TL:DR Preparing food with her is one great big DHV routine that makes for easy kino. Eating it with her builds comfort. All this together makes her feel good and associate good feelings with you.

Dessert recipe Wine selection

Context: I come from a big family, and my mum went back to work when I was 10. She did lots of night shifts, so I put my hand up to cook and by age 12 was typically cooking for 7 people 3 nights a week. If you didn't spend much time in the kitchen as a kid, then seriously, take some cooking classes. Not only will you meet girls, but you'll gain an awesome skill that will raise your own physical state (which levels up your inner game) and will help build comfort so you can seal the deal with your date.

Setup: Sarah (33) and I met a few weeks ago through a mutual friend at a party. I found her attractive straight away, talked to her on and off throughout the night, set up a first date at a coffee shop for a few nights later and kiss-closed on that date, but nothing beyond that. We texted back and forth a little during the week, in which we talked a bit about food and it came to light that she likes cooking but never gets anywhere with desserts. That was my opening to invite myself over. "I'm making dessert at your place."

Prep: I baked profiterole cases the night before (takes about 2hrs), so I could fill and finish them off in her kitchen (takes about 20 mins) . I also brought fresh strawberries with both white and dark chocolate for melting, a piping bag and a bottle of sparkling strawberry wine. Chocolate and berries are just about a foolproof flavour pairing. You've gotta do pretty badly to fuck it up.

The date: I got to her house around 7:30 with a bag full of food and gear, greeted her with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, looked her in the eyes and said "Are you ready for something sweet and awesome?" Then took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen.

Started by melting dark chocolate for the strawberries, then dipping each one and setting on a plate, chilled them in the freezer for a few minutes while I melted some white chocolate to drizzle over them (the taste isn't much different, but the presentation is awesome, and we eat with our eyes first). The whole time this was going on, we talked and joked about. I found it easier to get into as making food is a familiar activity and I know this dessert is damn tasty, so it calmed my nerves a bit and allowed me to relax and be funny. Worst case scenario, I'd get to eat an awesome dessert with a girl. So I could relax instead of thinking too much about trying to lay her. I periodically swung between negging her about the state of her kitchen, "god, no wonder you live on McDonalds" (she's half chinese and probably a better cook than me), and popping strawberries in her mouth (push-pull).

Then I moved on to fill the profiterole casings with chocolate mascarpone using a piping bag. I did two and said, "Now it's your turn", guiding her over to the bench with a hand in the small of her back.

By this stage, the kitchen was full of the smell of strawberries, pastry and chocolate, and I had already hand-fed her three strawberries. The point was to engage all of her senses and keep her focussed on the food, so that when I went to kino her by standing right up close to her and taking both her hands to show her how to use a piping bag, it was natural and easy. While we were still standing with our bodies together, I checked to make sure her hair was tied back out of the way, then went "whoops" and smeared whipped cream and icing sugar all over one side of her face. It's so cliche, but that's because it WORKS! Laughter and a brief food fight ensued.

Eventually we got the kitchen cleaned and dessert plated up, and sat on the couch to eat it with a glass of wine each. We ate and then made out for a couple of minutes on the couch, but she resisted a bit when I tried to go further, so we watched TV for a bit and I got up to get her another glass of wine (it's not plying her with alcohol -- it's a natural accompaniment for the dessert I made her, dammit). While she sipped wine and watched TV, after a few minutes I started ramping up slowly again by playing with her hair, massaging her shoulders and back and kissing the back of her neck.

When the show we were watching finished and an ad break came on, I took the remote and muted the TV, then turned to her again and started kissing, first her lips, then around to her neck and so on ... F-close.

Closing thoughts: 1. The home ground advantage counts for a lot. I'm not a big club-goer and feel out of place on the dance floor, but the kitchen is my home ground. In fairness, cooking isn't that great for getting you first dates. But for the second date, it's hard to beat. 2. I find cooking desserts (as opposed to savoury main courses) to be a handy way to screen out girls. The ones that are always dieting and terrified of putting an ounce on their already-underweight figures are not girls I want to hook up with. When I mention vanilla beans, sugar, cream and eggs (ie a creme brulee) in conversation, the wannabe stick figures either back away slowly or they just tune you out. The ones that have fewer body issues go YUM! and start thinking about how they can get you to make them one.