Please sit down and have a glass of wine, and how about a tootsie massage? Well, you are in the right place for a romantic read. Here, let me hold your hand and guide you through my luscious menu of Valentine Day Recipes. If the following recipes look enticing to you then click on any name and you will be directed to my food blog recipe pages.
First up, let me set the scene with a video of the Amorous Epicurean on the prowl for budget aphrodisiac ingredients to create a perfect romantic dinner date. Here, let me adjust your cushion for you -- okay now you can watch it below.
Shopping for a Romantic Recipe - VIDEO
You will want to start your romantic evening meal with an appetizer: a plump and pleasing Steamed Artichoke is the perfect dish to share with each other. Just swipe a steamed artichoke leaf into my creamy Ginger Mayo Dip and feed the tender petal end to your amour. Your appetite will surely build as you get to the delicately delicious artichoke heart. My Steamed Artichoke appetizer is just a tease.
Cooking & Eating an Artichoke - VIDEO
A lovely Pear and Spinach Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing looks good on the plate and will impress your true love with its lightness and fresh flavors. And it's the perfect prelude to the main course.
I think Italian food is the most sexy of cuisines. Tender swirling ropes of pasta sliding through a rich creamy sauce will soften any hardened heart. Just click on any recipe name below to see my luscious photos and read my tender prose.
There is nothing like a creamy warm egg yolk to stoke the fires of desire, and the Flirty Chef's Spaghetti alla Carbonara is the perfect mood-setter. With the first bite your date will swoon with pleasure. A sprinkling of crumbled bacon over the pasta is gilding the lilly, but sometimes you need to go all the way!
In my Spaghetti alla Carbonara Video below I took a couple of cheap shortcuts. I used bacon bits, but you could substitute real bacon or kick it up a notch with sauteed panchetta. Also, fresh shaved parmesan cheese will be more pleasing than the dried brand I used. And finally, I added a blended raw egg -- for a more romantic presentation, just gently place the egg yolk on a mound of steaming pasta.
Would you like another glass of wine before you watch my Spaghetti alla Carbonara recipe video below? Oh, don't worry about driving - I'll call Uber for you.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe - VIDEO
There, wasn't that edifying? Staying on the creamy theme, I can also recommend my Fettuccine Alfredo.
It's pasta with butter and cream -- simple and direct. You could mix in some fresh steamed veggies like broccoli for color and crunch -- just see how easy it is to do by clicking here on my Veggies in Cream with Pasta.
For something lighter, lose the cream and serve my stripped down pasta recipe of John Cassavetes Red Pepper, Olive Oil and Garlic with Spaghetti. It's a spicy tongue-tingler any tough guy can knock out.
Or if you want to channel your inner domestic goddess, then tie on the apron, get out the pot holders, and bring in a hot casserole dish of my luscious Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese to the dining room table. Just check out the tempting short animated video below to see the yummy details.
Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese - VIDEO
A close second to the most sensuous of nibbling is a tender fish fillet on rice, or Sushi. Raw seafood will quicken a lovers pulse, and if you chase the sushi down with a few warm cups of sake the temptation to stay the night may be overwhelming.
My Sushi recipes are quite easy to do when you follow my directions. I even have a recipe for those averse to raw fish, a California Roll (in the hay,) that's made with cooked fake krab, creamy avocado and sliced cucumber. Seafood Rolls and Sushi are handheld bites meant to be shared with your amour.
California Roll -VIDEO
Hawaii is the destination for romancing the palate. It was a picture perfect sunset, at a beach bungalow in Kauai, as I grilled fresh fish and prepared a meal for my love, Amy. After dinner I retrieved the hidden engagement ring, got on one knee, and asked her to marry me. It was many years ago, but seems just like yesterday.
Make your own romantic Hawaii-themed date night with my exotic Island classic: Lau Lau. It's a banana leaf-wrapped package of deliciousness. The aroma of slow roasting pork will fill the kitchen and dining room, stoking the appetite of desire. Slowly unwrap the package of tender Lau Lau for your beloved. You won't need a Lei of plumeria flowers to steal a kiss when you serve my savory dish. So click here to see the luscious photos and easy-to-follow recipe text. And aloha to love.
Hawaiian-style Lau Lau
Of course, you can't have a romantic dinner date without the sweets. And I have a simply delicious deconstructed dessert that I call Mini-Banana Puddings. It's the perfect finger food to woe your loved one. All you need is to lay out some vanilla wafers and stack with a spoonful of pudding and banana slices, finally topped with Hersey Chocolate Kiss. You could also drizzle on any sweet topping like: chocolate syrup, caramel, and other favorite candy pieces or sprinkles.
After a ravenous night you will need a replenishing morning meal. And the Don Juan Gourmand's palate-pleasing Fried Egg on Breadcrumbs with Asparagus will satiate any food lover.
It looks good on the plate, but be sure to make plenty, as your sweetheart will ask for seconds!
Another morning after meal is my French-style Omelet. It's a labor of love that you may want to practice making a couple of times to get right. Like lovemaking, the more you do it the better you get! And I have all the right moves a click away here.
Here are a few more romantic entrees you can try (just click on any name): Chef Zakk's Tuscan Primavera - Cajun Style, Chicken Stroganoff, Julia Child's Crepes Suzette, Baked Chicken with Grapes, Shepherd's Pie, Portabella Crab Rockefeller, Coconut Crusted Fish & Mango Salsa, Pork Bourguignon, Vegas Eggs Benedict, French Cassoulet, Stuffed Poblano Chiles, and Roasted Mint Chicken.
Next it's 99 shades of cheap, so, au revoir, -- and I'll leave you with my most outrageous Valentine Day photo story called:
The 99 Cent Lover
All items cost 99.99 cents (okay, $1)