Sensual Recipes for a Romantic Meal

Do you cook with foods that are sensual? Aphrodisiacs? Food and drink become romantic if they excite the senses through appearance, smell, taste, and/or texture.

Aphrodisiacs are foods and substances that turn on our senses. A few years back, I read up on the qualities that were believed to make something an aphrodisiac. Several words resonated again and again:

• earthy
• raw
• musky
• pungent

Think bold red wine, truffles, oysters, and even fine jasmine tea. We are drawn to scents, tastes, sights, sounds, and smells that are elemental, at our core, of our earth.

A partial list of foods that contain one or more sensual elements includes (complied from several lists and our own experience):

• Asparagus
• Chile Peppers
• Celery
• Leeks
• Fennel
• Chick Peas
• Black Beans
• Mushrooms
• Fresh Cherries
• Grapes
• Basil
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Horseradish
• Lime Leaves
• Mint
• Mustard
• Nutmeg
• Oregano
• Saffron
• Vanilla
• Jasmine
• Caviar
• Escargot
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Pine Nuts
• Walnuts
• Goat Cheese
• Other earthy cheeses
• Chocolate
• Wine, Champagne, Cognac

Create your own list of foods that you find appealing! Here are a few recipes that my husband has created over the years. I have tried every one - they are all delicious and stimulating.

Do not skimp on the recipes that follow. Use extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Buy a good quality cheese instead of a tub of  generic cheese from the deli case. Use fresh herbs when a recipe calls for them. If you can't, it might be better to wait and make the dish some other time than to substitute dried herbs. A romantic meal is one that fills your senses with intrigue, comfort and/or excitement. Great ingredients are necessary for producing an amazing dish. Additionally, the act of finding and selecting extraordinary ingredients, like going to a great farmer's market, is its own romantic endeavor.

Raw Oysters with Horseradish Sauce

Oysters are the grand daddy of sensual foods. Legend has it that Cassanova ate 50 oysters each morning with his love du jour. Eaten raw, the fleshy texture and taste of oysters is stimulating. Add spicy horseradish sauce for an exotic and powerful taste that enhances the effect. Champagne is a perfect compliment.

• 1 1/2 dozen fresh oysters
• 1 lemon
• 1 Tb fresh horseradish (or bottled is not available fresh)
• 3 Tbs tomato ketchup
• dash Worcestershire sauce

Buy your oysters fresh from a reputable fishmonger. Keep them refrigerated and wrapped in newspaper but do not suffocate them in a plastic bag. Open each oyster by prying it open with an oyster knife and twisting to open the shell; this may take a little practice (a real oyster knife is well worth the couple of dollars that it will cost). If you do not want to shuck the oysters yourself, ask your fishmonger to do this for you just before you intend to serve them (keep them on ice!). Arrange the oysters on a chilled or iced platter and serve with fresh lemon wedges and our favorite sauce.

To make the sauce: Grate the fresh horseradish and combine with the ketchup, worcestershire and 1/4 of the lemon. If you are not accustomed to the intense taste of fresh horseradish (I love it!), you may wan to cut down the amount in the sauce. If you cannot find good, fresh horseradish (not dried out) buy bottles horseradish that has not been diluted or mixed with anything.

Gorgonzola Rissoto

This is a luscious dish! The earthy taste of the moldy cheese has a complex flavor that is rich and very intriguing. Let each forkful rest in your mouth a while before swallowing to get the full effect of the flavor and texture.

• 1 cup Arborio (risotto) rise
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
• 2/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 3 Tb chopped flat leaf parsley
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Place the chicken stock in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low in order to keep the stock warm. If you do not have homemade chicken stock substitute a mixture of 2 cups canned broth (a low sodium and low fat variety), 1 1/4 cups water, a 1/4 cup dry vermouth or other dry white wine. While the stock is heating, saute the onions in olive oil in a medium to large sauce pan over medium heat until translucent and soft. Add the rice and continue to saute until the grains begin to turn a very light brown, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Stir in 1 coup of warm chicken stock into the rice and onion mixture, stirring continuously until the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and continue stirring until it is absorbed, then repeat the process of adding 1/2 cup of stock and stirring until all of the stock is used. The distinctive creamy texture of risotto is developed by the gradual addition of the stock and continuous stirring. Do not be tempted to add all of the liquid at once and cook without stirring even though some recipes present this as an easy way to prepare risotto. Just after the last portion of stock is added to the rice, add the crumbled gorgonzola and stir until melted. Continue stirring and cooking until the rice has a thick and creamy consistency. Add 2 Tb of the parsley and stir. Add salt to taste. Serve garnished with the remaining parsley.

Toasted Pine Nut Soup

This earthy soup is both rich and subtle in flavor. The slight spiciness of the dish is an appealing surprise. A crisp white wine is a great compliment.

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 pinches of cayenne or other dried red pepper
• sea salt
• crusty French bread

Toast the pine nuts by placing them in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat, shaking often to prevent burning. Pine nuts can burn quickly if not watched, so be careful! Remove them from the burner as they begin to turn light brown and set aside to cool. Once the pine nuts have cooled, chop them finely with a knife or food processor. Combine the nuts, stock, and cream in a medium saucepan. Homemade chicken stock works best, but if you do not have any then use the substitute of canned broth, water, a vermouth given in the gorgonzola risotto recipe. Cook the soup over low-medium heat while stirring often. Do not bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with a couple pinches of cayenne pepper. Serve with crusty french bread.

Serve any of the above recipes with a high quality steak with grilled Portobello mushrooms and asparagus. Dribble with fine balsamic vinegar or top with a dollop of goat cheese. Serve with a nice full red wine. Wow - that's a knock out meal!

Chocolate Decadence Sundae

Combine the following to make a great sundae for two!

• coffee or cinnamon ice cream
• walnuts
• fresh pitted cherries
• real chocolate topping
• fresh whipped cream
• sprinkle of cinnamon