Food for Thought: Cooking up a romantic Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and couples are desperately trying to figure out what to do for a romantic evening with their lover. While a swanky restaurant and a bottle of champagne seems like the safe route for dinner, it is not always the more economical. Plus, last minute planners may find it hard to get a reservation so close to one of the busiest days for any classy food establishment.

If you find yourself in this kind of jam: short on cash or running late on planning, fear not. It can be just as romantic to cook your darling a homemade meal, specially planned to include their favourite foods.

As my dad says “food is love” and it is so thoughtful and impressive to show someone you care by making them a carefully planned meal. It's not as hard as you might think to make an ordinary meal into a dream date for your valentine.

First, find out what they like to eat, and what they really don't like to eat. Make sure you ask them about any food allergies; you wouldn't want to accidentally serve lobster bisque to your date if they are allergic to shellfish. The emergency room is probably not the most love-inspiring place to spend your Valentine's Day.

Whatever you decide to make, make sure that it is within your skill level to execute. If you feel uncomfortable baking, you may not want to try a seven layer butter-cream genoise cake. This meal is pretty important so you will want to guarantee the dish is a sure thing. A simple dish cooked to perfection is a million times better than an extravagant dish that didn't work out. Success in the kitchen will boost your confidence and promote success in the night.

Next, try to incorporate aphrodisiac foods into the meal. Aphrodisiacs are foods that are believed to increase the sexual energy of a person upon eating or smelling them. Some popular food thought to be aphrodisiac in nature are chocolate, licorice, strawberries, figs, vanilla, pineapple, fennel and truffles. Try to use some of these ingredients in your meal and see what happens! Here are a few suggestions for sensual meal additions that include aphrodisiacs:

- Chocolate fondue, with pineapple, strawberry and banana to dip in. You can add a little brandy or Baileys to the chocolate to give it a little extra heat. Adding a small pinch of cayenne can also spice things up and tastes great in chocolate. Don't burn it though! Chocolate burns fairly easy and doesn't smell very nice when it does.

- Fig and fennel salad, with a lemon vanilla vinaigrette. Slice the fennel thinly so your date doesn't get overwhelmed with anise flavour. If you are using dried figs, it's best to soak them in a warm liquid (be it wine or water) to soften them up. Fresh figs are always the better choice, but can be a bit expensive. However, Valentine's Day is once a year, so it's worth it to make the meal extra special. Whole vanilla beans can be found at most specialty food stores, Loblaw or the Canadian Superstore. Just slice down the centre of the bean lengthwise and open the pod to reveal the flavourful seeds. These can be scraped off with a knife and whisked into your lemon juice with a little honey, salt and pepper. A port drizzle can finish this dish off perfectly and will give it that beautiful pink colour.

- Linguine with sauteed mushrooms, rosemary and truffle oil. This is a simple entree that can be jazzed up with a slight drizzle of the truffle oil. Truffle oil can be found at most upscale grocery stores and specialty stores around London, including Jill's Table on King and Talbot. Don't use too much oil though! This stuff is very powerful and a little drop goes a long way. Toss your pasta in a little olive oil and fresh chopped rosemary for moisture and flavour and sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan for a super sexy dish.

Once you've figured your food out for Valentine's dinner, it is always appreciated to add a few extra touches and make the atmosphere that much more special. Create little heart shaped place cards, light a candle and place a rose in the centre of the table. Maybe even paint a heart with raspberry jam on your dessert plate. Every little bit counts and will show your company just how much effort you put into the evening.