Recipes for "romantic dinner"

Place a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl on the counter next to the stove. In a wide, deep skillet over medium heat, stir together the sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Stir constantly until the mixture liquefies and begins to boil. (It's fine if not all the sugar is dissolved at this point.)

Raise the heat to high and add the rhubarb. Cook, stirring constantly, until the rhubarb juices start to flow, the liquid comes to a boil, and the sugar dissolves completely.

Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring often, for an additional 4 to 6 minutes, or until the rhubarb starts to fall apart, but about one-third of the chunks remain intact. Taste and add more sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you like.

Immediately pour the rhubarb puree into the heatproof bowl and stir in the rosewater, if using. Cool to room temperature; the rhubarb will continue to soften as it sits.

This rhubarb mixture can also be prepared several days in advance and kept refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. (Thaw in the fridge overnight, if frozen.)

In a chilled bowl, whip the cream with an hand mixer or stand mixer until it forms soft peaks but is slightly under-whipped. Whisk in the sour cream just until combined (the cream should still form soft peaks).

Add the whipped cream to the bowl of rhubarb. With a rubber spatula, swirl the cream and rhubarb together so that the mixture has streaks of rhubarb, but is not fully mixed. Spoon the fool into tall dessert dishes or wine glasses, and chill until ready to serve.

The fool is best eaten on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, covered, for a few days.

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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8 ounce ramekin with cooking spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt together the butter and chocolate for 15-30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and coconut sugar and mix to combine. Stir in the whole wheat flour and salt.

Pour the batter into the prepared ramekin. Insert the dark chocolate in the the center. Add the nut butter and then spoon a little batter overtop to seal. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes. Bake 7 minutes for super gooey and 10 for just a little lava. serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Set a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, and add the red wine, orange juice, honey, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and peppercorns. Bring the sauce up to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Some small bubbles will come up to the surface, but it should not be a rolling boil.

Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman

Once the sauce has been simmering for 5 minutes, add the peeled pears and cover the saucepan with a lid.

Let the pears simmer in the sauce for 20 to 25 minutes, gently flipping them every 5 minutes to ensure that they cook evenly. The pears are ready when they are soft enough to poke through with a paring knife without much resistance. If the pears are still hard, poach them for an additional 5 minutes, then test them again for doneness.

Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman

Simply Recipes / Hannah Zimmerman

Use a slotted spoon to scoop the pears out and into a medium bowl. Let the sauce simmer and reduce uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until it takes on a thick, syrupy texture. This may take longer depending on how much liquid the pears released into the sauce. Follow visual cues, not the time.

Set a fine mesh sieve over the medium bowl and strain the sauce into it. Discard the spices and orange peel.

Place the poached pears in small bowls with a drizzle of red wine sauce. Serve them warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or mascarpone cheese.

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Simply Recipes // Hannah Zimmerman

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the shallots, garlic, and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter, tomato paste, and chili flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, until the butter is browning around the garlic. Stir in the vodka and then the cream and pesto.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.

3. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and the parmesan to the vodka sauce. If needed, thin the sauce with additional pasta cooking water. Gently mix in the torn burrata and allow the burrata to melt into the pasta, do not stir too much.

4. Make the herby pine nut topping: In a bowl, mix olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan, basil, parsley, and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide the pasta among plates. Top with the herbs and parmesan. Enjoy!

If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half or in fourths. Put the quinoa, broth, and chicken in a rice cooker. Select the “white rice” setting – when it’s done, just double check that the chicken is cooked through. You can shred it with two forks directly in the pot.

If you’re making your own sauce, puree all the sauce ingredients in a blender. If you want, simmer the sauce for a while to bring out more flavor. But this is the lazy girl’s enchiladas, so…

Pour about half of the sauce, half of the cheese, and the black beans directly into the rice cooker with the cooked quinoa and chicken – stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a scoop of the quinoa chicken filling in the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in a 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.

Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Serve!

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.

Mince the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet; add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots; saute for another 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the spices and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ricotta and eggs together. Toss the cooked noodles with the vegetable mixture and the ricotta mixture. Transfer to a greased pie dish (mine was 9 inches – you could also just use a 9×13 rectangular pan). The mixture will be heaping in the dish. Top with the sauce and the cheese and cover with oiled aluminum foil so the cheese doesn’t stick. Bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes to soak up any excess moisture. Top with parsley and Parmesan. Cut into wedges or scoop out with a spoon and serve.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes until very soft and fragrant.

Add the grapes and turn the heat up to get everything hot. Pour in the bourbon, vinegar, and wine – it should sizzle a little bit to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the grapes have started breaking down.

Smash the grapes into a jam-like consistency using the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, cool, and serve on cracker with cheese (Manchego cheese and goat cheese are my favorite with this).

Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and a little salt. Add thyme sprigs. Roast for 20-30 minutes until soft and fragrant.

Fry the pancetta: Meanwhile, fry pancetta bits in a skillet until crispy and browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the grease.

Caramelize the onion: Turn the heat down and let the pan cool for a moment. Add the onion to the pancetta grease. Sauté for 20-30 minutes (while you’re waiting for the squash to roast) until soft, fragrant, and caramel-colored. (Optional: after you remove the onions, fry the sage right in the same pan.)

Cook the pasta: While you wait on the onions and squash, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Blend the squash sauce: Transfer squash to a blender (removing thyme sprigs). Puree the squash with the broth, garlic, and salt until smooth.

Almost there: Place your cooked pasta in your onion pan over medium low heat. Pour squash sauce over pasta. Toss gently with cream and about half of the onions. It should be looking real good right now.

Serve it up all fancy: Plate up the pasta. Top with caramelized onions, pancetta, sage, and fresh Parmesan. Are you at a restaurant? YOU ARE TOTALLY AT A RESTAURANT. Mwah!

Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Sauté the good stuff: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Use a little bit of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to sauté the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes until soft and fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Make the sauce: Add the wine; let it sizzle out and reduce so the flavor gets real good. Add the cream and spinach; bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish: Stir in the cooked pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to help coat the noodles in the sauce. Finish with chives and Parmesan and a top-up on your glass of wine. SO GOOD.

Place beet in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beet is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

Peel beet and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut out red hearts using a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Place salad greens in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Add beet hearts to the salad and toss. Arrange a couple of red hearts on top of the salad for serving.

Set oven to Broil at 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

Sprinkle tenderloins all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Wrap each filet with bacon, and secure with a toothpick. Place on a broiling pan, and broil to desired doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium rare.

While tenderloins are cooking, melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat with 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay® seasoning. Stir in chopped lobster meat, and cook until done. Spoon lobster meat over cooked tenderloins, and return them to the broiler until the lobster meat begins to brown.

While the lobster is in the oven, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook until it browns, turning the color of a hazelnut. To serve, spoon the browned butter over the steaks, and sprinkle with the remaining Old Bay® seasoning.

Place oven rack in its highest position. Set oven to Broil.

Rub steaks all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with onion powder, then with salt and pepper. Wrap one slice of bacon around each steak, and secure with a toothpick.

Place steaks onto a broiler pan, and broil for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the steaks over, and sprinkle the tops with shallots. Broil for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until the steaks are cooked to your liking.

Place flour into a shallow dish. Mix butter and garlic together in a small bowl until well combined.

Use a very sharp knife to slice horizontally through the thick part of each chicken breast to about 1/2 inch from the thinner edge; be careful not to cut all the way through. Open each breast like a book and place onto a work surface. Gently pound each breast to a uniform thickness, then dredge on both sides with flour.

Melt garlic butter in a large skillet over medium heat until it stops foaming. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a platter and cover to keep warm.

Cook mushrooms in remaining butter in the skillet until beginning to turn brown at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in wine, demi-glace, lemon juice, and capers. Reduce the heat to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley.

Transfer chicken to plates and spoon sauce over top. Garnish with lemon slices.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in oil and butter for 5 to 7 minutes per side; remove from skillet, and set aside.

Place artichoke hearts and mushrooms in the skillet, and saute until mushrooms are brown and tender. Return chicken to skillet, and pour in reserved artichoke liquid and wine. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Stir in capers, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat; serve immediately.

Gather ingredients.

Sprinkle both sides of steaks with pepper and salt.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sear steaks in the hot pan until browned, about 1 minute per side.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and pour in balsamic vinegar and red wine. Cover and cook for 4 minutes. Flip steaks and baste with sauce; cover and cook for 4 minutes longer.

Remove steaks to two warmed plates. Spoon a tablespoon of glaze over each steak and serve immediately.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta (4 quarts of water, 2 Tbsp salt).

While the water is heating, pick all of the meat off the slow-cooked duck legs and reserve the skin. Tear the meat and skin into smallish pieces.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the butter and duck fat and the duck meat and skin. Lower the heat to medium.

Put the pasta in the boiling water. Stir it from time to time.

Add the garlic and rosemary (if using) to the sauté pan. Cook for a minute, or until fragrant and just beginning to brown at the edges, then remove from heat.

Drain the pasta when it is al dente, or use tongs to take it from the boiling water right into the sauté pan. Return the heat to medium. Toss the pasta in the sauté pan, making sure it is well coated. Add more duck fat if needed. Add some black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and toss again. Taste and add the second tablespoon of lemon juice if you want.

Serve immediately with the lemon zest sprinkled on top.

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If you are working with frozen quail, either defrost overnight in the refrigerator, or place the package in a large bowl and cover with a couple inches of room temperature water for 20 minutes.

Truss the quail with kitchen string. Cut off a length of string about 18 inches long. Cross the middle of the string over the quail's legs and bring the string around to the front of the bird, making sure it holds the wings close to the bird's flanks. Tie the string tightly around the neck.

Allow the quail to come to room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Pat the quail dry with paper towels. Coat the quail with the olive oil and salt well. When the oven is hot, arrange the quail, breast side up, in a small roasting pan. Use pieces of the celery stick to keep the birds upright while they roast.

Roast quail for 10 to 12 minutes in a 500°F oven. Remove the birds from the pan and set aside on a plate to rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil.

As the quail are resting, make the sauce by putting the roasting pan on a burner set to medium heat. Discard the celery sticks.

Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan by scraping all the browned bits off the bottom. Bring this to a simmer and pour into a small pot or sauté pan.

Add the balsamic vinegar, increase the heat to high and boil down to a syrup. Halfway through the boil, pour any accumulated juice from the resting quail into the sauce. When the sauce thickens and will coat the back of a spoon, it's ready.

Serve the quail with the sauce drizzled over everything. Serve with a side of polenta, or rice pilaf.