Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas

With Valentine’s Day coming soon it should come as no surprise that everybody is running to find the perfect gift. However, at the end of the day a good;Valentine’s Day dinner can be a perfect celebration or the best way to give your special day the perfect wrap-up.

A tasty home-cooked meal is something that shows both your dedication and creativity. And it’s a great opportunity to surprise your significant other with new recipes that will impress them. With that in mind today we’ll be taking a look at 3 great and unique recipes that are sure to leave an impression this Valentine’s Day.

Each of these recipes is easy to grasp and follow but you can rest assured that the final results will leave anybody speechless. So, without further ado let’s get started and take a look at our 3 Valentine’s Day dinner recommendations.

HICKORY SMOKED PORK CHOPS

Pork is always a great option, but finely grilled and smoked pork is a completely different treat. This first recipe is all about bringing a new level of flavor to an old classic and the complex flavor and spices will make this a favorite of your household in no time.

First and foremost, let’s take a look at what we’ll be requiring:

• 3 Pork Chops
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Avocado Oil
• Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Onion Powder, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder and Black Pepper
• Hickory Wood Chips

To start we are going to mix the cider oil and spices in a bowl, once it’s properly mixed toss the pork chops inside the bowl and leave it refrigerating for 30 minutes. At the same time take your hickory chips and cover them with water in another bowl. We’ll leave them soaking for the same 30 minutes as our chops.

Now we are going to drain the chips and place them in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap the chips and make a foil packet for the chips, then take your knife and open holes in this new packet.

Now it’s time to heat your grill and place the packet on the grill for 20 minutes or until you can see smoke coming out of the foil. This is your cue to turn off the grill on the side opposite to the chips. Now place the pork chops on that side for one minute and flip them over. Now all we need to do is to cover the grill and let the chops cook over the indirect heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

The secret to this recipe lies fully in the temperature control and this means for the perfect result you are going to need food thermometers. If you don’t count with one then there’s no reason to worry as ThermoPro‘s selection has you fully covered. If you want fast reading and don’t want anything too involved the Lightning and TP19 are great options. Just pick any meat or food and you’ll get an instant reading.

However, if you want a more involved alternative then the TP20 might be the better pick. The TP20 can monitor two temperatures at once, comes with 9 different presets and has a remote monitor giving you much more freedom when cooking. It’s that edge you need to make sure your meals are always at the perfect internal temperature.

BRAZILIAN FISH STEW

Brazilian Fish Stew or Moqueca as it’s known locally is an exotic and flavorful pick that your significant other won’t be expecting. So let’s get started right away with the ingredients you will need:

• White Fish (Halibut, Cod, Sea Bass, etc.)
• Olive Oil
• Onion, Carrots and Peppers.
• Garlic and Chili Peppers.
• Tomatoes, tomato paste and your favorite spices.
• Fish or Chicken stock.
• Coconut Milk
• Cilantro.

The first step is to properly season the fish, after that saute the onion, salt and olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Now lower the heat to medium and add the carrots, garlic and both types of peppers; leave this cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes.

Now it’s time to add the stock, tomatoes, spices and tomato paste. Let this new mix cook until you can feel the carrots are tender. You can now add the coconut milk and nestle the fish pieces on the mix. If the cuts aren’t too thick you can continue cooking in your pan for roughly 5 minutes, making sure you get the desired texture. For thicker cuts you can move this stew to the oven and heat at 350℉ for 8 to 10 minutes.

Your Mosquera should be ready by now, so add some cilantro on top and feel free to serve it to your partner.

TAHINI BROWNIES

A good dessert is always welcome and sweets are far too iconic to pass up on Valentine’s Day. So today we’ll go over a new spin on a classic meal as we explain how to do Tahini Brownies. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Salted Butter, Sugar, Tahini Paste and Cocoa Powder.
• 70% Dark Chocolate.
• Milk
• Baking Soda, Finely Ground Coffee, Flour and Vanilla.
• Salt
• 1 large egg and 2 egg yolks

Start by preheating your oven to 325℉ and at the same time melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave. Take that bowl and stir in the tahini, milk and sugar. Once it’s mixed you can sift the flour, cocoa, soda, coffee, vanilla and salt. Once you have it perfectly mixed again whisk the eggs into it.

Pour this batter into a pan and make sure to spread it thoroughly. Drizzle some tahini on top of the mix, you can go for a complex pattern or simply swirl it with the help of chopsticks.

Bake the brownies at 325℉ for 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and let them rest for another 10 minutes. We’ll be getting the brownies back into the oven for roughly 15 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Once you reach either condition your brownies will be ready and you’ll simply have to wait for them to cool down to cut and serve.

A great Valentine’s Day dinner doesn’t have to be a hard task, and with today’s recipes you can impress your partner and enjoy a great meal. However, we also noticed just how important temperature control is to fully realize any recipe. Thankfully ThermoPro has considered this. Now you have no excuse to not count with a meat thermometer of your own and become the cooking master we know you can be.