Simple Recipes to Impress Your Date

You know what they say…‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’. The same thing goes for women, so if you’re planning to impress your date, male or female, there’s nothing like a romantic dinner to win you serious brownie points.

Here’s a collection of simple recipes that take the hassle out of creating a three course meal, but still taste delicious. I’ve steered clear of anything that contains onions or garlic, and have also avoided soups and spaghetti due to their high spillage risk.

Simple starters

Most people don’t have a three course meal every day, so a starter, no matter how simple shows that you’ve made a special effort. Here are two examples of simple starters:

Classic bruschetta

• Cut 2 standard sized tomatoes into pieces and mix with some chopped basil.
• Take a ciabatta or baguette and cut four pieces on a diagonal, drizzle each slice with olive oil and place under a grill until both sides are golden brown.
• Remove from the grill and arrange the tomatoes and basil on top of each piece.
• Drizzle oil or balsamic vinegar on top for artistic effect.

Or

Prawn skewers

• Pour 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of lime juice into a freezer bag.
• Grate a small piece of ginger and ¼ of the skin of the lime into the bag.
• Take 16 uncooked prawns and place in the bag.
• Shake until they are evenly covered and place in the fridge to marinate for as long as possible.
• Remove the prawns from the bag and thread them onto 4 skewers.
• Grill the skewers on both sides until they are cooked through.
• Place the remaining marinade on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of sugar and cook for approximately 2 minutes until you have made a sauce.

Easy mains

When you think of a romantic meal, you might instantly think of a nice steak and chips, but people can be fussy about how their steak is cooked so it’s a good idea to go for something which doesn’t need cooking to order, such as:

Bacon wrapped chicken

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees or gas mark 6.
• Take two large chicken breasts, cut a small slit into the side of each one and fill with a cheese of your choice.
• Wrap a piece of bacon around each chicken breast, making sure that you cover the incision.
• Fry on a high heat until golden brown.
• Slice a courgette and a pepper finally and place in the bottom of a baking dish.
• Place the fried chicken on top and drizzle olive oil over the top of the chicken and vegetables.
• Place in the oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until the chicken and vegetables are thoroughly cooked.

Or

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees or gas mark 5.
• Cut up 150g of spinach and then gently fry it in butter until it softens.
• Stir in a small tub of ricotta, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
• Spoon the mixture into 4 cannelloni tubes.
• Place the tubes into a dish and pour passata on top until they are covered.
• Sprinkle with grated parmesan or cheddar cheese.
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the pasta is cooked through.
• Serve with a simple salad.

No-bake desserts

Chocolate mousse doesn’t have to mean the fluffy, yet tasteless pots that your find in the shops. A classic chocolate mousse is easy to make and can be made with any type of chocolate and wish the addition of liqueurs if you like. Or if you don’t fancy chocolate, why not try this refreshing sorbet dessert?:

Easy chocolate mousse

• Take a 100g bar of chocolate; eat one row of it, to ensure quality and make sure that you’ve got the right amount left for two people.
• Melt the chocolate slowly and remove from the heat (either over a pan of hot water or on a low heat in the microwave).
• Separate 3 eggs into yolks and whites.
• Stir the yolks into the chocolate.
• Whisk the egg whites separately in a bowl until they are stiff. Carefully mix the egg whites into the chocolate and then pour it into dishes.

Summer fruit sorbets

• Place two scoops of raspberry sorbet into a bowl.
• Break up ready-made meringues and sprinkle on top
• Cut up strawberries and raspberries and sprinkle on top.

We’d love to hear your recipes for a romantic date. Let us know on Facebook.