The perfect way to get firmly into their good books
Enhance Your Romantic Dinner with your Loved one this Valentine’s
Some see Valentine’s Day as a day where there is pressure to do something nice for their partner. We see it as an opportunity to sweep them off their feet with a loving display of culinary excellence. After all, who doesn’t love someone who takes the time to serve up a show-stopping feast fit for a king or queen?
The benefits of making that extra bit of effort
1. It is a great chance to spend quality time together, free from distractions. During our day-to-day lives, moments spent alone with our partner can be hard to come by. Many of us have busy work weeks, and even during evenings out and weekends, activities often involve other people, such as friends, family, children, or colleagues. Taking the time to do something special for just you and your partner can be the perfect way to achieve that quality time that can benefit any relationship. Provided all goes well, it can also help to create positive memory association, which can help to reinforce the romantic bond you share.
2. You can build new connections by trying novel cuisines together. When we fall into a rhythm in life, it is easy to rotate the same meals week in, week out. Doing so certainly has its upsides, but it doesn't hurt to spice things up a little here and there. By planning and preparing a new meal for your partner or one you don't have too often, you can uncover new avenues to learn about and help you to connect with each other. As well as cooking methods, food and drink can teach us about different cultures and history; it might even lead to planning your next holiday!
3. It encourages you and your partner to make a habit out of treating each other. We should all strive to keep our relationships as stimulating as possible, but complacency often kicks in with time, which can lead to things becoming stale. Preparing good food and drink for our partner can help considerably with this. A well-planned, thoughtful meal makes them feel appreciated, and seeing our loved one's eyes light up keeps us mindful of how good it feels to make an effort for them. It also encourages the partner to make the same effort in return in the future! All these things increase the likelihood of engaging in relationship-enhancing activities more consistently moving forward. A win-win for everyone involved.
A few food and drink suggestions for you to consider:
The list of culinary options you have that can wow your partner is very long and would take several blogs to cover. A wealth of world foods exist at your disposal, from tagine to tacos, ramen to ratatouille, churros to chocolate fondue. You get the picture. To keep things bite-sized, here are a few food and drink suggestions to consider that are sure to go down a storm with your partner:
Nothing says romantic meal like a freshly opened, chilled bottle of Champagne. Widely considered an iconic celebratory drink, what better choice than Champagne to celebrate your relationship with the one you love? Certain Champagnes also pair beautifully with oysters, creating the ultimate romantic food and drink double-act.
There are a wide variety of Champagne styles that you can enjoy with your romantic meal. To lend a helping hand, here are a few of the most popular types that you may want to consider:
- Champagne Brut is the most popular type of Champagne, accounting for almost 80% of exports. Brut Champagnes are dry in nature, containing less than 12 grams of sugar per liter, making them a good option for people who don’t like their wines too sweet. These qualities also make it ideal for pairing with numerous savory dishes.
- Demi-Sec Champagne. Meaning ‘half-dry’, Demi-Sec contains between 33 and 50 grams of sugar per liter, making it well-suited to Champagne-lovers who enjoy that middle ground of not too dry, not too sweet.
- Doux Champagne is the sweetest of the Champagne styles. With more than 50 grams of sugar per liter, this is one for people with a real sweet tooth. Doux Champagne can be paired with rich, sweet desserts that match its qualities, such as a sumptuous chocolate tart.
At RIEDEL, we always recommend serving your Champagne from a Champagne wine glass to get the most out of its aromas and qualities. Fortunately, we have a variety of Champagne glassware for you to choose from to enhance any Champagne-sipping occasion, including the Champagne wine glass options from our RIEDEL Veloce and RIEDEL Winewings collections. You can learn more about the benefits of using a Champagne wine glass in our detailed blog on the subject.
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A favorite for many, you could call steak the original romantic dinner. Rich, classy, but uncomplicated, steak dishes can be an excellent choice for anyone from the reluctant, inexperienced chef to a seasoned culinary veteran who knows a good cut when they see one.
If you’re opting for a steak dish that uses a reasonably fatty cut, such as a porterhouse or a t-bone steak, we recommend pairing it with a full-bodied red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Shiraz. If, however, you enjoy a leaner cut, such as a fillet steak or a sirloin, light to medium-bodied reds such as Pinot Noir can work well. Fuller-bodied rosé wines with a good amount of acidity can also work well with leaner steak cuts.
If steak for Valentine’s Day appeals to you, our steak with chimichurri recipe might be just what you’re after.
The thing about romantic meals is a tasty main is a great start, but it isn’t enough on its own. A delicious dessert will help you to truly win the day and top off a special evening for you and your partner, and a well-made chocolate dessert can help to keep your significant other as sweet as the food you serve them.
Eating chocolate has been shown to cause our brain cells to release dopamine – a neurotransmitter that causes us to experience feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. So you can quite literally improve your partner’s mood by making them a tasty chocolate dessert! If you’re after ideas, consider trying this simple yet irresistible chocolate cake recipe that makes for the perfect closing dish to the evening’s cuisine.
Another mood-enhancing and universally loved food that is a classic when it comes to desserts are strawberries. Like chocolate, strawberries can help with the release of dopamine, while they can also aid with the release of serotonin, which can help to regulate your mood and is often referred to as the body’s ‘feel-good’ chemical.
With the above two points in mind, a dessert option that’s sure to put your partner into a good humor is our chocolate and strawberries recipe. Simple, but full of flavor and a real mood-lifter that will help to ensure your evening as chef is a winner.
We hope all of the above helps you feel inspired to serve up a romantic dinner to remember for your partner!
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