Romantic Dinner for Two Recipes

Any night is a good night for romance and with a little planning and some romantic dinner for two recipes, any night can be a romantic night.

The Way to Your Lovers' Heart

They say that the way to your lovers' heart is through their stomach and this is true. Cooking up an intimate dinner using romantic dinner recipes for two is sure to set the mood and bring some passion to the table.

An Appetite for Passion

Part of what makes a romantic meal romantic is the rich flavors of the foods served. Keep this in mind when gathering your romantic dinner for two recipes. What you are looking for is a balance of saltiness, sweetness, texture, and color. If this sounds difficult, don't worry, it's not. In fact, one of the tastiest appetizers you can find, and a great way to start a romantic dinner, only has two ingredients.

Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe Balls

This is a classic appetizer that is easy to make, fun to eat, and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized cantaloupe
• ¼ pound of thinly sliced prosciutto

Instructions

1. Cut the cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds.
2. Using a melon baller, make as many melon balls as you can from one half of the melon.
3. Wrap the prosciutto slices around the melon ball, securing it with a toothpick.
4. Place the balls on a plate and, once you have all the melon balls made, cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. Serve cold.

Salad Niçoise

Nothing is as romantic as a French salad. This salad Niçoise is a spectacular salad that looks as good as it tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized red potato
• 8 green beans, trimmed
• 2 cups butter leaf lettuce (about 1 small head), washed
• 7 ounces of tuna (light meat packed in oil is good)
• 1 Roma tomato, cut into quarters
• ¼ small red onion, sliced thinly and the rings separated
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
• 8 Niçoise olives
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Steam the potato for 8-10 minutes adding the green beans for the last five minutes.
2. Let the potato and beans cool to room temperature.
3. Arrange the lettuce leaves on two plates.
4. Arrange the ingredients on the lettuce in any arrangement that pleases you.
5. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together and drizzle on the salad.

Steak Your Romance On It

While a nice rare steak might not look romantic, the flavor and aroma of a properly cooked steak is a delight for all the senses. This recipe is written for a filet mignon, but you can use any steak that happens to please you most. I personally like a nice porterhouse, but they tend to be large and so it would be a bit more of a process to cook two using a pan method, unless you have two pans.

Ingredients

• 2 filet mignon
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 medium shallots minced
• ¾ cup dry red wine
• ½ cup beef stock
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rub the filets with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Using the largest regular (not non-stick) pan you have, place over a medium high flame until very hot.
5. Place the filets in the pan and do not move them for at least two minutes.
6. Flip the steaks over and cook for another two minutes.
7. Place the pan into your oven and cook for 4 minutes.
8. Test for doneness using an instant read thermometer. 130-140 degrees is medium rare.
9. Remove the pan from the oven and place the filets on a plate.
10. Tent with a piece of foil.
11. Place the pan over a medium flame and add the shallots to the pan.
12. Cook until the shallots are soft.
13. Turn the heat to high and add the wine.
14. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any brown bits off the pan as the wine reduces.
15. Add the stock.
16. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half.
17. Turn down the flame to medium and add the vinegar and mustard.
18. Cook until a sauce consistency.
19. Serve the filets with the sauce.
20. Serve with any potato and vegetable that you like.

Romantic Dinner For Two Recipes

Music, lighting, and table setting have as much to do with setting the romantic mood, as does the food. The more attention you pay to the details of the atmosphere, the more romantic your dinner will be.

Don't forget the dessert, which should be something that you can prepare the day before so you are not breaking the mood while pulling together the sweets.

Something French, or chocolate, or chocolate and French would work well.