ideas for 3 course meal???

Question

I want to cook my new boyfriend a special birthday meal, i want to do 3 courses, it will be the first time i have cooked for him.
any ideas would be greatly appriciated.

Answer 1

you don't want to cook anything that means that you are spending too much time in the kitchen - after all, you want to spend it with him rather than sweating over a stove. You also don't want something that ends up with you both feeling bloated, so I would suggest a light prawn salad for starters - easy to prepare in advance, just chopped lettuce and celery and half a dozen jumbo prawns, with a little light dressing. That can be already on the table when he arrives.
Then a steak - men like them, they're easy to cook and you can't go wrong. A jacket potato on the side (you don't have to worry about them, stick them in the oven and the timing isn't crucial) with some frozen peas. That is your time in the kitchen, just cooking the steak and peas.
Then fresh fruit with ice-cream, maybe some raspberries and blackberries. With a little fresh single cream on top, very luxurious.
The whole point is that you are not worrying about everything coming to the boil at the same time or anything being overcooked. So a simple meal works best and will impress him, mostly because he will have eaten a delicious supper and you will have been glamorous, composed and unstressed throughout it all!
Bon appetit!

Answer 2

I always make the starter and Pud v simple.

Shop bought pate mashed up to look home made served with oatcakes and a nice salad with shop bought cranberry jelly or sauce or coulis.

Very tasty Very easy.

For mains I do chicken breast stuffed with Haggis.

Cook Haggis first. Unfold/Open up the chicken breasts and spoon in haggis wrap individually in tin foil and cook for 25 Min's. Serve with potatoes and veg. With a Hollandaise and Drambuie sauce this is the bit that looks tricky bit isn't. Buy a jar of ready made Hollands sauce and heat very gently. Pour some Drambuie
into a frying pan and heat gently when hot you need to burn off the alcohol as it taste horrible. You nee to put a match to the Drambuie!! Be prepared for a big flame which you need to try and
blow out quite quickly. It looks great! Then you pour some of the Drambuie into the heated sauce probably add in about a fifth of the total mixture. Its tastes fabby and everyone things you a re a great cook. Just go to a great patisserie and buy 2 little tarts for pudding. Easy and Beautiful.

Hope it all goes well.

By the way the first meal I cooked for my now husband was hamburgers on toast with melted cheese and beans. I thought it was Delicious he was very disappointed!! we still laugh about it.

Answer 3

I agree that the last thing you want to be doing is sweating over a hot stove all day and night! But the trick is to make him think that you have! Its the same no matter how many you are cooking for but there is nothing worse than the host being tied to the kitchen all evening, especially when there is only 1 guest!

So find a starter that requires no cooking, something casual sets the scene and means you can relax and chat for a while rather than panic about timings for the first course. I wouldnt go for soup though - men just dont seem to like it so much as a starter! Not sure why.

Think of a main course that can be cooked in advance - at least the main part of it and then an easily assembled or pre-cooked dessert. You may find that you are a bit full and want a rest after the main course, so a dessert that can wait a while is sometimes a good idea.

I would also go for a bit of a theme. If he loves Indian then that is perfect, perhaps an Italian or maybe he prefers a manly steak?
Some ideas:

I wont bore you with recipes as there are loads on the internet, and you can chose to make or buy depending on how adventurous you are.

Indian:
Start with pappadoms, onion salad and lime pickle/mango chutney, then serve a tandoori chicken or chicken tikka pieces with some yogurt and mint dip.
For the main course chose a curry, you can cook in advance and the rice can be cooking while you are eating the starter. It just needs reheating - or can be left in th oven while you eat starter.
dessert wise you could make kulfi - traditional Indian dessert. Or maybe an exotic fruit salad with pineapple, passionfruit, blue berries etc - maybe drizzle with honey, chopped nuts and a dollop of cream or icecream.

Italian:
Starter of antipasti, a platter of cooked meats, avocado, mozzarella, bread, (a dip of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is nice) artichokes/marinated mushrooms or peppers - you can make or find in a jar, sun blush tomatoes, galia melon, olives etc.. Serve with some big tomatoes chopped into slices.
Main course - make a good lasagne, canneloni, or a spag bol. Serve with big salad and garlic bread plus loads of fresh shaved parmesan.
Dessert: Tiramisu - very easy to make in advance and delicious!

Thai:
Starter of satay prawn/pork/chicken etc, fish cakes prawn toasts etc (you can fry in advance and then keep warm in the oven)
Main course: Thai red or green curry, or perhaps coconut and lime chicken (blend coconut milk with lime juice and grated rind, chilli, lemongrass and soy sauce) pour over chicken breasts and marinade overnight. Just take out of marinade (it will go hard) and grill. Take left over marinade and warm in saucepan - serve as a sauce. Serve with rice or stir fry or mange tout that sort of thing.
Dessert the same for indian.

Steakhouse style food:
Starter: Garlic mushrooms or asparagus with butter, or prawns - griddled or served as a prawn cocktail. If you like seafood, oysters, lobster, crab etc would be lovely.
Main Course: Steak, grilled as you both like it, serve with dauphinoise potatoes and salad
Dessert: Chocolate fondue (dip fruit and marshmallows into melted chocolate, or maybe make creme brulee?

Personally I would buy good quality icecream for dessert - Im not a fan of cooking puds!

Answer 4

AskMen.com had an idea for the perfect 3 course date meal for men to make for women, so I don't see why it wouldn't work vice versa. Here it is:

Course 1: Mushroom Fritters
Ingredients
4 oz. mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 egg, separated
2/3 cup milk
Oil for deep frying

Preparation
In a large bowl, toss mushrooms, lemon juice, green onion and parsley.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and thyme. Blend into mushroom mixture.
Beat egg yolk and milk together. Stir into mushroom mixture. Blend until moistened.
Beat egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold into mushroom mixture.
Heat oil to 375 F. Drop batter by tablespoon into the oil. Fry a few at a time, 2 minutes until golden brown, turning once.
Drain on a paper towels. Present on elegant plate with fresh lettuce leaves.
Yields 12 Fritters



Course 2: Mexican Rice
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil or margarine
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin seed
Salt

Preparation
Melt margarine in 2 to 3 quart saucepan.
Add rice and cook over moderate heat until golden, stirring often.
Add onion, pepper and garlic; cook until onion is soft but not brown.
Stir in tomato; cook 30 seconds longer.
Add broth and cumin.
Bring to a boil; stir once or twice.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Add salt to taste.
Yields 6 servings.
Serve in bowl and place some fresh parsley on top.
(This might be good with some chicken in it even)


Course 3: Fruit Salad
Ingredients
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup grapes
1 cup extra fresh fruit
1 passion fruit, optional
1/4 cup fresh orange or grapefruit juice
low-fat yogurt

Preparation
In a mixing bowl, combine apple, orange and grapes.
If using a passion fruit, spoon out the flesh and chop.
Pour enough fresh juice to coat and prevent oxidation.
Toss and refrigerate.
Serve with dollop of low-fat yogurt.

Answer 5

Starter - Cheese in a box
Ingredients
1 box of camembert or Cooleney (Irish cheese)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 thyme sprigs
olive oil
Method
1. Remove the wrapping from the cheese and discard.
2. Slice the cheese in half horizontally and return to the box; one half in the lid, the other in the base.
3. Season each half with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a sprig of thyme to each and drizzle both with olive oil.
4. Bake in a hot oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
5. Serve in the boxes with crusty bread for dipping.
Main course - Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
30g/1oz olive oil
200g/7oz beef steak, cut into thin strips
2 spring onions, finely sliced
200ml/7fl oz double cream
½ tsp paprika
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
2. Fry the beef strips for 3-4 minutes until brown.
3. Add the spring onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
5. In the same pan heat the cream, paprika and white wine vinegar together for a few minutes.
6. Return the meat and spring onions to the pan and simmer gently for 4-5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Desert- Panettone Plateau
Ingredients
1 medium panettone
1 tbsp rum (optional)
450g/1lb mascarpone
285g can sweetened chestnut purée
290ml/10fl oz double cream, lightly whipped
4 tbsp icing sugar
85g/3oz dark chocolate, grated
Method
1. Place a 22cm/8in greased ring mould onto a baking sheet.
2. Cut a slice from the bottom of the panettone to line the base of the mould.
3. Spoon over the rum.
4. Process together the mascarpone and the chestnut purée. Place in a large bowl and fold in the lightly whipped cream.
5. Spread over the base of the panettone. Chill in the fridge.
6. Remove the ring by placing a hot tea towel around the edge and lifting off.
7. Sprinkle over the grated chocolate, slice and serve.

All courses are relatively straight forward and quick to cook prepare. The cheese starter if you haven't tried it before is fantastic. The Stroganoff can be prepared in advance as can the desert.

Answer 6

OK, this is soooooooooooooooo easy, and you will be spending time with him, not in the kitchen.

Ahead of time, just whip up a brownie mix and frost it with canned frosting. Add a candle! (Course #3 )

Buy a pre-made salad, add some cheese and croutons. Hot Rolls too. (Course #1)

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin (Course #2)

1 pork tenderloin (3-4 lbs)
olive oil, 1 Tblsp.
salt, 1/2 tsp.
pepper, 1/4 tsp.
any herbs, about 1 tsp.
Mix oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Rub over pork. Place in glass baking dish, large enough so you don't have to curl then ends up to fit it in. Place in 350 oven and roast for 50-60 mins.

Onion Roasted Potatoes
2 lbs. new potatoes, washed well but not peeled
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup
Olive Oil, about 203 Tblsp.

Then, spray the inside of a baking dish. Cut potatoes in half and place in dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle packet of Lipton onion soup over the potatoes. Mix well by tossing with your hands. Place in oven with pork for 40 mins.

Add a stove top steamed veggie if you'd like but not really necessary.

2 hours TOPS total

Answer 7

If you can't cook, I would start with a salad:

Romaine lettuce, field greens or a spring mix, grape tomatoes, & red onions tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper). Or you can buy a tangy tomato dressing and top the salad with gorogonzola & walnuts or pecans.

For the main course, pasta - simple and elegant:

Either fettucini alfredo with chicken or a nice capellini with tomato & shrimp. (Email me for the recipes, I don't give these out easily)

For dessert:

Poundcake on a plated drizzled with chocolate. put some fresh blueberries and quartered strawberries next to it and a dollop of whipped cream.


If you CAN cook,
Same salad.
Eggplant parmesan over pasta marinara
creme brulee

Answer 8

It depends on your cooking skills. If you're not experienced, I'd go for something straightforward and simple, rather than spend too much time fussing.
You could do a soup - especially one that can be made the day before and reheated. Then go for something that can't go wrong - shepherd's pie. Followed by a trifle or somesuch.
I'd choose a soup - water cress, carrot. Then something like shepherd's pie and a salad. Chocolate mousse?

Answer 9

1st Course : Smoked salmon on Carr's Table water biscuits with Philippe Gonet Champagne
2nd Course : Beef Tenderloin medium doneness with red wine and mushroom sauce and Cobb Salad plus roast potatoes with some E & J Gallo Cabernet Zinfandel wine
3rd Course : pear poached in red wine with vanilla ice cream
End with Coffee and some Ghiradelli Chocolate mints plus Cognac
ENJOY!

Answer 10

How about a warm grilled peach and frisee salad with goats cheese dressing for starters (simple stuff!)

A rib of beef with rosemary and garlic roast potatoes (I've done this one myself and it's pretty simple)

And a nice light lemon and lime cheesecake to finish with - this is basically just mascarpone, fruit juices, fruit zest and a digestive biscuit base but it is the most delicious dessert!