Five date night recipes for two! This New Year eve, spruce up your pantry and cook these date night recipes with el amor that are easy, experimental, and perfect for some quality bonding over good food!
You’d agree, we all love the idea of someone cooking for us. But then, we thought this concept of ‘getting cooked for’ really needed to be replaced with both the sides — the cook and the gourmand — teaming up to make some ambrosial food (and sweet memories) together. And what better occasion than arranging a date night this New Year with your favourite one that may just upgrade to Valentine’s Day-te over a bottle of bubbly and impressive homemade food that the two of you can easily cook together.
From finger-licking mud cake and hot chocolate to classic spaghetti and perfectly plated chaat, this food guide will take you through the easiest, fanciest and most palatable date night recipes to set the night on a high note!
Duck A’L Berries by Kyma
Preparing the Duck A’L Berries as one of the date night recipes on your dinner table will bring forth a coquettish combination of crispy, tender and lots of colours on the plate.
For Duck:
• 1 Pc Peking ducks Breast
• 10 gm freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup cranberry juice and 1 cup stock water
• 10 ml tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2” cinnamon sticks
• 2 no. star anise
• 5 gm Sichuan pepper
• 10 gm celery coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 5 gm garlic crushed but not peeled
• 2 no. bay leaves
• 1/4 cup Sake
• 50 gm sugar
• 10 ml rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Prick the duck’s breasts. Season the with salt and pepper. Set the duck’s breast up on the rack. Add the cranberry juice and other ingredients to the pan and roast the ducks in the centre of the oven for 65 minutes or until softened. Turn the oven temperature down to 350°F.
- Take out the duck breast and keep it aside.
Sauce and accompaniment:
- 50 gm cranberry crushed
- 1 green apple
- 40 gm sugar
- 5 gm cinnamon powder
- 20 gm butter
- 10 gm oyster sauce
- 10 ml rice wine vinegar
- Salt as per taste
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, boil the sugar and vinegar over moderately high heat until the syrup is a caramel colour add the butter and other ingredients, cook well and keep aside.
- 1 cup Fresh Orange juice
- 2gm Orange zest
- 2gm Ginger
- 40 gm Sugar
- 100gm Sautéed Spinach with garlic and salt
In a small saucepan, add orange juice and other ingredients and cook till it has a pouring consistency.
Now, the plating:
- Take out the duck
- Broil the ducks, and keep rotating in the pan a few times until richly browned,
- Add the sautéed spinach and put the duck on the spinach along with cranberry and orange sauce.
- Garnish with parsnip chips and fresh cranberry or as you desire.
Chocolate Hazelnut Mud cake by Pink Wasabi
There are no other date night recipes that spell dessert decadence like the chocolate hazelnut mud cake! It promises you a sweet rendezvous, one to remember!
For mud cake sponge:
- 250 gm unsalted butter
- 200 gm dark chocolate
- 240 gm castor sugar
- 220 gm brown sugar
- 1375 ml milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 225 gm flour
- 50 gm cocoa powder
- 16 gm baking soda
- 2 gm salt
Chocolate Ganache:
- 400 gm dark chocolate
- 250 gm fresh cream
- 10 gm butter
Chocolate Mousse:
- 400 gm whipped cream
- 100 gm chocolate ganache
- 40 gm hazelnut paste
Burrata Chaat by Cremeitalia x Karishma Sakhrani
Fun and experimental, if that’s the two of you, then this Burrata chaat is an indulgent twist to the classic bhel curated by Cremeitalia in collaboration with chef Karishma Sakhrani. It is a must try when looking for easy date night recipes.
Ingredients:
- Mint Pesto
- Fresh ajwain leaves,
- Chaat masala
- Pomegranate
- Crispy dal
- Tamarind and Jaggery chutney
Direction:
- Start off with a coriander and mint pesto which will complement the creaminess of the dreamiest Burrata by Cremeitalia.
- Next, dip some fresh ajwain leaves in a tempura batter and deep fry them.
- The pesto is topped with the burrata, the ajwain leaf fritters, a sprinkle of chaat masala, pomegranate and crispy dal.
- Finally, inject the burrata with a classic, homemade tamarind and jaggery chutney.
- And there you have it, the perfect chaat with a glam makeover for your next festive party!
Tomato + Mascarpone Spaghetti by Cremeitalia x Karishma Sakhrani
Did someone say date night recipes? Look no further, this tomato and mascarpone spaghetti is exactly what you need to cook together with generous pours of fine wine on the side. We swear by this one.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp garlic sliced
- 1/2 tsp garlic minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Pasta water, as needed
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- Sugar and salt to taste
- 1/4 cup mascarpone
- Spaghetti
- Fresh basil
Directions:
- Cook the spaghetti al dente, and set aside, reserving some of the spaghetti water.
- In a pan, sauté some garlic until fragrant. Add chopped cherry tomatoes, some tomato purée and the pasta water; and simmer for about ten minutes.
- Season with some sugar, salt and red chilli flakes. Switch off the heat, and add a few spoonfuls of mascarpone and chopped basil.
- Toss with the cooked pasta and serve warm.
Malabar Hot Chocolate by one8 Commune
Wintry evenings by the fireplace and that romantic cadence of a fresh, new year that has just arrived, sounds too beautiful, right? Add to it Malabar hot chocolate, one of the classic but crucial date night recipes by One8 Commune that you can make together in just a few minutes.
Procedure:
- Take a milk creamer, add full cream milk 200 ml and add 2 tbsp of Malabar Hot Chocolate mix.
- Steam it, till it reaches 80°C.
- Now it is ready to serve in a glass.
- Finish by adding whipping cream on top.
Garnish it with…
- Chocolate wafer.
- Hershey’s chocolate syrup.
- Marshmallow(s) on top.
Read more:
5 Eclectic rum cocktail recipes to usher in a spirited New Year
Top restaurants serving tempting Christmas menus in India for the epicureans at heart!