Whether you're serving a roasted rack of lamb or silky, rich pasta, a romantic dinner for two can make an ordinary evening a little more special. Go big with pan-roasted lobster or steak frites, or try your hand at homemade pizza. For a special holiday, anniversary, or a spur-of-the-moment surprise, add these romantic dinner recipes to your arsenal; you'll come back to them time and time again.
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Petite Beef Wellington
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Crackling puff pastry and earthy mushroom duxelles enclose juicy roast beef in chef Sean Brock's mini beef Wellington. Pair it with a structured, elegant Bordeaux, such as Chateau Fonplegade.
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Oysters with Pikliz
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Easily elevate a home-cooked dinner by serving oysters on ice. This recipe can be prepped beforehand, too.
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Roast Chicken with Sauce Chasseur
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Sauce Chasseur is classically thickened with a rich demi-glace, but this version uses cream which allows the flavors of the herbs, tomatoes, and acidic wine to come through.
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Fregula cun Cocciula (Sardinian Fregola with Clams)
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This dish spotlights perfectly steamed clams and chewy fregola, a small round pasta from Sardinia, in a golden, spicy, briny broth. It's especially delicious when matched with a full-bodied Sardinian Vermentino.
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Steak Frites with Black Garlic Butter
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Nothing says romance like a perfectly cooked steak and crispy fries. This one with black garlic butter is matchmaking material.
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Charred Vegetable Ragù
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"Ladled over a pile of tagliatelle and topped with more cheese, this nourishing sauce tastes slow-cooked and comforting, especially on a wintry weeknight," former F&W editor Kelsey Youngman says.
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Sweet Potato Gyoza with Beet Puree
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Sweet potato and hazelnut butter make up the filling for these inventive and satisfying gyoza. A silky beet puree shot through with preserved lemon adds a hit of brightness.
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Pan-Roasted Lobster with Chive Beurre Blanc
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"Be sure to serve the lobsters on a warmed large platter so the beurre blanc stays hot," says Mary-Frances Heck. "I love to line the platter with hot cooked linguine before topping it with the roasted lobsters and lemony sauce. The pasta soaks up some of the sauce and makes for a decadent second course once all the lobsters have been eaten."
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Salad of Pink Radicchio, Citrus, and Mushroom Bagna Cauda
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In this recipe fromCooking with Mushroomsby Andrea Gentl, melted anchovies and porcini mushroom powder lend a savory depth to nutty brown butter bagna cauda, yielding a powerhouse sauce that's perfect for drizzling on a wintery salad.
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Pork Chop au Poivre with Red Wine–Shallot Sauce
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This bone-in pork chop riff on the classic French au poivre preparation is so good, we may never go back to beef. Using a blend of peppercorns, not just classic black, adds notes of floral and vegetal spice to this simple dish.
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Brown Sugar–Glazed Salmon with Buttery Roasted Squash
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Chef Erick Williams recommends thick cuts of salmon for this recipe; they cook quickly while remaining juicy and tender and are well-balanced by the sweet, gingery glaze. If delicata or acorn squash aren't available, substitute butternut squash.
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French Seafood Bisque with Baguette
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The freshest seafood — preferably sourced from your local fishmonger — is the highlight of this velvety-smooth bisque. Take care to cook each type as directed to preserve its delicate flavor and texture. This resourceful recipe uses every last bit of your briny haul to yield a rich seafood stock that enhances this thick, soppable soup.
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King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade
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Chef Julia Sullivan employs a duo of cast-iron skillets to prepare the tender, crispy-edged mushroom steaks; one for cooking the mushrooms, the other for pressing them flat so they cook evenly. Buttery roasted almonds balance the sharper notes of garlic and lemon in this rustic French sauce.
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Soppressata Pizza with Calabrian Chiles and Hot Honey
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Take a little soppressata, some chopped Calabrian chiles, and a drizzle of hot honey, and you'll end up with the pizza of the moment. Calabrian chiles, fiery chiles from Italy, add heat and a distinctly fruity flavor to this pie. The hot honey mirrors the flavors of the chiles, and adds a touch of sweetness.
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Caramelized Onion and Bread Soup with Brûléed Blue Cheese
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In this vegetarian version of classic French onion soup, blue cheese and oloroso sherry add depth and layers of flavor. Notes of toasted nuts and fruit compote in the sherry pair well with caramelized onions, and its briny acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese.
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Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon and Crème Fraîche
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Roasting the butternut squash with honey and a touch of salt intensifies the natural sweetness of the squash and caramelizes the honey. Take time browning the onions; cooking them low and slow deepens the foundational flavor of this hearty soup.
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Caviar Carbonara
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For special occasions, former F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple makes beautiful, fresh pappardelle pasta, then tosses it with a quick and decadent carbonara sauce laced with briny pops of caviar and lemon zest. When he doesn’t feel like making the pasta from scratch, he buys the noodles fresh at his local Italian market.
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Rack of Lamb with Mustard-Shallot Sauce
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A rack of lamb is the right move for a special dinner for two, as it's the perfect portion of meat to split and works with almost any side dish.
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