Collection

What to cook for Valentine's Day

Sixty dishes for a romantic dinner for two with a price per serving: tartare, carpaccio, scallops, risotto, medallions in wine, duck breast, chocolate mousse, crème brûlée. Six ready four-course dinners, including a budget one and one without an oven.

60recipes
$0.57–$14.63per portion
10 min – 3 h 20 minto cook
159–1325kcal per portion

Plan a week from this collection

Sixty dishes for a dinner for two: twelve starters, from shrimp bruschetta, salmon tartare and carpaccio to scallops in butter and baked brie; nine salads and soups, among them pear and blue cheese salad, warm goat cheese salad and pumpkin soup with shrimp; twenty-five mains, from mushroom risotto and salmon pasta to beef medallions in red wine, duck breast with orange, pepper steak and mussels in white wine; ten desserts, including chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, crumble and brownie with ice cream; a Valentine's breakfast and three drinks.

Every dish has a price per serving from average supermarket prices, so a dinner for two is costed before shopping. Below are six ready dinners with a total and cooking time; an evening where one oven and one person do everything fits in an hour and a half or two.

Ready menus

Classic dinner for two

Caprese skewers, pear and blue cheese salad, beef medallions in wine with mash, chocolate mousse. Make the mousse in the afternoon, the rest in an hour.

Seafood dinner

Shrimp bruschetta, scallops, salmon pasta in cream and crème brûlée. Bake the crème brûlée in the morning, caramelise before serving.

Budget romantic dinner

Tomato bruschetta, mushroom risotto, berry crumble with ice cream and a non-alcoholic berry mojito.

Valentine's breakfast in bed

Heart pancakes with strawberries, a heart omelette with salmon, hot chocolate with cream.

Salads 9

Oysters with Mignonette Sauce Dinner15 min596 kcal≈ $14.63

Pear, Blue Cheese & Walnut Salad Dinner12 min513 kcal≈ $4.08

Warm Goat Cheese & Pear Salad with Honey Dressing Dinner18 min598 kcal≈ $4.49

Burrata, Cherry Tomato & Prosciutto Salad Dinner10 min723 kcal≈ $8.14

Shrimp Caesar Salad Dinner20 min554 kcal≈ $4.00

Shrimp, Avocado, and Cherry Tomato Salad Dinner15 min319 kcal≈ $3.97

Caprese Platter Dinner10 min320 kcal≈ $2.20

Grilled Halloumi and Watermelon Salad Dinner15 min470 kcal≈ $4.19

Warm Beef and Vegetable Salad Dinner25 min446 kcal≈ $4.14

Starters 11

Garlic Shrimp & Avocado Bruschetta Snack18 min430 kcal≈ $2.83

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Tartare Snack15 min486 kcal≈ $4.37

Beef Carpaccio with Arugula and Parmesan Snack20 min421 kcal≈ $6.52

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Glaze Snack10 min362 kcal≈ $3.30

Scallops in Brown Butter with Lemon Snack12 min332 kcal≈ $8.52

Smoked Salmon and Farmer’s Cheese Canapés Snack15 min237 kcal≈ $2.10

Tartlets with Cream Cheese and Salmon Snack20 min390 kcal≈ $2.76

Lavash Roll with Salmon and Cream Cheese Snack15 min357 kcal≈ $3.56

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta Snack15 min359 kcal≈ $1.63

Cheese Board with Honey, Nuts, and Grapes Snack10 min437 kcal≈ $2.74

Baked Brie with Honey, Walnuts, and Thyme Snack12 min521 kcal≈ $3.37

Soup 1

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Shrimp Lunch35 min494 kcal≈ $3.81

Mains 25

Creamy Mushroom & Parmesan Risotto Dinner45 min552 kcal≈ $2.70

Creamy Salmon Pasta Dinner20 min700 kcal≈ $5.02

Pork Neck Steak with Caramelized Onions Dinner35 min697 kcal≈ $1.80

Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Roasted Potatoes Dinner45 min656 kcal≈ $2.09

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Basmati Rice Dinner20 min465 kcal≈ $4.05

Beef Medallions in Red Wine Sauce Dinner35 min605 kcal≈ $7.47

Honey-Orange Glazed Duck Breast Dinner30 min497 kcal≈ $5.20

Cheesy Ratatouille Dinner1 h313 kcal≈ $2.84

Ribeye Steak with Creamy Pepper Sauce Dinner30 min1046 kcal≈ $10.78

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Cheesy Potato Gratin Dinner1 h 15 min1105 kcal≈ $10.57

Rosemary Ribeye Steak with Crispy Roasted Potatoes Dinner50 min1326 kcal≈ $13.30

Shrimp Scampi with Cherry and Pasta Dinner25 min826 kcal≈ $7.05

Shrimp Pasta in a Creamy Garlic Sauce Dinner20 min667 kcal≈ $4.54

Creamy Seafood Cocktail Pasta Dinner20 min680 kcal≈ $3.96

Pan-Seared Salmon Steak with Asparagus Dinner25 min713 kcal≈ $7.63

Creamy Baked Salmon with Spinach Dinner35 min468 kcal≈ $4.57

Air Fryer Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze Dinner18 min488 kcal≈ $4.84

Mussels in White Wine Dinner25 min1034 kcal≈ $6.22

Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steak with Garlic Pak Choi Dinner20 min330 kcal≈ $5.80

Rosemary-Seared Sea Bass with Young Potatoes Dinner45 min629 kcal≈ $8.19

Pan-Fried Flounder with Capers Dinner20 min395 kcal≈ $3.70

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Cherry-Port Sauce Dinner35 min435 kcal≈ $5.16

Creamy Cheesy Potato Gratin Dinner1 h 20 min554 kcal≈ $1.62

Rosemary & Garlic Potato Wedges Dinner45 min233 kcal≈ $0.57

Salmon & Cream Cheese Heart-Shaped Omelette Breakfast15 min446 kcal≈ $3.82

Dessert 14

Dark Chocolate Mousse Snack3 h 20 min469 kcal≈ $1.60

Crème Brûlée Snack2 h 50 min430 kcal≈ $0.86

Berry Crumble with Ice Cream Snack35 min442 kcal≈ $1.74

Fudgy Brownies with Ice Cream Snack35 min454 kcal≈ $1.11

Molten Chocolate Cake Snack30 min803 kcal≈ $1.93

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Snack20 min298 kcal≈ $2.07

Low-Calorie Glass Cheesecake Snack15 min295 kcal≈ $2.35

Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce Snack25 min338 kcal≈ $1.20

Coffee-Soaked Tiramisu Snack40 min529 kcal≈ $1.52

Berry and Sponge Trifle Snack1 h 5 min466 kcal≈ $1.67

Heart-Shaped Pancakes with Strawberries Breakfast25 min434 kcal≈ $1.17

Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream Snack15 min365 kcal≈ $1.10

Virgin Berry Mojito Snack10 min159 kcal≈ $2.73

Mulled Wine Snack20 min197 kcal≈ $2.06

How to use it

Every recipe has a servings counter: set two and the grams recalculate. Servings here are restaurant-sized, one course of four: a starter is 300–450 kcal, a main 450–700, a dessert 400–450; four courses come to about 1700 kcal per person, which is a dinner, not a week.

The order of the evening: dessert in the morning or afternoon (mousse, crème brûlée and panna cotta set for hours), starter and salad half an hour before dinner, the main last, since it needs 20–30 minutes of attention. Take meat and fish out of the fridge 20 minutes before frying, and heat the pan hotter than feels right.

Plan a week from this collection

Questions

What to cook for a romantic dinner at home?

Four courses, each simple: caprese skewers or bruschetta, pear and blue cheese salad, a main such as medallions in wine, salmon pasta or duck breast with orange, and a dessert made ahead: chocolate mousse, crème brûlée or panna cotta. Six such dinners are laid out above with the price per person.

What to cook for Valentine's Day on a budget?

Tomato bruschetta, mushroom risotto, berry crumble with ice cream and a non-alcoholic berry mojito: the budget menu above. The pricey items in this collection are always scallops, tenderloin, duck and salmon; cheese, mushrooms, rice and frozen berries give the same evening for a third of the price.

What to cook for Valentine's Day without an oven?

Salmon tartare, carpaccio, pear salad, garlic butter shrimp with rice, salmon pasta in cream, pan scallops, chocolate strawberries, chocolate mousse. The no-oven menu above is made of them.

What to cook for a Valentine's breakfast?

Heart pancakes with strawberries and yogurt, a heart omelette with salmon and cream cheese, hot chocolate with whipped cream. The pancakes are baked in a metal heart mould or cut out after frying; all of it takes 25 minutes.

What can be made ahead?

Desserts: mousse, crème brûlée, panna cotta, tiramisu and trifle only get better after a night in the fridge. The salad dressing, the sauce for the medallions and the caramelised onions can be made in the afternoon too. Fry fish, scallops and steak only right before serving: ten minutes later they are different food.