Planning a romantic candle light dinner night needn’t be all that taxing. When it comes to candle light dinner recipe ideas, we’ve got you covered. Our chef crafted candle light dinner menu — Stuffed Mushrooms, Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns, and Clafoutis Mango — comes from the treasure trove of the culinary genius, SuperChef Nandu, and as is certainly foolproof. These fancy looking dishes will drive those hunger pangs away and will surely leave your taste buds tantalized but, at the same time, will still save enough room in your tummy making you feel light and energetic. The candle light meal recipes consist of two appetizers (veg and non-veg) and a fruit-based dessert.
Horsdoeuvre |
An Horsdoeuvre , is an appetizer or a starter , that is a dish served before a main meal. It can be served hot or cold preferably during dinner time not compulsorily. Canapé is a cold or hot starter. Usually Horsdoeuvre is served with a sharp dip, thatallows the taste buds to tickle the palates.
The Table d`hote Menu
The fixed menu with a pricing in totto and the menu will have set of dishes or rather the customer`s Choice is limited .
Lets have a look at a Table d`hote Menu
Stuffed Mushrooms
- Med.sized fresh Button Mushrooms: 12 nos
- Parmesan cheese: 100 gms
- Fresh parsley finely chopped: 1Tbsp
- GG finely chopped: 1 Tbsp
- Rosemary: A pinch
- Mushroom Stem. finely chopped: 12Nos
- Onionfinely chopped: 1no.
- Celery stalk & Heart: 1no. finely chopped
- Capsicumfinely chopped: ½Wedge
- Spinachfinely Shredded: A few leaves
- Salt & Pepper: To Taste
- Oil for sautéing: 60 ml
- Cream cheese: 2tbsp
Method
- Wash Button Mushrooms with refined flour well in a small pan and then wash in running cold water, drain water, place on a kitchen napkin to dry.
- Remove the stem from the Mushrooms, chop the stem finely, keep aside.Chop all vegetables, keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan , sauté GG till the raw smell ceases, add chopped vegetables and shredded spinach and cook.
- Add rosemary, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce , ½ tsp Plum sauce, 2 tbsp fine white bread crumbs, grated cheese and blend well.
- Remove from fire and allow to cool. Then take Mushroom Caps making sure its not at all moist.
- With a teaspoon take the vegetable mix and fill in the Mushroom caps, care should be given in not breaking the sides of mushrooms.
- Place a heap of cream cheese or grated cheese on top of Filled Mushroom and keep the same in a preheated Oven and bake
till the cheese is browned.
Note : To get the best result, plz. Use canned Button Mushrooms in Brine.
Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns |
Ingredients
- Prawns peeled and deveined: 1 kg
- Soy sauce: 1tsp
- White wine or Sherry: 2 tbsp
- Cornflour: 2 tbsp
- vegetable oil: For frying
- Ginger Peeled and fine Chopped: 1tbsp
- 2 garlic chopped: 1tbsp
- GG paste: 1tsp
- Onions Fine Chopped: 2tbsp
- Celery heart and stalk chopped: 1tbsp
- Honey: 1Tbsp
- Red chilly Paste: 1tsp
- Sesame seeds: 1tsp
- Chinese rice: 4 pax
Method
- Combine prawns, soy sauce, white wine and corn flour. GG paste .Marinate and cover with a Cling film, refrigerate for 1hour.
- Place a wok add 2 tbsp. of oil and sauté chopped GG
Onions ,celeryand red chilly paste. Remove from fire and keep aside - Take out the Prawns from refrigerator and dust with corn flour. Keep oil in a wok and when hot, fry the prawns.
- Transfer the golden fried prawns to the sautéed ingredients and add all other ingredients, like sauces, tomato spoon a tbsp and garlic sliced, moisten with little water or seafood stock. Toss, sprinkle sesame seeds
- Serve hot , sprinkle finely chopped Spring Onion and Chinese rice.
Mango Clafoutis |
Clafoutis mix is like making waffles! The recipe reverberates with me because it is resourceful and, the end product, elegant and yummy too.. You can use individual ramekins, a tart mold, or any nonstick egg pans for baking.
The Pancake mixwill fall and subside, but not to worry.We hv an advantage always , almost any fruit can be used to make as a filling ..except citrus ones
Ingredients
- Butter: 10gms
- Sliced mangoes Canned [Pref]: 400gms
- Slivered almonds: 50g
- Plain flour: 2 tbs
- Vanilla Essence: ½ tsp
- Sugar: 100gms
- Egg yolks: 2 nos
- Egg white: 2nos
- Heavy cream: 200ml
Method
- Heat the oven to 190C just before the dish is made.
- Butter a 9 inch Baking dish and gently place the mangoes over the base. Keep aside
- Keep the remaining slices to Place on top of the batter.
- Whisk together flour, sugar ,Vanilla essence egg yolk and cream in a bowl until smooth and fluffy. Fold in whipped egg whites after thoroughly whisking.
- Pour this over the fruits and bake for 25 minutes until it rises to golden brown.Check the mix with a tooth pick so as to know this for perfect cooking.
- The end product will be a bit over creamy and not too dry. Serve warm with toasted almonds strawberry slices on top and some powdered Castor sugar
Recipes Credits
SuperChef Nandakumar
Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination.
From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai.
Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef.
And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine.
He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS.
Cheers!
