What is Valentine's without surprises? This is one dinner I truly enjoyed planning with two men for their Bible study group of seven couples. As I was told, each year these men look for a new restaurant to take their wives for a special dinner. This year (2011) however they wanted something more special, more private and with more surprises. So having found my private dining venture, they booked me and we carefully planned this evening. Bouquets of roses were delivered in the morning and kept in my house for each of them to give to their wives. But for that special surprise, I asked my driver to stay for the night and pretend to deliver them just after dinner and was never discovered by the women. To top it all, to their amusement a guy came to serenade the wives!
Let's not forget though that food and ambience are the most important for the success of a special event. I went on to research on aphrodisiac ingredients and created a menu with each dish having one of these ingredients. Three single red roses were held by vintage wine bottles on each table strewn with rose petals and illuminated by candle light. And to cap the evening, special giveaways of chocolate truffles I prepared in simple gift boxes tied with a red ribbon were given to the women.
It was indeed a wonderful Valentine's surprise!
To start off, here are my two table settings, each with three roses in vintage wine bottles and menu cards framed by dinner napkins
The menu
Crostini with cream cheese, chives and CAVIAR
OYSTER soup with frizzled leeks and cayenne pepper
Roasted chicken with GARLIC confit, saffron scented couscous and pine nuts
Wicked hot CHOCOLATE mousse
GINGER tea
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