“Help me find a recipe” is my third favorite text to receive, following only “I have some gossip” and “Can I be rude for a second?” This week it came from a friend asking what she should cook for her date who was coming over for dinner for the first time. Said date had already cooked her vodka sauce pasta and lobster (like, they’re in love???), so the stakes were high. Cooking for someone you actually think you might like is a delicate balance — you want something impressive but not too try-hard, composed but not too fussy, comforting but not too rich, lest you get hit with some unsavory after effects. Luckily these kinds of situations are why Sifted was born in the first place. Read on for recipes and menu ideas that will woo anyone, whether it’s your fifth date or your fiftieth.
RECC CENTER
Gaby’s Reccs:
What’s cooking:
Honestly, not much. Lately I’ve been coming home from work, making a big, boring salad, using my NuFACE for 10 minutes, popping a sleep edible and going to bed by 9pm. One night, though, I tossed some Caesar dressing with beautiful endive leaves instead of romaine, and that felt like a treat.
What I’m eating:
The chocolate cream pie at 4 Charles Prime Rib maintains its title as one of the best desserts in this city. If anyone knows what’s in the rich, incredibly silky mousse they fill the chocolate cookie crust with, please hit my line.
What I’m reading/watching/consuming:
I literally giggle my way around the city listening to Jake Shane’s new podcast, Therapuss. His gasps kill me.
On my radar:
I’m taking care of sourdough starter and it’s an absolutely wondrous journey that is also annoying as hell — exactly what I imagine having a baby is like. It breaks my heart to have to dump some out every day, so if you have any must-make recipes that call for starter, let me know.
Court’s Reccs:
What’s cooking:
A big batch of my absolute favorite mushroom soup, which inexplicably tastes better every day after every day it sits in the fridge. I always add one big potato (cut up into cubes) in with the stock to make it a bit heartier when it blends.
What I’m eating:
Setting a record for sending-link-to-eating-food turnaround time by going to A Xiang Mi Xian for the Anhui ban mian mere days after seeing it here. Somewhere between Taiwanese beef noodle soup and Xian Famous Foods’ chili oil-slicked hand-pulled noodles, it is quite possibly the perfect remedy for this spurt of freezing weather.
Do not sleep on the mala dry pot potato chips.
What I’m reading/watching/consuming:
As someone whose favorite travel hobby is walking through the local grocery store, this account speaks to me deeply. Finding a 2024 prediction guide from that’s actually spot on. One final reminder: if you’re not watching RHOSLCthis is how you’re doing.
On my radar:
Both Gaby and I immediately clocked this recipe from
Ella Quittner on Instagram: “A work-in-progress recipe for my Malted Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars, which will probably change 1,000 times between now and book. Swipe through for the instructions, as well as several real-time demonstrations of my tremor.”
Eating food with your fingers is hot… or a very efficient way to realize the person you’re on a date with gives you the ick. Instead of a formal salad with dinner, I like big, whole leaves you can both nibble on while you finish cooking, or alongside your first drink while you’re still getting over the initials nerves. Try a Caesar or green goddess with big leaves of romaine or baby Bibb—this dressing if you’re going all out, this if you’re tight on time—dressed or served alongside the dressing like a dip, or a simple endive salad à la Gaby this week, with suprêmed orange segments, toasted walnuts, your favorite soft cheese, and your best olive oil. -CK
This is the perfect recipe to make in front of someone you really want to impress. You can invite them over “for lamb ragu,” which sounds so fancy, but all you actually have to do is brown a pound of ground lamb, add a can of crushed tomatoes and let that simmer while you boil water for some sort of long, slurp-able noodle (way sexier than a short shape). Effortlessly top the whole thing with a little mint or basil and a lot of cheese. -GS
My first pick for protein was short ribs. While quite rich, they also fall under long braises, which (like the aforementioned ragu) are foolproof and delicious, so long as you have time on your side. However, if your grocery store doesn’t carry them, or you want something a little less first-thought, what about this tried-and-true chicken recipe from our friend
? It’s simple, relatively inexpensive, easy to execute, and screams “I tried, but I didn’t try so hard that if one of us isn’t feeling it, we can bow out and no one will get hurt.” -CK
Rebecca Firkser on Instagram: “Chicken and vinegar is one of those flavor combinations that just....works. I looked into why and how, and also wrote my own recipe (inspired by a north Jersey classic), all on @food52 rn. Links in bio! 📸 @tymecham 🍗 @samanthaseneviratne 🍽 @widisam”
I like when people make me dinner on dates because I’m a messy cook. Once, though, I brought a guy a box of these cookies and the next day he texted me that he had already eaten them all. They’re intensely cocoa-y and their crackly-chewy texture is always impressive, plus, they require minimal ingredients and travel well. -GS
Somehow the only photo I have of these. Very good thing to do with them though.
Let’s hear your cooking-for-a-date stories. We have a feeling you guys have some good ones…
