Whether it’s for Valentine’s Day, a special occasion, or you’re simply treating yourself, an impressive homemade meal is never a bad idea. These fancy dinner ideas will help you take things to the next level and pull off a restaurant-worthy spread in the comfort of your own kitchen.
For an appetizer, try making your own tartare or searing scallops and pairing them with a spicy pomegranate reduction. As for main courses, steak au poivre is a reliable classic, while lobster risotto and homemade stuffed pasta are great options, too. And of course, this is the time for a decadent dessert. Whether you want luscious chocolate cake or a gorgeous French Napoleon, these recipes will help you end your fancy dinner on a sweet note. Start planning your date night now.
Bitter Greens Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
The key to this perfectly tangy-sweet vinaigrette is to first make an easy raspberry shrub from frozen berries. The dressing brings balance to the peppery, spicy mix of arugula, radicchio, and frisée; roasted, salted Marcona almonds and burrata cheese balls provide an elegant finish.
Beef Tenderloin Tartare with Anchovy-Cornichon Vinaigrette
Aubrie Pick
Turn a prime-grade filet into a restaurant-worthy appetizer in two hours. Chef Daisy Ryan adds quick-pickled red onion to her fabulous vinaigrette, which is folded into the cubed beef to infuse it with flavor.
Seared Scallops with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Our riff on chef Ori Menashe’s scallop aguachile sends scallops to the skillet for a quick sear before bobbing in a spicy pomegranate reduction for a beautiful presentation and fresh, fruity flavor.
Potatoes au Gratin
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Kay Clarke
In this rich, beautiful gratin, potatoes and onions are arranged in concentric circles, coated in a creamy cheese sauce, and topped off with a few more handfuls of shredded cheese.
Butter-Basted Sous Vide Pork Chops with Fennel and Coriander
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Using the sous vide method guarantees perfectly juicy, tender pork. Spooning butter over the chop as it sears in the skillet along with garlic, sage, and shallot infuses the meat with incredible flavor.
Asparagus Caesar with Pecorino
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Asparagus marries well with all sorts of mains; here, it’s drizzled with Caesar dressing, dusted with grated pecorino, and sprinkled with smoky almonds for an elevated side that brings the romance in vegetable form.
Smoked Mozzarella Mezzelune with Braised Onion Sauce
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Missie Neville Crawford
This crescent-shaped stuffed pasta is a relatively simple shape to try that requires little equipment to make at home. It’s filled with rosemary and smoked mozzarella, then paired with a thick, robust, slow-cooked tomato-onion sauce.
Steak au Poivre with Red Wine Pan Sauce
Cara Cormack
This recipe calls for a rib eye steak trimmed and tied with butcher twine. The rich pan sauce — made with red wine, butter, broth, and fond (aka the delicious browned bits still stuck to the pan) — complements the steak’s peppery bite.
Lemon-Tarragon Shrimp Scampi with Orzo
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Your date doesn’t need to know that this juicy shrimp over creamy orzo, prepared with white wine, garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs, took only half an hour to put together.
Dirty Martini Baked Potatoes
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Add gin-soaked olives and sharp blue cheese to twice-baked russet potatoes for a side that stands out.
Lobster Risotto
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Recipe developer Anna Theoktisto brings us this golden-hued risotto with generous pieces of lobster. Saffron tints the risotto and imparts a lovely floral note to the dish.
Red Wine Vinegar Marinated Flat Iron Steak
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Use either your grill or a grill pan to have a flavorful steak on the table in 25 minutes with this simple recipe from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen.
Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli with Cranberry Agrodolce
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee
Tossed in a sweet-tart sauce studded with tangy cranberries, Fresno chiles, and shallots, crispy, golden brown brussels sprouts and smoky, almost-charred broccoli are transformed into an easy, elegant side dish.
Italian Wedge Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
Season a thick slab of crunchy lettuce with olive oil and lemon juice, top with a spicy Italian ranch dressing, and load with garlic croutons, two kinds of pickled peppers, soppressata, and fresh herbs for this restaurant-worthy way to kick off a date.
Mushroom and Cabbage Wellington
Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling
Serve a golden pastry filled with mixed mushrooms and garlicky, buttery cabbage for a fancy vegetarian main course.
Mussels with Harissa and Basil
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
A creamy, smoky red pepper puree gets swirled into these harissa-spiked steamed mussels for a striking presentation.
Molten Chocolate Cake
Jennifer Causey
Molten chocolate cakes became famous for a reason: They’re cakey on the outside with an irresistible center of warm dark chocolate flowing through the middle. The first time you try one, it may seem like magic, but this recipe is actually quite easy to make and ready in under an hour.
Black Cod with Miso
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This simplified recipe means you can start marinating in the morning to serve a version of chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s iconic, elegant miso cod, a signature at restaurants around the world, for dinner.
Mille-Feuille
Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Crisp and creamy, buttery and lightly sweet, this classic French pastry has it all — it’s a superb way to punctuate a special meal at home.
Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Garlic in Olive Oil
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
“New” olive oil — called olio novello or olio nuovo in Italian — is vibrantly green and incredibly fresh-tasting. Its pronounced flavors transform this simple recipe featuring the gorgeous, concentrated flavors of roasted grape tomatoes over toasted ciabatta.
Römertopf-Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables
Victor Protasio
Less is more with the simple sophistication of this delicious, juicy roast chicken. Seasoned with just salt and pepper and stuffed with shallot and thyme, the bird is nestled into a bed of sweet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, parsnip, and garlic before it’s baked to perfection.
Japanese Eggplant with Black Garlic–Tahini Dressing
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Beautifully coat pan-seared Japanese eggplant with a tangy dressing made with black garlic and creamy tahini for an elegant side in a half hour.
Braised Lamb Shanks with Herb Salad
Dylan + Jeni / Food Styling by Brett Long / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva
This recipe from 2018 F&W Best New Chef Katianna Hong will ensure you impress dinner guests with lamb that’s crispy on the outside yet fall-off-the-bone tender. A homemade mustard sauce is easy to pull together, and perilla seeds are a nice touch for added crunch.
Candied Almond Affogato
Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee
All you need to make this elegant, end-of-meal treat is a scoop or two of gelato and a shot of hot espresso. Fancify with almond liqueur, candied almonds, and crushed amaretti cookies as desired.