Serves 2: Recipes perfect for Valentine's Day

49 Recipes

By Noelle Carter

Feb. 8, 2017

Dandelion greens and bacon are a natural combination. Recipe: Wilted dandelion grens with bacon

Wilted dandelion greens with bacon

20 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Dark green julienned strips of kale are tossed with nutty quinoa and sunflower seeds.

La Grande Orange Cafe's kale and quinoa salad

50 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

You might never miss the meat with this hearty vegetarian dish. Recipe: Vegetarian Hunan-style tofu

Vegetarian Hunan-style tofu

1 hour 10 minutes

Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as part of a multi-dish meal

Recipe: Cleo's Brussels sprouts

Cleo's Brussels sprouts

45 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Recipe: Tuscan kale salad

Little Dom's Tuscan kale salad with grilled heirloom carrots

25 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

This savory take on the comfort food -- stuffed with bacon, Gruyere cheese and dandelion greens and pan-fried to ooey-gooey perfection -- works well served any time of the day. Recipe: Savory stuffed French toast

Savory stuffed French toast

50 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Try a sherry-based zabaglione, whisking in a moderately sweet oloroso with just a touch of hazelnut liqueur. The custard is full-bodied and lightly sweet from the aged sherry, the hints of hazelnut earthy and warm. Recipe: Hazelnut sherry zabaglione

Hazelnut sherry zabaglione

15 minutes

Serves 2

This rich and creamy dessert delivers chocolate accented with a hint of port. Recipe: Frozen chocolate zabaglione

Frozen chocolate zabaglione

25 minutes

Serves 8

Bright with flavor, the rice noodles also make this dish gluten-free. Recipe: Rice noodles with Chinese chives, shrimp, shrimp and pork

Rice noodles with Chinese chives, shrimp and pork (banh pho xao he)

35 minutes

Serves 2 to 3

Grilled shrimp skewers with charmoula make for a quick yet flavorful dinner. Recipe: Grilled shrimp skewers with charmoula

Grilled shrimp skewers with charmoula

15 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

A refreshing light salad inspired to kick off the meal. Recipe: Canele's beet salad

Canele's beet salad

1 hour 40 minutes

Serves 2

Recipe: Garlic shrimp with grilled tomatillos

Garlic shrimp with grilled tomatillos

25 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Chicken breasts are topped with a sauce of tomatoes, olives, herbs and rich pancetta. Recipe: Basque-style chicken

Basque-style chicken

35 minutes

Serves 2

Recipe: Canele's pan-seared snapper

Canele's pan-seared snapper

50 minutes

Serves 2

This dish is clean and simple but packed with flavor. Recipe: Grilled fish with basil oil

Grilled fish with basil oil

30 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

When you get a whole fish, the easiest preperation is simply steaming it, in the Chinese fashion. Recipe: Provencal Braised fish

Provencal braised fish

1 hour

Serves 2 to 4

Cooking a whole fish doesn't just give you a beautiful plate, it's also fast and super easy. Recipe: Pan-roasted fish with prosciutto and mushrooms

Pan-roasted fish with prosciutto and mushrooms

45 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

This clean fish dish is not only tasty, but rather lean. Recipe: Steamed fish with pea shoots

Steamed fish with pea shoots

25 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Toss fat chunks of crab with a fruity dressing of orange and lime juices with fava beans and diced avocado, then with butter lettuce, and you get a decadent salad and an extravagant appetizer in one. Recipe: Crab salad

Crab salad

35 minutes

Serves 2

A thick, 2-pound, bone-in rib steak, some coarse sea salt and pepper. It doesn't take much more to make a perfect main course. Recipe: Cote de boeuf

Cote de boeuf for two

15 minutes

Serves 2

Delicate, creamy and simple to make. Recipe: Meyer lemon posset

Meyer lemon posset

25 minutes

Serves 2 (1/2 cup) portions

Studio shot of Steamed Chicken Salad with Sesame Sauce.

Steamed chicken salad with sesame sauce

20 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Recipe: Barbecue-braised duck legs with garlic grits

Barbecue-braised duck legs with garlic grits

1 hour 50 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

This sweet-spicy dish features Sichuan pepper-salt. Recipe: Honey-lacquered squab with gingered nappa cabbage and fennel-pear puree

Honey-lacquered squab with gingered nappa cabbage and fennel-pear puree

1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 2

New York steak is marinated in a ginger-garlic-hot-chile mixture, then, while grilling, it is sprinkled with Sichuan pepper. The finished dish is actually quite mild. Recipe: Charcoal-grilled Sichuan beef with cilantro-shallot sauce

Charcoal-grilled Sichuan beef with cilantro-shallot sauce

30 minutes

Serves 2

A cold chicken preparation adapted from Robert A. Delfs' "The Good Food of Szechwan" combines the ground aromatic peppercorns with that everyday Asian quartet of ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to make an enchantingly fragrant sauce that transmutes a simple poached chicken breast into a tantalizing and memorable delicacy. Recipe: Cold chicken slices with sesame and Sichuan pepper

Cold chicken slices with sesame and Sichuan pepper

30 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Finely diced mirepoix makes for a relatively simple presentation as the mirepoix can become both decoration and sauce, as well as the platform on which to bake the fish. Recipe: Striped bass with mirepoix

Striped bass with mirepoix

1 hour

Serves 2

"When you slow-cook fish, the flavor seems much fresher, the taste is much cleaner," says chef David LeFevre. Recipe: White wine-steamed bass with horseradish creme

White-wine steamed sea bass with horseradish creme

45 minutes

Serves 2

"You don't want to overpower it with what you're serving it with," says chef Josiah Citrin. "Maybe a little truffle, maybe some foie gras butter. We try to keep it as natural as we can with the sauces. You just want to get the flavor of the chicken." Recipe: Herb-and-lemon-stuffed rotisserie chicken

Herb- and lemon-stuffed rotisserie chicken

1 hour 20 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Artichokes are extremely versatile, with a big enough flavor to match almost anything you can throw at them. The brassy side of the artichoke stands up to black olives, garlic, red pepper, saffron, almonds and orange zest. Recipe: Artichokes braised with saffron, black olives and almonds

Artichokes braised with saffron, black olives and almonds

30 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Sweet citrus complements a meaty fish. Recipe: Halibut with grapefruit and blood orange sauce

Halibut with grapefruit and blood orange sauce

30 minutes

Serves 2 to 3

Madeleine Kamman, in her book "In Madeleine's Kitchen", suggests roasting the legs under a coating of Dijon mustard and breadcrumbs. The crust keeps in the juices while the meat turns succulent. Recipe: Duck legs roasted with mustard

Duck legs roasted with mustard

Total time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Serves 2 to 4

Steaming can produce some of the most satisfying, light meals you can imagine. And the easiest too: With a little thought, you can put together an entire dinner in a single pot. Recipe: One pot shrimp steamer

One-pot shrimp steamer

20 minutes

Serves 2

Beet greens can be stewed with golden raisins and pine nuts and then served at room temperature in a dish that is popular during the hot summer months. Recipe: Beet greens with golden raisins and pine nuts

Beet greens with golden raisins and pine nuts (Cime di rape con uve sultanine e pignoli)

25 minutes

Serves 2

This pasta sauce has an old-fashioned long-simmered taste, but takes less than 15 minutes to cook. Recipe: Rigatoni with mushrooms and pancetta

Rigatoni with mushrooms and pancetta

Active work time: 15 minutes Total preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves 2 to 3

Chicken is flavored with a blend of soy sauce, lemon juice, coriander, cinnamon, pepper and fennel. Recipe: Soy-sauteed chicken

Soy-sauteed chicken

1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 2 to 3

Steamed baby bok choy is delicious eaten as is, but you can spruce it up with an Asian sauce. You can serve this with fish or chicken or eat it by itself as a light entree. Recipe: Steamed bok choy with Thai sauce

Steamed bok choy with Thai sauce

Active work time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves 2

Steaming food wrapped in parchment paper or foil in the oven is a great idea. Not only do the flavors intensify in the tightly sealed package, but clean-up becomes a breeze. Recipe: Oven-steamed fish with bok choy

Oven-steamed fish with bok choy

Active work time: 10 minutes Total preparation time: 25 minutes

Serves 2

Steaming is an easy and gentle way of cooking without adding fat. It also brings out delicate flavors that are often lost with other methods of cooking. Recipe: Steamed halibut with ginger sauce

Steamed halibut with ginger sauce

30 minutes

Serves 2

"Want to get more soy into your diet? Try this nice, cool tofu salad. It's a good source of protein and surprisingly hearty. Good, too, if you're someone who's trying to avoid red meat," says Jet Tila of his recipe. Recipe: Tofu salad

Tofu salad

15 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Recipe: Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry

Shrimp and broccoli stir-fry

35 minutes

Serves 2

The honey chipotle shrimp salad at the Getty Center's restaurant is blended with a cilantro lime cream. Recipe: Honey chipotle shrimp salad

Honey chipotle shrimp salad from the Restaurant at the Getty Center

40 minutes

Serves 2

Wild mushroom soup is a rich purée. Recipe: Joe's wild mushroom soup

Joe's wild mushroom soup

35 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Spicy shishitos with crispy quinoa.

Spicy shishitos with crispy quinoa

20 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

Shishito grilled cheese.

Shishito grilled cheese sandwich

25 minutes

Makes 1 sandwich

Quick chicken pho

Pho Gà Nhanh (Quick Chicken Pho)

50 minutes

Serves 2

Chicken enchiladas with sauce from Casa Vega.

Chicken enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce

35 minutes

Serves 2 to 4

The Old One Two punch bowl at the Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel.

The old one two

20 minutes

Makes about 1 ½ quarts

Set out this salty-sweet snack in a bowl for parties or package in gift bags.

Salty-Sweet Nutty Buddies

15 minutes

Makes about 8 cups

Noelle Carter is the former Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen director. She left in January 2019.

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