11 dishes that say ‘I love you’ (and don’t involve chocolate)

We hear the way to a man's – or woman's – heart is through his or her stomach, so we're swapping cheesy cards and heading straight to the source (in some instances, sauce). If you're crushing hard, feeling the slow burn or keen to put a ring on it, brush up on these recipes and put the va-va-voom back into your love life.

Source: the food dept.

1. Hit ’em with the old one-two punch

For new couples trying to avoid pressure, we recommend an apéritif engagement. Crank up the record player, prepare Pugliese breadsticks, and serve your crush a cup of Dean Martin’s punch-drunk love. Via Feast magazine

2. Summer lovin’

If you and your partner share an unconventional kinda love, enjoy some free-form action with this stone fruit tart. Colourful, unstructured and made with easy-peasy pastry, Anneka Manning’s dessert sings of hot summer nights.

Source: Alan Benson

3. Call it a slow burn

This slow-roasted special is one of the easiest dishes to prepare in advance. Pop it into the oven and four hours later you'll have lamb that's so soft and succulent, it's bound to melt hearts. Via the food dept. 

Source: the food dept.

4. Strawberries and cream, but not as you know it

Long before whipped cream and chocolate fountains existed, strawberries were added to meat and pulse dishes in ancient Rome. Feast’s strawberry risotto takes the savoury fruit combo to even greater heights. After all, if you can’t trust Italians for romance, who can you trust?

Strawberry risotto (risotto alle fragole)

5. Baby, it’s impossible not to love you

If you’re experiencing a rocky patch, go for Anneka Manning’s impossible coconut pie and put the passion(fruit) back in your relationship. This custardy cake is impossible to mess up, so you’ll be tasting sweet success with that special someone.

Source: Alan Benson

6. I’m a-dip-ted to you

For those dating an outdoorsy type, pack a picnic spread with a comfy rug, cracking bottle of Champagne, crunchy baguette and this eggplant and miso dip from Cho Cho San’s Nic Wong.

Eggplant miso dip Source: China Squirrel

7. Cute as a cookie

Keen to put a ring on it? Drop a few subtle hints. Baking these Mexican wedding cookies (polvorones) are classier than leaving jewellery catalogues on the coffee table.

8. Crushing hard and fast

Get serious over seafood - with lobster, no less. Perhaps not for the faint-hearted, Luke Nguyen’s recipe crushes the crustacean’s coral (roe) and mixes it with butter and parsley for a big flavour bang.

Homard lobster baked in corail butter. (SBS Food) Source: SBS Food

9. So many layers of L.O.V.E.

A good relationship should look like Nicole Joy’s raspberry love cakes – strong, healthy base; sweet and tender centre; with some juiciness to boot. This mousse-y mixture may taste like chocolate, but it’s actually made from cashews, coconut oil and cacao butter, so you’re playing fair and square.

10. Bittersweet symphony

Barberries are popular in Middle Eastern cooking and commonly feature in wedding banquets. The sour taste is said to remind newlyweds that life isn’t always sweet. Serve Feast’s barberry-topped tahchin – a chicken, saffron and rice dish – and savour the good times, not the bad.

11. Time for afternoon delight

Call us predictable, but nothing says “I love you” like Sri Lankan Love cake. Scented with nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and rosewater, Peter Kuruvita’s recipe is perfect for afternoon tea with the object of your affection.

Sri Lankan love cake

For more romantic bites, check out our Valentine's Day recipe collection.