My husband and I are always planning our next meal. Breakfast and lunch and dinner, sure, but more importantly, more excitingly, special occasions. His birthday, my birthday, our new anniversary, our old anniversary, and Valentine’s Day—why not? I’ll take any excuse to plan a fun meal. Below are 12 menus to peruse, to pick and choose from, to mix and match. Just don’t forget the candles.
Steak Au Poivre
This juicy steak is all about the creamy, peppery Cognac sauce. For two, divide the number of steaks in half—but may I be so bold as to suggest that you keep the sauce quantities as is. You can never have too much.
Fake Frites
Steak frites is a classic French combo that’s hard, if not impossible to beat. But you don’t have to fry the fries to get there. In this wily Genius Recipe, all you need are a steamer, oven, and couple drops of oil.
Lettuces With Dill Vinaigrette
This dilly vinaigrette, which earns its creaminess from a soft-boiled egg, can be made days in advance and tucked away in the fridge. Or, to eliminate something off the to-do list, just swap in a simple greens salad with oil and vinegar.
Brown Butter Raspberries
If the raspberries wherever you are look lackluster, feel free to swap in whatever fresh fruit is calling out to you. The template—glittery raw sugar and brown butter—gets along with just about anything.
Pan-Roasted Sea Scallops With Scallop Jus
Tom Colicchio’s method will lead you toward crusty-edged, tender-bellied scallops every time. The jus only uses ⅓ cup white wine, so pick a bottle you love, and drink the rest while you cook.
Roasted Vegetables With Walnut-Miso Sauce
It’s hard to overstate how hugely flavorful this sauce is. Think of it like a vegetarian bagna cauda and pair with the prettiest vegetables you can get your paws on.
Lime Posset
Seafood dinners were made to be followed by citrusy desserts. Feel free to streamline things by skipping the graham cracker and swapping in something crunchy-sweet and ready-made, like granola or nut brittle.
Farro Risotto With Caramelized Apples & Fennel
The creaminess of risotto, but with the nuttiness of farro. (Not to mention powerhouse bonuses like fennel seeds, orange zest, and Parmesan.) Please count me in for seconds.
Radicchio Salad With Manchego Vinaigrette
If radicchio is too bitter for you (or your boo), don’t hesitate to mix or swap in something else, like Belgian endive, frisee, or romaine.
Salted Rosemary Shortbread
One of many gems from our Cookies Chronicles series, this savory-meets-sweet shortbread comes by way of Carla Lalli Music.
Creamy Lemon Spaghetti With Crunchy Bread Crumbs
“I made this exactly to the recipe, and it was FANTASTIC,” community member Jane C. reports back. “My husband and I were both blown away by how easy and incredibly delicious this was.”
Endive Salad in the Roman Puntarelle Style
A no-holds-barred salad—with all the garlic and anchovies—to contrast the creamy-dreamy pasta. Any Caesar would be great, too.
Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse
To really gild the lily, drizzle more olive oil on top just before serving, plus a pinch of crunchy salt.
Roast Chicken With Mustard & Grapes
Yes, this mustardy chicken is simple enough to whip up on a weeknight. But its back-and-forth contrast between zingy spice and jammy sweetness is date-night special, too.
Salt & Vinegar Mashed Potatoes
While the chicken is in the oven, these mashed potatoes will occupy the stove. Salting at every step and adding the littlest splash of vinegar makes all the difference.
Glazed, Glistening Haricots Verts
As simple as a side dish gets. And good! Read this over once, then ditch the recipe and let your instincts lead the way.
Coffee Pudding
Coffee to cap off dinner, but make it pudding. The best part: It can—and should—be made in advance. So all you have to worry about on date-night is finding a couple spoons.
Roast Duck Breast With Green Peppercorns & Tiny Roast Potatoes
The key to crispy-skinned duck is patience. Don’t skip the scoring step (this helps the fat render), then kick back with a drink while it cooks.
Green Goddess Salad
Scallions! Parsley! Chives! Tarragon! I love serving this ultra green dressing on a bright green lettuce, like romaine or little gem.
Apples in Cardamom-Lime Syrup
“Apple compote sounds like a bore, I know,” writes cookbook author Alice Medrich. “But these are spectacular—much better than the sum of its parts.”
Braised Onion Sauce
As a rule, Brand Partnerships Editor Erin Alexander only makes this pasta for people she loves. That’s how you know it’s good.
Radish & Escarole Salad
Some perky, zingy flavors to play off the caramelized onions: raw radishes, leafy escarole, and a very good anchovy vinaigrette.
Drunken Honeyed Figs With lemon Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Dried figs, meet brandy. Brandy, meet dried figs. You two are going to like-like each other.
Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Our most popular recipe of all time comes together in a slow cooker. Just right for nights when your biggest priority is: Sit back and relax.
Kale Salad
Another longtime favorite on the site: a Genius kale salad with squash, almonds, and no shortage of crumbled cheddar.
Chocolatey Tahini Cups
Picture peanut butter cups, only with a gooey tahini center. The trick to getting the just-right consistency? Water. You’ll see.
Omelet With Whipped Ricotta
So, you want omelets for two, but by the time you finish the second, the first one is cold-ish. Carla Lalli Music’s solution? Make one oversized, ricotta-stuffed omelet, and lop it in half.
No-Knead Peasant Bread
If you want to be an overachiever (I know one when I see one!), make the bread to make the toast to go with the omelets. This Genius Recipe from Alexandra Stafford couldn’t be easier.
Warm Braised Pineapple
Serve this on any ice cream—or with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream on top. Or! If you have leftover ricotta from the omelets, use that instead.
Fried Avocado Tacos
These tacos are a project. But do you know who it’s fun to do projects with? Your partner! Split up the tasks, turn on the music, and pop open a couple cold ones.
Black Bean Salad With Mango & Chile Powder
Pinto beans would make a great stand-in here. Same with kidney beans. You could also mix and match.
Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles
Avocado for dinner and dessert because why not? In this recipe, you won’t be able to pinpoint the flavor—you’ll just notice the buttery-creamy silkiness it adds.
Italian Wedding Soup With Parm Broth
You know, in case you were looking for a subtle way of telling your significant other that you’re ready to lock things down. Not my fault if they don’t think it’s funny though.
Saltie’s Focaccia
Don’t bother with a serrated knife. Tear the bread apart by hand while it’s still warm from the oven. The salt-speckled, oil-smudged fingertips are the best part. (Psst: The dough needs to nap in the fridge for at least 8 hours—or up to 2 days if you’re a planner.)
Citrus Salad With Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Dates & Almonds
With juicy oranges, sticky dates, and crunchy almonds, this salad is as much appetizer as it is dessert. You can skip the greenery if you’d like, but I’m keeping it right where it is.
Marinated Tofu Steak Sandwiches
Picture this: fleece pajamas, squishy couch, knit blanket, rock-climbing documentary (!). If this isn’t romance, I ask you, what is? You can eat this tofu sandwich with one hand, and hold your partner with the other.
Sweet Potato Fries
Crispy, crackly, and extremely eager to be dunked in ketchup. Or, better yet, a ketchup meets mustard meets mayo super-combo. And no, these can’t be baked! It’s Valentine’s Day for heaven’s sake.
Hot Chocolate & Halva Pudding
A Genius chocolate cake (chocolate chunks! halva hunks! tahini swirls!) that comes with its own hot fudge sauce, thanks to a lot of boiling water. Bring your own vanilla ice cream.
Written by: Emma Laperruque
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