An OS Valentine's meal?

carriebradshaw

JoJoB wrote: »

Sorry, should have made it clearer - i was after something on the high street rather than buying online as i don't have a cc or debit card. I suppose i could always use a round cake tin and cut it into a heart shape - though the opportunities for messing it all up are bigger this way maybe.

you could draw a heart shape on a sheet of card first then cut it out and use as a template for your cake

apple_mint

I think it's possible to create a heart shape using a square tin and a round tin. Bake a cake in each. Cut the round tin in half and put against two sides of the square cake.

I've just found a description of how to do this on ehow (which is probably a better explanation than mine!)

http://www.ehow.com/how_13863_make-heart-shaped.html

Aril

For a smaller heart you could use a biscuit cutter which would also work for heart shaped toast etc [saw it done this way on Celebrity Master Chef at Christmas] I also vaguely remember [I think!] a tip in the Tightwad Gazette about making a heart shaped cutter from a tuna tin. Can't say I've tried that one myself.
Aril

angelavdavis

How about a cheesy fondue with toasted crustinis cut from thick slices of toasted bread, cut with a heart shaped biscuit cutter?

squeaky

JoJoB wrote: »

Sorry, should have made it clearer - i was after something on the high street rather than buying online as i don't have a cc or debit card. I suppose i could always use a round cake tin and cut it into a heart shape - though the opportunities for messing it all up are bigger this way maybe.

Oh

Many high street chains have on line sites - so if you scan the results quickly you might spot a shop listed that you have on your own neighbourhood and so you can pop along being (reasonably) confident that they stock them.

No?

Stephen_Leak

OK, this my usual romantic first dinner. All you need to ask is whether they like Italian and it even covers them being vegetarian. The starter can be made in advance. The main course does have to be cooked at the time, but this gives you a chance to show off your culinary skills. Dessert can be dispensed with or even "taken elsewhere", if you know what I mean. The entire meal also has a final "twist", which has never yet failed to impress.

Starter is a mozzarella and tomato salad. Cut the cheese and a big beef tomato into slices and arrange artistically on an small plate. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil over the top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve with focaccia bread.

The main course is a simple pasta and tomato sauce. I use fresh spinach and ricotta tortellini, which are half green and half - well, pasta coloured. Advise your partner that, according to legend, tortellini is the shape of Venus'* navel. For the sauce, just lightly fry off 2 medium onions and 2 cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes. Put the pasta on to boil now. Reduce the sauce down a bit. At the end, sprinkle on some more chopped fresh basil.

Now, drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and gently toss them together. Explain to your partner that this is because an Italian would always "bring the sauce to the pasta", not just plonk it on top of it. Serve with another bit of focaccia bread to mop up any sauce. For wine, I recommend a Valpolicella.

Dessert is just three scoops of good quality ice cream, one each of strawberry, vanilla and mint. If your partner has eaten enough, this course can be dispensed with in a suitably nonchalant manner.

The "twist" is to ask your partner if they have spotted the theme to the meal. "Its Italian" is the obvious answer, which is close. The answer is that all the courses are the colours of the Italian flag.

* A later version of the legend says its Lucrezia Borgia's navel. Given her reputation, I'd stick with Venus.

NoahsPennilessMummy

Hi

Its me and OH 2nd anniversary in Nov and we were going to have a night in a hotel and meal( cheap from Laterooms) but as the oven died last week and we had to shell out for that we have had to cancel it:rolleyes:

So we are going to make a nice meal at home instead.

We are going to push the boat out and have some steak and bearnaise sauce and HM chips but I am looking for inspiration for starter and dessert.

OH will not eat fish or seafood of any sort which cancels out a lot of first course ideas.
If anyone has any ideas i`d be glad of them

thanks
claire

boredjellybean

erm what about a nice salad starter perhaps with some grilled goats cheese?

and for pud I would prob buy some nice ready made puddings like GU or similar and have a nice bottle of bubbly!

Bjb

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

How about a 1970s melon & ham starter? Or blitz some chicken livers once they've been flash fried with an equal amount of cold butter, season and serve them on very thin slices of toast or crackers?

A lot of blokes will quite happily chomp on custard tarts or frangipanes, both of which can be bought or made quite cheaply.

Sometimes the old fashioned ideas work the best rather than buying fancy things from the shops. My fella was moved to tears the other day because I chucked some rice in a tin with some milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. The ensuing rice pudding apparently was just like his Nana made him when he was tiny!

Pink.

Hi,

These earlier threads may help:

An OS Valentine's meal?

Starters

Recipies for Healthy(ish) cheap desserts

I'll add your thread to the romanic meals thread later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink