Cook as if You’re in a Rom-Com

It’s the third act. After an adorable meet-cute and some bumbling mishaps, our romantic leads — you and your valentine — have finally found each other. The lighting is warm, the wine is open and Aaron Neville’s “Crazy Love” is playing softly in the background. It’s time for dinner.

Valentine’s Day calls for rom-com cooking, and we have lots of recipes that feel positively cinematic, the sort of special-occasion dishes that encourage suspension of disbelief and let you gleefully ignore the fact that it’s the middle of the week and the laundry is still sitting in the dryer. First up: vanilla crème brûlée. You won’t need a kitchen blowtorch for this five-star Mark Bittman recipe; instead you’ll use your oven’s broiler to achieve that distinctive crackly sugar crust. (Though if you do use a small propane torch, please be sure to wink at your valentine when it ignites.)

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Vanilla Crème Brûlée

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If you’re aiming for a “Moonstruck” moment, here’s Ali Slagle’s recipe for rib-eye steak. Ali’s foolproof recipe has you flipping your steak often to ensure evenly cooked meat with an impressive browned crust. Shallots, thyme or rosemary infuse the pan sauce, though a good smear of garlic butter would also be welcome (on both the steak and the side of boiled spaghetti Loretta serves in the film).

A great risotto — like Martha Rose Shulman’s mushroom risotto with peas — requires a bit of babying to get it to that luscious, creamy consistency. Good thing, then, that there are two of you to take turns stirring this elegant vegetarian dish.