Feel really embarrased with this topic- I can cook - though have been dating a chef for a short time and want to impress with my cooking- what do I cook?
Mid week meal - something not too time consuming?
I'm soooo worried as he has his own restaurants?????????

Don't try to impress. I'm sure he will be delighted for anyone to cook him a meal. Keep it really simple, but use the best ingredients you can find and afford. How about a crab linguine? Or Spaghetti Carbonara, fresh salad, lovely bread, drop of nice red wine?

I'll go along with posset here, don't try anything out of your comfort zone. Cook him something you think he will like and not the sort of thing he has on his own menu.

Something like a really good shepherds pie or fish pie with perfectly cooked vegetables.

Some tender pork or lamb chops with honey roasted veg.

Or, why not spend time the night before making a really good cassulet so it only needs heating through on the night while you make some nice garlic bread to go with it and a dessert.

Are you doing starters and dessert as well?

I agree with posset - stay with something that you have cooked regularly and feel confident about, perhaps spending a little more on the ingredients, and maybe investing a little more time than usual in the preparation to get it really spot on. Aim to get the finer details just right, like the seasoning, presentation, and do make sure the plates are hot - chefs seem to have a thing about that.

What I would suggest, is that you find out well beforehand what kind of food he really enjoys eating - serving someone something that is beautifully prepared and presented is a waste of effort if they are not keen on that particular type of food.

Good old-fashioned English food is all the go at the moment, so how about something like Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie served with perfectly cooked vegetables? When I make cottage pie I use beef steak mince which I slow cook for 4 - 6 hours - my son's love it, and they are real fuss-pots over food - btw, one of my sons is a trainee chef.

Or you could do a spag bol made the Heston Blumenthal way - again slow cooked for 4 - 6 hours. With either of these dishes you could get the meat cooked the day before, and then assemble and finish off the cooking as and when on the day of the meal.

If you decide to go Italian, you could serve a bread and butter pudding made with panattoni for dessert - which is dead easy and it tastes delicious.

I also have a recipe for a spicy tomato tart made with filo pastry which is very easy to do and would make a nice starter for an Italian evening.

If you would like some recipes post up and I will find some for you.

Whatever you cook, I hope you have a lovely evening - I'm sure he will be thinking more about you than the food- so don't worry about having to impress. Good luck.

All I can say is thank God for posset and gastrosurf for keeping this website alive!!! If it wasn't for them there would only be one or two posts a week!

Sad indeed.

Perhaps if UKTVFood would freshen up its programming we could get a little bit more interest in this board???

Hope, hope, HOPE??? The last thread on this board had a reply in mid-December. Tragic.

What a strange mix of emotions TVFoodie
posset and gastrosurf have been taking over with there own little self-fan-club. Hope that has been disbanded now.
I don't see how UKTVFood programming affects people asking about Home Entertaining apart from if people arent asking questions the programmes must be providing enough information.

If you didn't have an answer for the thread why have you posted on it anyway.

Apart from trouble making.

EMZ, I'm sure you done your meal for chef boyfriend by now. If not I'd do him a Kate and Sidney Pie.

Make the steak and kidney casserole the night before then cover in pastry and bake on the night.

TVFoodie,

Are you sure you posted under the right thread and forum?

There are replies to all threads - half a dozen up untill Christmas, and another half a dozen in January. Only a couple in February but we are only just out of the first week.