What would you cook to impress a lady?

1) Depends on the lady! (If she has any special quirks in her diet, address these for extra points).

2) Something from scratch. Probably homemade Japanese food with homemade dashi stock and homemade tofu. The more time it takes, the more loving the dish will appear.

3) Something healthy (show her you make good choices).

4) Something DELICIOUS. Get her seratonin up. Chocolate is a good bet if she likes it. Definitely leave room for a homemade dessert and she’ll be wowed.

The way to a woman’s heart…

Depends on the lady, like @timothykinney said. For me, if my boyfriend cooked me a pizza from scratch and made it just the way I like it, well then that’s all I could ever ask for and certainly the way to my heart, lol. But then again, pizza is my weakness.

I’d like lasagna, some crusty bread and something gooey warm and chocolate for dessert.
Don’t forget the wine!
Oh and @ModernEpicurian , can I come over?

Something you are comfortable cooking. This is no time to learn about Beef Wellington, Lemon Meringue Pie and a vegetable dish where everything has to be julienned. Stick with what you know; she’ll be thrilled.

A perfect omelet.

@wilma if I knew you, you would be beyond welcome :-) x

If she’s ever mentioned a food related to a happy memory, I would cook that. I would say ‘I wanted to give you another happy memory’ or something similar.

Failing that, cook something that is simple and easy to eat (I hate trying to eat messy food on a date). So linguine and crab legs might be out a bit. What about granny smith apple salad with chicken? Or steak? (my personal weakness)

who said you need to impress a lady in first place??? isn’t your charm and charisma enough??? :D

remember, iron chef is just a tv show, and of course, you are not bender

I agree that you should stick with something you are comfortable making just do your best at it. If it is a great bbq dinner or fantastic spaghetti that is much better and more reflective of your true self than some fancy-pants dinner, IMO. But I’d say go all out on the dessert. That is where you can try something new and impress her.

My husband and I enjoy trying different places when we go out to eat. This past year we found a fondue restaurant in Wilmington, NC and have been there a few times. We have concluded that we need one of those at home. fondue kit- each time we have gone we spend hours eating and talking. There are cheese appetizer fondues, then your broth that you cook your meat and veggies in (dipping sauces on the side) and then the amazing dessert fondue which is a kind of chocolate. The kits aren’t that expensive. this would be a cool idea for any part of the meal. We also have wine. As a woman I love the dessert fondue. the things we dip are strawberries, pineapple, apples, bananas, pretzels, rice crispy treats, cream puffs, marshmellows, oreos- there is so much room for creativity and fun here! as a lady i would love this as a dessert.

it’s not exactly healthy, but fettucine alfredo is fun to do. You heat up some butter and heavy cream.. double the amount of cream than butter (you can also do some heavy cream and some half and half), season it with salt and a good amount of black pepper (throw in a little nutmeg for a different flavor)... then you take about 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese, throw half of it in your serving bowl… pour your cream mixture over it. Dump in your freshly drained pasta, and toss it with tongs. Sprinkle in the rest of the cheese and keep tossing. Use some pasta water to get the sauce to a smooth consistency if it gets too thick. It’s fun because you mix it right there at the table… always impressive.

Sushi
that you can eat off each other.

I usually whip up a pork roast with vegetables and a salad. Or grill a steak.

stuffed artichokes :)
soup or a creative salad (with nuts, fruit, homemade dressing… if you need a recipe let me know!)
i’d stick with what @gemiwing said about seeing if she has mentioned anything about food in the past.
you could creatively ask her over for dinner and find out what she likes – suggest take out and surprise her! let us know what you decide to do & how it goes!!

hopefully breakfast ;) zing

@ModernEpicurian: And do keep in mind that you are establishing precedent. If you do something astonishing and original, you can’t not do it again. Particularly if you want to live happily every after. If you are truly not at home in the kitchen, offer to paint her bedroom or change the oil in her car.

However, you username does tell us something about you, or does it?

If you are serious, dig out a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and try her coq au vin, boeuf bourgignonne, etc.

Chocolate cake. From scratch.

Surprisingly easy.

Oh, and it works.

Trust me.

If the two of you have a favorite restraunt that you go to then use that as your inspiration for the meal. If not then use what you know about her likes and dislikes to come up with something she would enjoy. Make sure to have her favorite dessert that way even if the meal didn’t turn out exactly the way you wanted you have that to fall back on.

Whatever you cook, make a test run of it beforehand. It doesn’t have to be something amazing, just well-prepared and well-balanced. If you want to really impress her, you should time it so she comes over when you’re partway done cooking, with maybe 15 minutes or so left. This way she gets to see you in action, and you can have her do some semi-useful task like stirring or opening the wine. If you like wine, that is. I would totally do this if I had a lady friend. Pick something for everyday drinking, like $10—$20, but an interesting grape or region. Wines from up-and-coming regions or the New World are more likely to taste good relative to what you pay for them. My favorites are Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Verdejo from Spain, Torrontes from Argentina, Shiraz or Shiraz blend from Australia, and Malbec from Argentina. Spending a few minutes cooking together will make the event feel more casual and intimate, and it will ease the awkwardness of sitting down to a fancy dinner. If she isn’t ready for a sweeping romantic gesture, this will help warm her up to the idea gradually.

But here are some things that are easy and classy.
– Prosciutto or pate with fancy cheese, fig spread, and crusty bread or tiny crackers. You literally don’t have to cook anything for this appetizer. Just eat them. The flavors go soo well together, and it tastes great with red wine.
– If you make a mixed green salad, add fruit like grapes sliced in half, apple pieces, raspberries, or sliced strawberries, and pieces of some nice, salty cheese like feta. If you want, add walnuts, and serve it with a vinaigrette. It’s a lot more interesting, flavor and texture-wise, than a regular salad.
-Cook an entree that is specific to your heritage. If you’re Irish, make corned beef and cabbage. If you’re Italian, maybe take it a step further and cook something specific to your region of Italy. Etc. It will be yummy and it will get you both talking, plus it’s great to learn about your own background. Or just anything you are especially great at making.
-You can totally buy dessert. If you go to a nice bakery and pick out something good, that’s completely fine. Most ladies like tiramisu. If you serve dessert with coffee, it is verrry classy.

I second chocolate cake from scratch! Yummmm!

I would be very impressed with homemade bread. I think if you really want to set the hook, you should cook the meal together.

Eggs Benedict and champagne for breakfast worked pretty well on me.

I’ve always told my boys that the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.

My sweetie and I have a great time cooking together. Allows us to talk. When we first started dating we used to make cookies together.

You are so cute to try and charm her into ever after with a good meal, not a bad idea if she’s kind of sweet on you already. Anyhoo, what are her favorite foods? I’d start there and then rig something together.

What would you cook for a loved one?
For my loved one I’d like to cook Eggs a la King over home made baking soda biscuits and served with fatback bacon from Texas and a bowl of canned sliced peaches from a restaurant called Goodies that used to be a California landmark (not even sure it exists anymore but the peach syrup was like no other I’ve tasted since).

What has worked for you in the past?
I’d have to consult my ex husband for his most remembered/treasured dish but I did score points with my ex bf for how I cook meats. He’d not had a decent indoor steak or chops until he met me. It came down to where he and his two brothers (lived with us) didn’t want anyone to cook meat except me.
My current <3 interest seems to like how I cook meats too.

What has failed completely for you?
Aside from slicing a finger open, bleeding for hours and burning up a few pots & pans? Hmnn… maybe overcooking fish and shellfish, there weren’t any oohs and ahhs for that dish. heh.

It really really depends on the lady -in so many ways. I just can’t stress that enough. I love lasagna, but the last thing in the world I need is lasagna right now. A guy that suddenly cooked lasagna for me when I was trying to work off years of it would just turn me off. It would feel like he didn’t know me at all.

What I would cook for the loved one has to do with the loved one themselves. Right now my husband is trying to stay away from starchy stuff, so no bread, no potato, no rice, no pasta. I’d make a steak, steamed asparagus, salad with lots of flavors (radish, red onion, walnut, carrot, tomato, etc.) Currently no desserts. My daughter has a thing for roasted chicken and she loves broccoli. So, if she were coming over that’s what I’d make. My son’s tastes have changed a lot over the years, and his girlfriend is vegetarian. If they were coming over I’d probably make a vegetarian chili with some homemade cornbread. (I’d have to send them home with the cornbread so my husband wouldn’t be tempted by it. :^> )

All the things above have worked for me in the past. Here are some things that would work on me from the right guy. (You know, imagining some world where my fella had to try to impress me all over again….) A korma, either vegetarian or lamb, like my favorite Indian restaurant does. Salmon with a nice fruity sauce and side salad. Basically, if he makes something for me that I can’t make for myself (yet) and something that will be healthy and tasty—that’s a winner.

And something that worked wonders on me recently, my husband made Alton Brown’s 40 clove garlic chicken. It was amazing! And he tells me it’s super simple. The hardest part was just peeling all the garlic. Then it’s almost no other prep. He did serve that one with bread, though. You really want to take advantage of a nice rustic bread to spread the garlic cloves on with your meal. And garlicy kisses are the best!

I don’t think anything has failed completely for me. There’s always some way to make things better or you just bail and have a different meal.

What really impresses me about my husband’s cooking is his attitude about it.
1) Before the dish he usually gets me ready for what’s coming. He talks over what we’d each like to go with the dish whether that’s wine or apps, whether he’s cooking alone and wants me out of the kitchen or wants help with something. Sometimes a part of the meal is a surprise, but not all of it has to be.
2) He’s not offended when he asks what I think and I tell him. He likes to talk over his assessment and mine with a mind toward problem solving. Whatever it is -that dish will be better next time.
3) There’s a back up plan when he tries something new. If the thing is just not edible, we go to plan B which can be going out instead, having more of the other courses, or pulling something quick and easy out of the fridge.

Mainly, you’re not applying for a job as a cook. You want to show her that you know her and get what she likes, that you care enough to do things like this for her, that you’ll put in the effort, that whether it turns out good or bad you can roll with it and not turn into a jerk when things don’t go your way, and that you’re trying to impress her.

I hope it works out well for you. I’d enjoy hearing about what you did and how it worked out if you would be willing to let us know. Cheers!

A guy I met online and had gone on a couple dates with invited me to his house… he offered to make some of his famous chili and we’d watch football together (yes, for me this sounded like a great date!). So I made a joke that I barely knew him, so how could I know what he’d try to put in the chilli? So he took his laptop webcam, and set it up in his kitchen so I could watch him prepare the chili. He presented it like a TV cooking show… it was very sweet and funny. And when I went over the next day, the chili was delicious! (and so were the smooches!)

He enjoyed cooking and made me many scrumptious meals during the time that we were together. Unfortunately, his recipes were not low-fat and he never really modified them, despite his dissatisfaction with my weight and the weight he gained while we were together. So I bought him a couple cookbooks with healthier modifications and portion sizes as gifts.

A really good roasted chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and parsnips, asparagus or brussels sprouts, and homemade ice cream or cookies or cake for dessert.

My boyfriend made me this meal regularly and then he became my fiance, so it must work.

When I was dating, I had 5 easy dishes I could make, to give the impression I can cook.
Ham
Lasagna
BBQ Chicken
Chicken-Broccolli
Broiled Steak.

@filmfann: I do hope you have kept up the impression that you can prepare an occasional meal. It’s not nice to be a cook-tease.

I cook dinner at least once a week. Sometimes, it is heating up a pizza. Last week, making the best glazed ham you ever ate.

@filmfann: Sounds lovely.

slow roasted chicken or turkey with made from scratch everything on the side, including the biscuits. Just don’t have the special dinner with her be your first time making those things. Practice on friends and family first.

My sister and I have been arguing for 40 years over how long to cook the turkey. White meat too dry, dark tender? Stuffing inside or out of bird, or both? Organic, free-range turkey (good luck with that)?

Dinner is either earlier or later than we planned.

One year my niece brined the turkey overnight. After it was done, it was too salty to eat.I’ve heard that deep frying is a successful method.

@gailcalled: Alton Brown suggests putting your stuffing in a re-usable organic cotton produce bag and heating it in the microwave on high for six minutes, then placing it directly into the turkey and putting the turkey directly into the oven.

This way, when you take the turkey out of the oven once it reaches the correct internal temperature (taken in the thigh), the stuffing inside is not only cooked to the correct internal temperature to ensure the bird juices are fully cooked, but it’s also easily removed from the turkey.

@poofandmook: Thank you, but for me now, the turkey prep is, thank heavens, only academic. I will do side dishes, cranberries, dessert. I can no longer bear to touch a naked fowl.

@gailcalled Deep frying a turkey. Ick! :)

I asked my husband this and he said if he just met me he would flambe for me. So, flambe? My recommendation: be careful and have a fire extinguisher handy.