Food of Love

White asparagus with angel hair pasta is a romantic treat

"Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses"

"Fork Me, Spoon Me"

White asparagus with angel hair pasta is a romantic treat

What makes food sexy? If you read articles in magazines and google aphrodisiacs, it seems like every food that may possibly be healthy and contain vitamins must be “food of the gods.”

Other foods make the lust list based on their looks (just like some people). Some foods resemble male genitalia — asparagus for its spear shape — and oysters remind some people of the female sex organ.

For me, it’s all about taste and aroma. If a dish looks great but smells like cafeteria food, then appearances do not matter. However, if a recipe turns out on the sloppy side visually but satisfies the taste buds, then the desired effect is achieved.

I chose the following recipes for their ability to stir all the senses: taste, smell, touch or mouthfeel, and visual, but less so on the latter.

The Angel Hair Pasta With Basil Pesto packs a flavorful punch with the addition of pine nuts, which I love on just about all pasta, and the White Asparagus in Cream Sauce exudes a quiet elegance (it looks great in candlelight, too!)

Finally, the Bittersweet Chocolate Pouches contain a nice surprise with a burst of warm chocolate wrapped up in the delicate bundles.

Feel free to share your best romantic meal ideas, not just for the big V day, by any day.

Angel Hair Pasta With Basil Pesto

1/4 cup basil leaves

1/4 cup oregano leaves

1 garlic clove

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

7 ounces angel hair pasta

1/4 cup ripe olives

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Add all ingredients to a food processor except pasta. Pulse until smooth; set aside. Boil salted water and cook pasta al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and combine with pesto mixture. Mix pesto mixture through pasta.

Garnish with ripe olives and parmesan.

Servings: 2

– Recipe adapted from The New Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge (Terrace Publishing, 2007)

White Asparagus in Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound white asparagus

1 stick butter

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup white wine

4 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon garlic salt

Add oil to skillet and coat evenly. Add asparagus and cook with lid about 20 minutes at medium-low heat.

Heat butter over medium heat in saucepan. Remove from burner and combine remaining ingredients. Add more milk or flour to achieve desired consistency.

Servings: 2

Bittersweet Chocolate Pouches

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate baking squares

4 ounces semisweet chocolate baking squares

4 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons for melting

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons crystallized ginger

8 sheets phyllo dough

Thaw phyllo dough for about 30 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, melt chocolate squares; add butter and milk. Gently spread phyllo sheets out on work surface, keeping a damp towel nearby to keep dough moist. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in microwave dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lift 3 to 4 sheets and add 1 tablespoons chocolate sauce and a crystallized ginger piece in the center of each pouch. Fold dough in half left to right, top to bottom. Twist excess dough left at top. Brush dough with melted butter. Bake about 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Servings: 4.

EYE CANDY

• For anyone who has watched the ‘80s erotic classic 9 1/2 Weeks, the ice cube and food scenes are unforgettable. All the different foods Mickey Rourke’s character feeds Kim Basinger is clearly about experimentation, but also brings out food’s playful side.
• Eleven Days, Eleven Nights I and II may not be widely known screen gems, but I will never forget the food scenes in these two movies. The first involves licking honey off a lover’s stomach, and the second involves rubbing shrimp on the body, then feeding it from one lover’s mouth from the other’s. It makes you consider shrimp in a whole new way.
• Like Water for Chocolate, the tortured Spanish love story, features a scene where Tita’s passion for Pedro is translated through her delectable Quail in Rose Petal Sauce. The whole family, especially her disapproving mother, wipes sweat from the upper lip or fans themselves to cool down in the midst of culinary prowess.
• Chocolat is a sweet love story but the scene I remember most is Armande’s last birthday party. The mole sauce gives guests pause as they shut their eyes and allow their heads to loll back in total submission to the pleasure Vianne’s food provides.

EAR CANDY

For your listening pleasure: Rock Candy by Montrose, Caramel by Suzanne Vega, Ice Cream Man by Van Halen, I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl by Nina Simone, Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard, Cherry Pie by Warrant, Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones

MIND CANDY

Fork Me, Spoon Me: The Sensual Cookbook by Amy Reiley (2005)

The first thing that gets your attention is the book cover, not that I would judge it by that, but there is a naked woman sitting in front of an open refrigerator with a coy look on her face.

There is more to this book than pictures, of course, although there are several nudie illustrations by Kersti Frigell sprinkled throughout the pages.

Author Amy Reiley’s writing style rises to the erotic level of the part cookbook/part aphrodisiac guide’s alluring title.

Unlike other writers, she doesn’t just describe why certain foods enhance the libido, but she also shares personal anecdotes about the way aphrodisiacs affect her.

Here is just a sampling:

On ginger: “I love the way my lips tingle and my cheeks flush, even after the merest bite.”

On peaches: “With skin so soft, it could be velvet and with a color like pale skin flushed from exertion, this soft, summer fruit is quite simply sexy … And yes, I’ve been caught more than once in the produce aisle idly petting the peaches.”

On nuts: “It’s all in the technique. No need to practice. Think slow, sexy and purposeful. Lick off the spice, suck on the sugar and tease the residue from your fingers with the tip of your tongue.”

The whole book written in a personable tone and is small enough to hold comfortable in bed.

The New Intercourses:  An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge (Terrace Publishing, 2007)

This cookbook combines the best of models wearing food and nothing else with personal stories from couples on their best aphrodisiac recipes.

Most recipes call for a handful of ingredients and are relatively simple to prepare, but that saves time for other activities, right?

Each aphrodisiac gets its own photo and section. I was most intrigued with the artichoke.

“Together, with your partner, insert your thumbs into the very center of a blanched artichoke, where the leaves meet. Slowly pull the petals apart and down … Continue spreading the petals until you spy a hint of yellowy-white fur. Insert a finger into the opening.”

More resources for lovers are included in the back of the book, including recipes for massage oils a recipe for Yummy Yummy Juicy Warm.

Also, for those star-crossed lovers, there is an aphrodisiac usage guide for astrological signs, and if you want to get really technical, aphrodisiacs by the hour.

The book is a satisfying read with tasteful photographs to complement the need for visual erotica.

Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses by Isabel Allende (HarperPerennial, 1998)

This is my all-time favorite of aphrodisiac books. Allende’s writing is captivating. The book showcases gorgeous drawings by Robert Shekter.

I have read this book many times and always come back to the same page to read over and over again.

The process of making Aunt Burgel’s Aphrodisiac Stew is described in great detail, beginning with the ingredients of lamb, chicken marinated in lemon and herbs, fish, potatoes corn and banana leaves. Here is a quote Allende wrote about this magical stew:

“Anyone who has tasted that broth, the concentrated essence of all the flavors of the earth and sea, will never again be satisfied with other aphrodisiacs. One cannot possibly describe the taste, only speak of its effect: it explodes like dynamite in the blood.”

That sentence, this book and artwork, is also hard to top. It will always remain my favorite of this genre as the definitive guide to aphrodisiacs written from someone who feels life with a sensitive soul and an imaginative mind that sees the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Witch in the Kitchen: Titania’s Book of Magical Feasts by Titania Hardie (Cedco Publishing, 2001) This tome feels good to the touch. Its velvety maroon cover and gold lettering make it look like a spell book of sorts.

Recipes for the magical and romantic make this collection a little different than most. The attitude with which one cooks is stressed. It is essential, according to author Titania Hardie, in how the food will emerge to its intended recipient.

She writes, “The time-honored tradition of the romantic candlelight dinner for two takes on a new guise as we investigate the ways to weave magic into meals, turning every recipe into a spell.”

Chapters are divided into exotic — Attraction: A Moroccan Meal — to seasonal. Photos are just as creative as the recipes, one is of a spice genie blowing out a bottle.

This book is outside the box of traditional aphrodisiac how-to cookbooks, and is sure to offer a little magic in every cook’s romantic repertoire.

Aprhodisiac Guide

• Almond: Rich in vitamin E and magnesium, this nut’s good for overall health. Folklore: Its aroma is believed to arouse desire in women.
• Asparagus: High in vitamin A and C and calcium. Folklore: 19th century French bridegrooms were required to eat several helpings of asparagus because of its reputed love powers.
• Avacado: This fruit is used for emollient oils and is ideal for use on the skin. Folklore: Aztecs described avocados growing in pairs as a testicle tree. Aztec maids were confined indoors while it was being harvested.
• Basil: This herb increases circulation and an overall sense of well being. Folklore: The scent of this herb was said to drive men wild, which inspired women to dust their breasts with dried and powdered basil.
• Chocolate: Contains phenylethylamine and serotonin, which are both “feel good” chemicals that occur naturally in the brain when people are in love. Folklore: Aztec ruler Montezuma drank 50 goblets of chocolate each day to satisfy his legion of lovers.
• Figs: This fruit is contains abundant amounts of zinc, which is beneficial to sexual health. Folklore: A man breaking open a fig and eating it front of his lover is an erotic act best done while eating it with your finger
• Ginger: A stimulant for the circulatory system and aids in treating impotence. The spice also emits a seductive, woodsy aroma and provides a nip to tastebuds. Folklore: French legend Madame du Barry made a practice of serving ginger to her lovers.
• Honey: Boosts stamina with its rich vitamin B and amino acid content. Folklore: Known as the nectar of Aphrodite herself.
• Rosemary: Increases circulation and sensitivity to touch. Folklore: A necklace made from rosemary preserves youth and improves memory.
• Oysters: High zinc levels enable oysters to increase sperm. It also may increase testosterone levels in men and women: Folklore: Casanova ate 50 every night before setting out on his conquests.
• Saffron: This exotic herb contains picrocrocin, which is alleged to have the ability to cause erotic sensations. Folklore: Cleopatra infused her baths with the spice, both for its perfume and purported ability heighten sensations of pleasure.
• Vanilla: The aroma is believed to stimulate sexual appetites. According to ancient Totonac lore, Xanat, the young daughter of the Mexican fertility goddess, loved a youth. Unable to marry him because of her divine nature, she transformed herself into a plant that would provide pleasure and happiness.

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Posted by admin on May 15 2011. Filed under Seasonal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry