When romance sparks, prepare a dinner for two at home. Not only will it demonstrate your love for the other but also showcase your cooking skills and knowledge about food. That’s plus points for being a great cook. How do you plan for a romantic dinner for two? The menu will depend on several factors: the food preferences of both of you (seafood, meat, vegetarian?), ingredients available, budget, simplicity or extravagance of dishes, and theme, if you have one.
For those who want a simple but memorable romantic dinner, let steak do the talking. Grill a tenderloin steak, prepare gravy or accompanying sauce, a vegetable side dish to balance things out, and a nice little cake. A romantic dinner, be it simple or elaborate, should be something memorable for you. The foods you prepare may be something meaningful to your relationship. Know his or her favorite food and make a menu that somehow features one of these.
Otherwise, incorporate the aphrodisiac ingredients into your dishes and watch even more sparks fly. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an aphrodisiac is “something that excites.” The long-held belief is that consuming aphrodisiac foods contribute to the couple’s sexual desires. Some of these aphrodisiac foods include seafood like freshly shucked oysters and salmon, vegetables like asparagus, fruits like avocados, bananas, pomegranates and watermelon. Even walnuts and vanilla have aphrodisiacal properties to win your beloved’s heart.
Aside from symbolic and suggestive shapes of the food, aphrodisiacs also contain nutrients that nourish the sexual hormones and muscles, that’s why they’re perfect ingredients for a romantic dinner. Accompany the main course with a fine red wine, which is also another aphrodisiac.
It would be tempting to come up with a heart-shaped cake or cupcake for dessert but you’d want something a little bit understated and not an all-out Valentine’s Day. Your best bet is to play with the red color and make a red velvet cake, red cherry pie, or red fruit compote. The angel food cake with raspberries is also a good dessert suggestion. Light and airy, the cake gets much of the flavor and color from the raspberries.
Lastly, don’t forget to play up romance with chocolates. Serve chocolate as a candy, truffle or pralines—handmade or store-bought is both good. Or melt some into a fondue and serve with fruits and marshmallows. Chocolate cake, pudding or silk chocolate pie should also be just as irresistible as the one you love most.
