dinner for your sweetie?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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Anything she wants. If I have known her for a bit, then I should be in tune with her favorite foods, and wines.

If it is a first date or 2nd, then I tend to go seafood. Aromatic, light and with enough variety to explore.

Champagne to start. Always. Just visiting, starting up the food, something to sip on. Bubbles sets the mood. If she has a favorite champagne, then I get that. No question.

I’d like to start with a fresh scallop, lightly grilled, some neat sauce which varies depending on my mood. Often butter and/or citrus based. I’ve done one on top of a beautiful pesto sauce. The colors and the flavors rocked!

I LOVE to grill lobster tails, the smaller canadian lobsters tend to work. It surprises people as they don’t expect grilled lobsters. But beware, my friends have caught on and beg for this a lot. Great when I have a beautiful woman over, begging can be good but addictive enough that when you have a house full of people…

The lobster starts the tactile part of the meal. It is ok to pick up the lobster pieces, dip them in butter and pop them into your/his/her mouth. The sharing aspect. Often paired with an aged white rhone. Not many people have 10-15 year old white rhones so not only is it a great match, it provides a conversation piece. It isn’t chard, it is over a decade old, it matches well. Discuss.

Fresh bread. We’re hitting the aromatics here, plus everyone loves fresh, hot bread. A comfort food and sets everyone at ease.

Then what fish is fresh? Is it salmon season? Did I see perfect Black Cod or patagonian toothfish?

For the white fishes, either grilled or lightly steamed with herbs and a delicate white wine. The aromatics here cannot be undersold. Delicate, light, aromatic. It should just pull you in with that first whiff, first taste, first touch as it delicately falls apart…

For salmon, on the grill, medium rare. Paired with a fabulous pinot. If she has a favorite, that pinot. If not, then one of mine. I have a couple of different marinades, sometimes just salt/pepper, othertimes with a touch of spiced rum and chipotle paste. WOW.

Dessert can be tricky. Are you approaching full? Overfull, as someone pointed out, isn’t sexy. But something sweet can help. It might just be a glass of port, PX or sauternes. If so, go old/mature. If you can find her birthyear, go for it. OR something older than either of you. Be impressive, show you think highly of her, and grab that prized bottle. If you have a story about a bottle you acquired, go for it. Adds texture, it is more than a bottle, it is a piece of you that you’ve decided to share. (plus I sometimes get nervous and go speechless, having the wines planned gives me a guide to help keep the conversation flowing if necessary. “Oh yeah, when I was in France I stumbled across this little place in… and we found these fabulous bottles. I carried a few back and wanted to try one. Care to give it a try?”)

For food… Chocolate, creme brulee… rich but light when possible. Just a bit. Grilled bananas is one of my favorites with my famous butter and molasses sauce. Paired with an aged sauternes. I try to go older on the sauternes as well, '60s or '70s. Once again a perfect match and conversation piece. Yes a bit of showing off, bringing out the “good stuff” wine wise and not skimping.

Importantly I keep her in mind. Favorite foods? Favorite wines? Favorite music? I cook nothing that requires me to slave away in the kitchen, as I want to cook in the kitchen but not at the expense of visiting with her. I do as much prep as I can before she arrives, which allows me to do some fancy cooking but make it look easy and focus on her from the time of her arrival.
It should be a casual meal in my experience. If I wanted formal, we’d eat out. Being relaxed is a big part IMHO, YMMV. Allowing her to just watch while I cook is fun. I love to cook for others, and if she can just hang out and not feel like she needs to help in the kitchen, that’s great for me. I love to cook WITH someone, but that’s into the future. I never counted the number of dates it takes to get to this point, it just seems to naturally flow and when that time comes, we’re both playing in the kitchen together. Then anything goes!

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Oh and I didn’t mention, but should. ASK what she likes ahead of time. Don’t roll out the shrimp, scallops, lobster and then find out she has a seafood allergy. Sometimes a simple “do you have any food allergies or strong dislikes I should know about?” is enough. It doesn’t spoil the surprise of the meal, and you don’t get surprised when you find out she doesn’t eat X, Y or is allergic to Z.

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Fortunately, her tastes in food are comfort oriented and relatively simple.
A good meatloaf or fresh made pasta in a bolognese sauce can work miracles.

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The simple things are usually the hardest to do…(meatloaf sucks btw.)

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I’ll bring it to Dallas. Then you can comment.

[thank_you.gif]

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If you can get what you get out of your wife out of me…then you’ll be one lucky man. :astonished:

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Now just where did I say I was married?

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Well…I should have said your lady…not your wife. I [notworthy.gif] for your forgiveness.

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Oh, it’s not me brutha. She’s the first one to remind me there’s no ring on her finger!!

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Got ya tied down with battleship chains…

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I was going to make cioppino for Melissa but she decided to have dinner with her husband.

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Ricca, post the meatloaf recipe…I LOVE meat loaf! Bowden has no taste!

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But you have no sweetie.

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I am my own sweetie [give_heart.gif]

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Freakmount

M & M’s

and the La Keenta…


Thats all he needs.

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Dessert?

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[quote="Jorge Henriquez]
Dessert?[/quote]

Nope…desert.

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will do.

Thanks Zachy.

Can we ship to Mass yet?

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meat loaf recipes yes…wine, not yet! the Attorney General is appealing the ruling!