Romantic and Erotic Cooking

Does anybody here know of recipe books that contain recipes ideal for elaboration by a couple during a quiet, romantic evening? I'm not talking about eating from each other's bodies or anything so crass, I'm talking about recipes involving nice, delicate smells, patience, relaxation, sensorial delectation. Eventually the dinner would be served with candles and good wine, typically. Or maybe not.

Nanny Ogg's cookboook... I don't know, I haven't read it, but I suspect it's not what I'm looking for.

Not the place to ask for such a thing. Lots of nerds.

I know that I've seen some at local fetish shops and stuff, but I don't know if they're any good. For me, a "romantic dinner" is more like DS and I sneaking into a nearby park after dark to have a picnic on the riverbank. That just needs sandwiches and a good setting.

My girlfriend and I make Pelmeni together.

We do it the traditional Russian way, by hand, making our own dough and everything else. It takes time, but we usually make a batch of several hundred dumplings when we do it. It's relaxing, because one of us will be rolling together the dough while the other makes the filling(ground beef and pork with minced onion, black pepper, and garlic) and then we separate the dough and fold dumplings together, talking and drinking while we do so. The whole process can take anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours, and it doesn't feel like a chore to us, it's a good activity to do together.

It's not the type of food that makes it romantic Greg, it's doing something cooperative with your partner that does that. Find a meal that you can hand prepare and try to work together to prepare it, then enjoy your creation together and do the dishes together. It's a great bonding experience.

edited 19th Aug '11 8:00:53 AM by Barkey

I really want Barkey's pelmeni now, dang it. RECIPE.

And yeah, as a proud owner of the Discworld cookbook, I'd say that Nanny Ogg's idea of romance is not going to work for you, unless you enjoy giggling at giant wobbly jello penises.

If you want something that you can prepare ahead of time so your partner doesn't have to help out, I'd recommend a crockpot dish or a soup or stew; something you can leave to bubble and fill the house with a nice scent for hours at a time. Personally I find Asian-themed foodstuffs (cute little pork dumplings, cute little miso soups, cute little rice balls and healthy vegetable dishes, etc) to be very classy and elegant, and therefore suitable for trying to impress dates, although YMMV.

Though Barkey's really right that the food type isn't the most important aspect of the thing, here's a few samples, just to give you inspiration:

Tuscan Soup Miso Soup! Grape leaves are classy as hell, yo. Three-milk cake is a delicious dessert, and looks great when sprinkled with cinnamon and a bit of fruit on top. Reduce the whole milk, though. It's not a date without dumplings!

edited 19th Aug '11 8:19:31 AM by Karkadinn

I have to agree that it's not what the food is, it's the atmosphere that makes it a romantic meal. One of the most romantic meals I ever had was a bowl of chili at 3:00 am.

That said, Google ("Romantic meals" cookbook) with the quotes, but without the parentheses, for lots of websites that have what they call "romantic meals".