Anniversary dinner. Food suggestions?

Ahleckz

Ahleckz

Ahleckz

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Glasgow
I'm cooking a meal for my girlfriend and I next weekend for our anniversary, however I'm not sure what to make!

I'm a decent cook, and wanting to push myself a little bit on this one. I'm after two courses (starter and main) and the only thing that would be off the menu would be duck, rabbit and anything based heavily on mushrooms.

I'm thinking something fish related, maybe langoustine (though they'll have to be deshelled), scallops or a cured salmon for the starter. As for main course, I'm at a bit of a loss. I'll eat anything (bar a lot of mushroom flavour) whereas she isn't keen on eating 'cute' stuff like rabbit/deer/etc.

Wine suggestions would also be nice, less than £10 a bottle please. White + Red! I have an average kitchen, with the usual stuff you'd find so should be able to create most. Obviously sous vide isn't going to happen and I don't have a BBQ. Not too fussed on the price, as it'll be cheaper than going out for dinner!

So, any ideas?
 
I don't want to spend ages in the kitchen when she's here, but she can easily stand around with a drink if I need to cook!
Happy to do the prep work in advance, can spend all Saturday morning doing basic veg, and if stuff needs marinaded then that's fine and can do that at any point in the week.
My plates are white, and round.
Nothing I'd particularly like to include, but some sort of fish would be nice. She had never eaten 'proper' fish before she met me, but now loves all sorts of it.
I'd prefer a warm starter.
I like classic French and Japanese cooking. She loves fish, and doesn't like cute animals being eaten.
 
Going to go fancy for the starter, and go quite simple with the main in the form of a cracking bit of fillet steak with a red wine jus and caramalised onions. That way, I can make a desert as well which would be nice.

Thanks for the suggestion glitch, I'll take a picture of it plated up to let you critique!
 
Hah, what you said was great. It's actually a week today rather than today so got all week to plan the menu and sort out getting the food and booze! We ended up in Oban on Thursday night and she had scallops for the first time, which she really enjoyed so that's good.
 
Right, got some scallops today from the fishmonger (almost head butted a low hanging pigeon in the place!) and some pancetta. Going to give this pancetta foam and sand a trial run and see how it goes. I also bought a celeraic because I'd never seen them in the supermarket before so going to make a puree out of that and see what it's like. Planning on having steak as a main, so might serve the puree with that.

I must say, Morrison's is an excellent supermarket. A new one has opened nearby, and it's a much nicer place to be than my local Tesco or the ASDA I work for.
 
Right, here's my menu that I settled on. She should be arriving soon. And I've done all the prep. I've made a fancy recipe card and printed that out, because it's cute. So I'll just copy and paste that so excuse the patheticness of it!

Seared Scallops upon Celeriac Purée, topped with Black Olive Tapenade
Fresh, hand dived, scallops, quickly seared scallops. Paired with a refreshing celeriac purée and topped with an exciting black olive tapenade. Set amongst a pancetta beach.

Mocha Steak with Oyster Mushroom Sauce
Sirloin steak, flavored with coffee and chocolate. Served upon velvet potatoes accompanied with roasted asparagus spears with an oyster mushroom sauce.

Green Tea and Vanilla Panna Cotta
A luxuriously, but pleasantly light, panna cotta exotically twinned with vanilla and green tea. Served with a rich, decadent, chocolate sauce.

Champagne & Strawberries
Probably not served at the table…
 
Didn't get to pudding, went out clubbing instead. :D

Steak was awesome, as was the starter. I've got a picture of my steak so I'll pop up a picture later.
 
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