Wake up senses with aphrodisiacs this Valentine’s Day
John F. Brothers | 缅北禁地
Finishing with a luxuriously indulgent dessert of crepes and cherries jubilee for two.
Chocolate truffles are a delectable treat for your Valentine.
Roasted asparagus and carrots with duchess potatoes complements the entree of chicken almondine.
Strawberries hand dipped in chocolate.
Two tasty spreads served with heart-shaped bread.
An arugula salad accented with roasted beets, goat cheese and toasted pecans.
An appetizer of oyster fritters with curry remoulade followed by shrimp bisque.
The saying goes 鈥渢he way to a man鈥檚 (person鈥檚) heart is through their stomach. Now more than ever, food is sexy, and if you are looking for a way to heat up Valentine鈥檚 Day, look no further than your kitchen.
Cooking a meal made with food having aphrodisiac properties is a great way to go in making the day more enjoyable.
Aphrodisiacs get their power from various foods that have their roots in many different cultures. These foods are usually aphrodisiacs based on their mesmerizing flavors and smells, because of their shapes, or due to their legendary status. Aphrodisiacs get their name from Aphrodite; the Greek goddess of sensuality.
Like a good chef, who is considered a great lover because of their attention to food through the senses, an aphrodisiac usually starts the process of amore as a result of how it affects these senses. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, wines, and behaviors have had a reputation for making love more attainable and/or pleasurable. Their effect on a person may be based upon visual, olfactory or smell, or the effect it has orally due to taste or mouth feel. .
Most, however, have proven themselves as aphrodisiac because of their nutritional properties which have an effect on the body, libido or reproduction. Some foods get the blood flowing, some cause hormones and other chemicals to be released, while other cause inhibitions to be muted
Also, it鈥檚 the little things that make the meal taste good. The extra touches, taking time to make heart shaped foods, preparing of favorite foods, planning all aspects of the evening to show you care, have a positive on the evening. A glass of wine (aphrodisiac), a cocktail or even a favorite beer may be the kindling for the evening.
When planning your aphrodisiac menu, the big three are oysters, garlic and chocolate. Although debatable, there are dozens of other foods that may help you with your V-day quest. To start, oysters are brimming with zinc, which raise testosterone production and libido. For years, at the restaurant, I served oysters on the half shell for Valentine鈥檚 Day. When I switched to oyster fritters, we served a ton of them.
Oyster fritters
2 dozen oysters
戮 cup of flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup of milk
1 egg
陆 teaspoon salt
陆 teaspoon pepper
Dash of hot saucen
Vegetable oil
Sift together baking powder and flour. Whisk in rest of ingredients, except oysters. until smooth.
Heat up vegetable oil in a sauce pan for frying. Drop oysters in batter and remove one by one and fry in oil. Serve with curry dipping sauce.
nsome cultures put hot peppers up there with oysters as a powerful aphrodisiac.
Garlic is the most widely recognized aphrodisiac. It is considered one in nearly every culture on the planet. Pairing roasted garlic with artichokes makes for a more flavorful artichoke dip. In the middle ages, women who ate artichokes were reputed to be loose and artichokes were promoted as 鈥淜eeping the bottom hot.鈥�
Roasted garlic and artichoke dip
Garlic bulb
Medium onion diced
2 tablespoons butter
录 cup white wine
1 can artichoke hearts drained
陆 bag (5oz) spinach chopped
1 medium tomato diced
2/3 cup parm cheese
陆 cup shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper
Cut top off of garlic. Wrap in foil and throw in 350 degree oven for 35 minute. Sweat onions in butter, add spinach and white wine; cook until spinach limp. Add cream and tomatoes and cook down for 10 min. Fold in cheeses add salt and pepper. Pull garlic out of oven and squeeze out creamy, roasted garlic into the artichoke dip. Serve.
Basil is a powerful aphrodisiac that promotes circulation and heats up the body. The ancient Greeks praised basil for its power to cure headaches, so no more excuses, ladies. The Italians believed that pine (pignoli) nuts were the most potent aphrodisiac. Put these together to make pesto and you have a tasty spread for crostini, a topping for chicken and fish or toss in your pasta.
Pesto
C. basil leaves
1/4 cup pignoli (pine) nuts
Clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
In food processor or blender; chop together first four ingredients. Don鈥檛 overdo it. Fold in cheese. Because pinenuts are expensive and hard to find, you can substitute walnuts which are still an aphrodisiac, but not as legendary as pine nuts.
Agnolo Torredano, Casanova鈥檚 traveling partner, said of shrimp that it was the 鈥渇ood of life that makes it possible for this cold, old body to still enjoy the heat of passion.鈥� And, in some Caribbean cultures it is believed that eating shrimp during sex doubles the pleasure.
Shrimp Bisque
1 medium onion, small dice
6 tablespoons butter
戮 pound of shrimp with tails
3 celery ribs, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup sherry
3 tablespoons tomato paste
录 cup flour
Pint fish or clam stock
2 bay leaves
陆 teaspoons cracked pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon sugar
1 quart cream
陆 teaspoon paprika
Sweat onions in butter and then add celery and carrots along with shrimp. Pull shrimp. Remove tails and put back in pot and with garlic and saut茅 a little longer. Deglaze with sherry. Stir in tomato paste and add flour and stir in. Add peppercorns, sugar, Worcestershire, bay leaves Add stock and reduce by half. Pull bay leaves and strain. Rinse pot out with touch of water and strain. Add cream to soup. Simmer until soup lightly coats back of spoon. Add paprika. Note: You can substitute lobster for shrimp and chicken stock for fish stock.
Arugula has been recognized as an aphrodisiac since the birth of Christ, when the philosopher Pliny mentioned it as a food to increase libido. The romans even consecrated arugula to the fertility god Priapus. Primarily used in salads, this peppery lettuce can be used in soups, on pizza, tossed in pasta etc.
Combined with beets, whose properties enhance the senses and goat cheese, rumored to be more powerful than chocolate, this salad is sure to pop.
Arugula salad
3 ounces arugula
1 medium beet
3 ounces goat cheese
Vinaigrette
Brush beet with oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and put in 350 degree oven for one hour. Cool, peel (use gloves) and slice. Arrange arugula on two plates. You can use canned beets, but they are not as flavorful.
A main dish of Chicken Amandine, roasted asparagus and carrots along with duchess potatoes can be the meal that seals the deal. Almonds have been part of the aphrodisiac formula since antiquity. The aroma was thought to arouse passion in women; Sampson was to have courted Delilah with almonds. Asparagus is considered the most powerful aphrodisiac for men, in France the bridegroom was to eat three dishes with asparagus before his wedding night. Pair them with carrots, recognized as popular as garlic and potatoes; which in Shakespeare鈥檚 time were a love food鈥nd what a meal.
Chicken Amandine
2 boneless chicken breasts
录 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons butter
Flour
Salt and pepper
录 cup chicken stock
Jigger amaretto (optional)
Pound chicken breast thin, season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In pan, place two tablespoons of butter, when bubbling, add chicken and saute. When cooked, set aside and put almonds in pan with other pat of butter. Saut茅 nuts until toasted and then add amaretto and chicken stock. Reduce and spoon over chicken. For a nuttier flavor and aroma, add some ground nuts to flour. You can substitute pork or fish, especially salmon, another aphrodisiac.
Roasted Asparagus and Carrots
陆 pound asparagus
1 carrot
tablespoon oil
Salt and pepper
Trim asparagus and julienne carrots. Toss vegetables in oil and put on cookie sheet. Place in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Duchess Potatoes
1 pound russet potatoes
陆 cup cream
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
陆 teaspoon salt
录 teaspoon pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Peel and cube potatoes, boil off until fork tender. Drain and mash, make sure potatoes are smooth. A mixer or ricer works best. Beat in cream, egg yolks, 2 tablespoons butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Put in pastry bag with tip and pipe on to sheet pan in circle or heart shaped. It can also be spooned onto a sheet pan. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
Crepes are a great vehicle for anything aphrodisiac. It can be and appetizer rolled around spreads and dips, it can be filled with shrimp Newburg or smoked salmon, filled with fresh fruit for a valentine鈥檚 breakfast or here for dessert with cherries jubilee. Because of its association with new life, the egg was considered the ultimate symbol of fertility among almost every ancient nation. In this recipe, cherries are paramount. Cherries are said to enhance pheromone production.
Crepes
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
Pinch salt
Butter for pan
Sift flour and salt, whisk egg and milk, whisk together dry and wet until smooth. Heat a 6- or 7-inch pan until medium hot, brush with butter and ladle a little over an ounce of batter into top of pan and tilt to cover whole pan. Heat until pulling away from pan. Flip and cook for a minute on other side.
Cherries Jubilee
12 ounce pitted cherries or can of tart cherries
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice or cherry juice from can
3 tablespoons kirsch (cherry liquor) or brandy
Melt butter and add sugar, cherries and a splash of juice or water. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add brandy and cook off for a minute. Serve over crepes or ice-cream or both.
In saving the best for last, we fire one last salvo of love. As if you need an excuse to eat chocolate, serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal, is in chocolate. Unfortunately guys, in a recent survey, nearly 40 percent of all women would pick chocolate over sex.
Chocolate-covered strawberries
About 2 dozen strawberries
8 ounces chocolate chopped or chips
1 tablespoon of butter or shortening
Heat chocolate in double boiler
Add butter. When melted; dip strawberries in chocolate. Upside down in egg cartons is a good way to cool or on toothpicks in styrofoam.
For a shinier chocolate, add a teaspoon of corn syrup.
Truffles
8 ounce chocolate
2 tablespoons gran Marnier or your favorite liqueur
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup cream
1 egg yolk
Heat cream until almost boiling. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Beat in yolk quickly and add butter. Cool. With a melonballer, scoop out about 陆-ounce balls. If no baller, pinch off 陆 ounce and roll in ball, quickly. Roll in choice of coating. Cocoa powder is traditional. Coatings: Chopped almonds, chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, red sprinkles, coconut, and melted chocolate.
Disclaimer: Aphrodisiacs are not a guarantee. Love and desire are needed in order to help these foods fuel your Valentine. I am not responsible for anything as a result of these foods. Do not leave them on my doorstep; I have enough mouths to feed.