Date Night In

January 5, 2015
The romantic dinner is nothing new, but this decidedly modern cookbook designed for the busy couple brings novel flavors and savvy strategy to the table. Food lovers with young children will be especially familiar with Rodriguez’s dilemma—how to revive date night on a limited budget with even more limited childcare—but her solution will work for any couple that’s eager to express their love through cookery. An extension of a dinner series developed on the author’s blog (NotWithoutSalt.com), the collection of date menus is organized seasonally, with a detailed step-by-step time line for breaking down the steps, plus a list of all of the groceries needed. The food is both comforting and creative, from the dude-centric “His Birthday” meal of wedge salad, honey and Sriracha chicken wings, and rainbow chip cake, to a fall feast of crudités with creamy olive tapenade, roasted red onions with golden raisin gremolata, chanterelle pot pie, and poached pears in muscat. Rodriguez’s vivid descriptions and candid revelations make for an engrossing read. With clever cocktails (Gordon’s Cup with caraway, sweet plum sangria) and unexpected snatches of poetry in the mix, all that’s left is the candlelight and meaningful glances. Color photos.

January 1, 2015

To reinvigorate their marriage, busy parents Rodriguez and her husband, Dave, committed to a weekly date night including a home-cooked meal. The author, a food consultant and cooking instructor, featured the dates in a series of posts on her award-winning blog Not Without Salt (notwithoutsalt.com), and here, she's compiled 25 of them into a cookbook. Organized by season, each of these themed dates (e.g., feasting on spring, wooed by fried chicken, a Flemish feast) begins with an introductory essay, followed by a four- to five- course menu with shopping lists, a time line, and recipes. These special-occasion meals offer a mix of sophisticated and comfort foods (e.g., fennel-crusted lamb chops, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with apple and radicchio slaw) and usually include a cocktail, a starter or snack, a main course, and dessert. VERDICT Rodriguez's menus and planning tools can help foodie couples easily plan memorable romantic meals. For a more informal approach to cooking for two, try Carla Snyder's One Pan, Two Plates.

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