Will you be cooking up a romantic dinner this Valentine’s Day? Make things easier by using one of our recipes – and we even recommend the best wines to pair with each dish…

Valentine’s Day recipes – Starters

For a really special Valentine’s Day meal, go for a classic ingredient like lobster. This lobster tortellini and medallions recipe from Michel Roux Jr looks the part, and he suggests pairing with a Bandol rosé – ideal for Valentine’s.

Lobster Tortellini

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

For those who shy away from shellfish, there’s always Roux Jr’s recipe for mushroom agnolotti – plus see the best wines to match with it from Master Sommelier Aristide Spies MS, so you can really impress your date.

Or, try this Great Italian Chefs recipe for agnolotti with burrata and mint, which Decanter recommends pairing with a crisp Italian white wine, like Verdicchio or Pinot Grigio.

Agnolotti

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Valentine’s Day Mains

For a simple main course that can mostly be prepared in advance, try Roux Jr’s recipe for tarte a la tomate, for which he recommends drinking a Provence rosé.

If it’s a heartier meal you’re after, try Rosi Hanson’s slow cooked leg of lamb recipe. Again, a lot of preparation can be done in advance. Inspired by meals enjoyed by grape pickers in the French wine harvests, this is the dish to try that robust Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve been waiting to open.

Valentine’s Day Desserts

Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to enjoy rosé Champagne, and a delicious dessert to pair with that is Roux Jr’s Gateau de Savoie; a light and airy French sponge that his recipe fills with chestnut purée and Chantilly cream.

Alternatively, finish your Valentine’s Day meal with this no-bake mozzarella cheesecake with berry sauce (pictured top) – an indulgent dessert that is simple to prepare. Decanter recommends something sweet to go with it, like a late harvest Riesling or Muscat.

Crêpe cake with bitter chocolate mousse

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

For a chocolate dessert option, you can’t go wrong with this crêpe cake with bitter chocolate mousse (above)– served with passion fruit and berry purees that keep the dish fresh. Decanter recommends matching this with either a fruity Port or Recioto Valpolicella.

Ellie Douglas
Digital Editor

Ellie Douglas is digital editor at Decanter.

She has worked at Decanter since 2013, when she joined as editorial assistant, then moving to the web team as assistant web editor in 2015.

Over her years at Decanter, Ellie has helped to significantly grow Decanter’s social media presence and with the launch of Decanter Premium in 2017.

She holds her WSET Level three in Wine, and in 2018 was shortlisted for PPA Digital Content Champion of the Year.