Wine and Dine Your Sweetheart
June 23, 2010, By Jeffrey Weeks 0 comments
While nothing beats a well-grilled steak and baked potato for a guy, you should surprise your sweetheart with a romantic summer dinner that will both astound and delight her. Keeping the menu simple but elegant will earn you bonus points. Here's an easy meal to prepare for her that will make her think you have an inner gourmet.
Grilled Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breast
This is an easy make-ahead dinner that is sure to impress your honey. Serve this with a simple salad of heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers dressed with a little salt, pepper and herb (or balsamic) vinegar. Twice-baked potatoes will elevate the meal to the next level. Some rustic bread from the store and a peach cobbler finishes the meal nicely. Top it off with a smooth pinot grigio wine for a happy ending to the evening. Sound difficult? Nothing could be easier.
- On the morning of the meal, marinate four chicken breasts in a mixture of a ½ cup lemon juice, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.
- To make an accompanying puree of artichokes, cook two 12-ounce cans of artichoke bottoms in 2 cups of chicken broth and a ¼ cup lemon juice for about 10 minutes.
- Remove artichoke bottoms to a blender or food processor and add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and blend until smooth. This can be made ahead and reheated in the microwave. When ready for dinner, just grill the chicken and present it on a scoop of the artichoke puree.
Simple Salad
For your salad, purchase heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers. Quarter the tomatoes into wedges and peel the cucumber, slicing it into ½-inch rounds. Season the salad with fresh cracked pepper, salt and herb (or balsamic) vinegar. A splash of olive oil tossed gently into the salad turns it all into a flavorful dressing.
Twice-baked Potatoes
To make the potatoes, cook them at 350 degrees for 1 hour. When the potatoes are soft, slice off the top length of the potato and scoop out the middle of each one into a bowl. Mix in her favorite addition (sour cream, butter, chives, bacon or cheese) and re-stuff the mixture back into the potato. Top with cheese. This also can be made ahead of time and then baked at 350 degrees for an additional 15 minutes.
Lazy Day Peach Cobbler
This will let her see the sweet baker that you are. She will think you had to spend a long time making it, but this recipe doesn't even require you to stir it.
Melt 1 stick of butter in a shallow casserole dish. In another bowl, mix 1 cup each of self-rising flour, sugar and milk until smooth. Pour batter over melted butter. Do not stir. Place sliced peaches over batter. Again, do not stir. Sprinkle everything with ½ cup sugar and a little cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
As for the wine, select a pinot grigio, which pairs with the chicken nicely because of its delightful floral and tropical fruit aromas, while having an elegant and crisply refreshing flavor.
You have now created a simple but special meal that will impress your sweetheart with all the effort you've put into it. We just won't tell her how very easy it really was to make.
