Recipe ideas??!
For dessert I'm making cheesecake, so anything that will go great with that. Any suggestions??
Answers: I'm making a suprise dinner for my boyfriend, but I have no idea at all what to make.
For dessert I'm making cheesecake, so anything that will go great with that. Any suggestions??
Cheesecake is almost heavy and very caloric, so you want a meal that is light and helps with digestion.
Appetizer:
Mozzarella With Tomatoes
Ingredients:
8 slices of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 inch thick 8 inch tomatoes sliced, 1/4 inch thick 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon olive oil salt, to taste fresh ground black pepper, to taste basil leavees, to taste black olives, neopolitan
Preparations:
Arrange mozzarella and tomato slices in alternate overlapping layers on a serving tray. Sprinkle with oregano, oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with basil leaves and serve at room temperature with neapolitan black olives.
Makes 2 Servings.
Enchanted Forest Salad
12 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, assorted, sliced (shiitakes, criminis, oysters)
extra virgin olive oil, for sauteing
3 tablespoons fresh herbs, assorted, chopped (tarragon, parsley, chives, thyme)
2 1/4 ounces arugula, oakleaf and radicchio leaves, washed and dried
3 tablespoons pine nuts, (pignolis) toasted
3 tablespoons tomatoes, peeled, diced (concasse)
VINAIGRETTE:
3 tablespoons shallots, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1. Place oil in pan, heat thoroughly. Add mushrooms; saute until cooked. Add vinaigrette* to pan; toss. Add herbs to pan; toss.
2. Place hot mushrooms in bowl with lettuces; toss. Add nuts and concasse of tomatoes.
3. To serve, divide into 12 plates, layering mushrooms on top.
*VINAIGRETTE: Combine ingredients.
Tarragon Chicken
Ingredients:
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 1/3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons shallots, finely chopped
1/3 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup beef stock, or veal stock
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 2/3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped or 1 tbsp. of fresh parsley chopped
1/16 teaspoon pepper
salt, to taste
Preparations:
TRIM CHICKEN BREASTS; pound between two sheets of wax paper to 1/3-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry chicken, turning gently with tongs, for 4 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Pour grease out of the pan, and add the remaining butter. Add shallots and garlic and saute; stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add the stocks and wine, and reduce by half. Add the tarragon, parsley, pepper and salt to taste. Return chicken breasts to skillet. Heat through. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 Servings.
A Goodnight Kiss
Ingredients:
4 oz Champagne
1 splash Campari
1 cube Sugar
1 drop Angostura bitters
Preparations:
Put one drop of Angostura Bitter on sugar cube and drop in flute. Add champagne and splash of Campari.
Makes 1 Love Drink.
If your guy likes beef, and cost isn't an issue, a small tenderloin roast or prime rib roast is really nice - serve with a potato and a steamed or roasted veggie. Shrimp scampi is great if he likes seafood - and tossed with Linguine, all you'd need to add is a salad and maybe some crusty bread or rolls!
Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.
As a guy, having your girlfriend make dinner is very nice and romantic.
Also, as a guy, I personally would be much more interested in the person who made the food, not how well executed or fancy the meal is.
As long as your dining guest is greeted with a smile and a "hello" the meal should be the second thought.
As a cook, it is best to stick with food that you are comfortable with. Things you might have made in the past. I think it would be a great idea to make something that "you" like.
If the kitchen is new/uncomfortable territory, then I would highly recommend something that can be made quickly, easily and with as little stress on you as possible. As a result, you will both be equally satisfied and able to concentrate more on each other than the precise ingredients used in that impossible to say French named dish with ingredients you've never heard of.
Since you don't know what to make I'm assuming that you're a fairly inexperienced cook. The following recipe is easy but also very delicious and you can customize it somewhat to fit your tastes.
Shrimp with Veggie Rice Pilaf
1/2 lb med green shrimp (about 15)
1 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
1 pkg Rice a Roni Rice Pilaf
2 cps frozen vegetable mix of your choice
Peel the shrimp and take off the tails. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over med heat. Toss in the shrimp and sprinkle with the Mrs Dash seasoning. Stir-fry about 5 min until the shrimp is done. Shrimp cooks very fast and it turns a nice pink color as it cooks. Remove shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet start the rice pilaf according to the directions on the box. Use 1/4 cp less water than the box calls for. Once it comes to a boil stir in the frozen veggie mix and continue with simmering as the directions state, stirring occasionally. Stir in the shrimp for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
The shrimp could be served on the side rather than stirred into the rice if you prefer but in that case you may want to cook it in a different pan while the rice cooks so it's good and hot when you serve it. Serve with a green salad and yummy breadsticks for a delicious and reasonably healthy meal.
This is the best free cooking E-book I've found, I'm sure you can find what you're looking for in it.