Food of Love

A great way to say you love and care is to cook a fantastic meal for your loved one(s). Be it a birthday or an anniversary or valentine’s day. You can either just cook his or her favourite dishes and make a meal of it or you can cook a 3 course or 5 course sit-down dinner depending on your resources and time. If you are cooking Indian food, the best way is to put an array of dishes together and present it as a complete dinner. If you decide to go with Asian or continental or some other cuisine then definitely try out a 3 course or a 5 course sit-down dinner.

To make things more exciting pull out your best crockery and cutlery and lay out your table very well. You could also get a lovely centerpiece made out of flowers or candles to add the right mood to the dinner setting. Also if you have a black board or a white board, write out your menu for the evening on it.

To give an example, last year I cooked a 4 course meal for a special occasion and the menu was as follows:

• Prawns with onion and cumin marmalade
• Green salad with red wine vinegrette, blue cheese and walnuts
• Grilled fish with a red pepper romesco sauce
• Dark chocolate mousse

Serve each course as individual servings one after the other. You may have to spend about 5 minutes each for each course, plating up in the kitchen. This wait between courses is definitely worth the end result. Also if you are trying out a chocolate dessert like the mousse for instance, try presenting it in a martini glass or a shot glass. As an alternative to the meat dish as your main course, you could cook pasta or rice with a sauce.

The recipes can be looked up on cookbooks or from the numerous websites on-line. I think it’s a good idea to try out new recipes rather than repeating old recipes. And remember, presentation is of utmost importance. Try to be as creative as possible and use herbs, spices and sauces as garnishes to make each serving a sight to cherish. This blog may have been useful for Valentine ’s Day but it’s never too late. Treat your loved one on his/her birthday or your anniversary to a memorable dinner.