recipe of the week — Natural Aphrodisiac and Gourmet Foods, Wine, Romantic Travel

dark & saucy puttanesca fillet

April 13, 2012 By admin

1 C black beans
2 jalapenos
1/2 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Mexican squash
1 C cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1-4 cleaned filets of fish (tilapia, orange roughy, bass – recommended)

1. Rinse black beans and then let soak in large pot of water overnight.
2. Place the pot over medium heat. Remove ¼ of the beans and cook in a separate pot.
3. Slice jalapenos, onion, and squash. Mince garlic.
4. Add to the majority of the beans: the jalapenos, onion, garlic, squash, and tomatoes. Cook till beans soften (1 hr minimum).
5. Once beans have softened, blend the small pot of beans. Season with salt/ pepper.
6. Add sauced beans to the rest. Set aside.
7. Clean fish filets. Dry. Season lightly with salt and brown sugar.
8. Sear filets on a clean pan. One at a time.
9. Serve with sauce/beans barely touching filet.

Filed Under: cooking & recipes, recipe of the week Tagged With: aphrodisiac recipe, puttanesca

flourless chocolate almond cake

April 6, 2012 By admin

An excellent choice for Passover or Easter, this recipe comes to us from Scharffen Berger’s Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate It incorporates our product of the week, our new favorite baking chocolate Scharffen Berger 70% Bittersweet. Best of all, its wheat and gluten free yet rich with aphrodisiacs including chocolate and almonds.

serves 12

6 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate
1/4 cup espresso or double strength coffee
10 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups almonds, toasted and finely ground
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling, optional
Whipped cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease and flour the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and coffee, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. With a hand held mixer, or heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar until ivory colored. Add the egg yolks, two at a time. Continue to beat until the mixture is light and airy. Fold in the chocolate.
5. In a clean dry bowl using clean dry beaters, whip the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Gradually beat in the remaining two tablespoons sugar until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold the ground almonds into the whites.
6. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white mixture.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
8. Place the pan in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Bake 15 minutes.
9. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F. Bake an additional 45 minutes.
10. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave in the oven, with the door ajar, for another 30 minutes.
11. Cool on a rack.

To serve: Remove the sides of the pan and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve slices with whipped cream, if desired.

Filed Under: cooking & recipes, recipe of the week Tagged With: aphrodisiac recipe, flourless chocoate cake, gluten free cake recipe, scharffen berger, wheat free cake

Emmett’s Navy Bean and Porcini Puree

April 1, 2012 By admin

This recipe comes to us from one of our favorite restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, Joel Palmer House. The restaurant is famed for its creative use of mushrooms, Oregon’s culinary treasure. New father and Joel Palmer House Chef Chris Czarnecki advises, “Named after my son, this soup is best made with a Chinese-style chicken stock.” (See his stock recipe below.)

2 lbs dried white navy beans soaked in water for 24 hours
10 slices smoked bacon
2 stalks celery
1 large yellow onion
5 cloves peeled garlic
2 stems fresh thyme
1 gallon chicken stock (recipe below)
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 lb butter
1 T olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Drain the beans.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay bacon strips on the foil-covered tray.
Bake bacon in oven until crispy (between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on thickness), reserve the fat and finely chop bacon.
Sauté onion, garlic, celery in the bacon fat, butter, and olive oil until translucent.
Add all other ingredients and simmer for 2 hours.
Allow to mixture to cool then puree in blender, (be sure to allow time for it to cool as hot liquids in blender can cause injury). Adjust to taste with salt and pepper

Chicken Stock:
1, 5lb chicken
2T olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
1, 2-inch piece of gingerroot, thinly sliced
½ T Szechuan peppercorns
3 star anise
enough water to cover all ingredients in stockpot

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash all chicken parts and dry with paper towel.
Coat sheet pan with olive oil and place chicken parts on pan. Bake in the preheated oven until skin turns golden brown.
Put cooked chicken into stock pot with all other ingredients, add water until all are submerged. Bring to boil and drop to simmer for 4 hours, skimming surface until stock has reached desired concentration.

Filed Under: cooking & recipes, recipe of the week

the queen of tart

March 23, 2012 By admin

This recipe comes to us from baking royalty. Leah Kuo, co-founder of Cookies & Corks says she developed this pastry tart recipe in culinary school and has used it as her go-to dessert ever since. (Sometimes, she admits, she can’t wait for the pastry shell and just dips the fruit in the cream and eats it with her fingers. Now there’s a sensual dessert idea for you!)

recipe by Chef Leah Kuo
makes a 10″ tart

Pastry:
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3 TBL sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
8 TBL unsalted butter, very cold
3 to 4 TBL ice water

Pastry Cream:
8 TBL sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks
1 egg
4 TBL cornstarch
2 TBL butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:
1/2 cup apricot jelly
1 TBL water

Toppings:
- Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi, sliced peaches and plums, champagne grapes.

1. To make the pastry combine flour, sugar and salt and place in the freezer for an hour. Cut the butter into π inch pieces. Put flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor, add butter and pulse until butter forms small bits. Add ice water and process until dough comes together. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a floured surface roll dough into 1/8 inch thick circle, large enough to hang slightly over the sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut off excess dough with a sharp knife. Line shell with aluminum foil, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 10 minutes. Remove beans and foil; prick bottom of the shell with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake another 20 minutes until browned. Cool to room temperature.

2. To make the pastry cream, scald the milk and 4 TBL sugar. Whisk the egg, yolks, cornstarch and remainder of sugar until pale yellow and reaches the ribbon stage. Temper the milk into the eggs. Thicken over medium low heat. Once thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Place in a large bowl and cover with piece of plastic wrap laid directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cool.

3. To make the glaze, melt the jelly and water in a small saucepan until combined and smooth.

4. To assemble the tart, spread pastry cream on the bottom of the shell. Artistically arrange the fruit over the cream. Brush glaze over the fruit. Serve and enjoy!

Filed Under: cooking & recipes, recipe of the week Tagged With: aphrodisiac recipe, fruit tart, pastry cream

sexy green soup

March 16, 2012 By admin

It may not be traditionally Irish but this recipe will certainly rev you up for a big St. Pat’s weekend. A vibrant, green soup packed with energy-charging and libido-lifting nutrients (thickened with good old Irish oats), we love this simple weekend warmer not just on Saint Paddy’s Day but on any late winter’s night. Serve with bread smeared with chevre or a great Irish cheddar for a complete meal.

serves 4 (or two with enough left for a midnight snack)

1/2 lb zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 t garlic, minced
3 t walnut or other nut oil
16 oz frozen, chopped spinach
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can chicken or vegetable stock
1 T old fashioned oats
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 small carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks

Saute zucchini and garlic in 2 t of the oil over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes, until soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add scallions and 2/3 of the spinach. Saute until spinach is fully thawed then pour in chicken stock. Add oats and simmer for 15 minutes. (When the mixture is pureed, the oats will help add thickness and creaminess to the soup without the addition of cream.)

Puree soup in the blender.

In a stock pot, saute celery, garlic and onion in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Stir in carrots and remaining spinach and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Pour puree into the vegetable mixture and add 14 oz water. (For a thinner soup, add additional water and season with salt). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste before serving.

Serve hot with fresh, country bread toast smeared with goat cheese and sprinkled with fresh chives.

Filed Under: cooking & recipes, recipe of the week Tagged With: aphrodisiac recipe, simple soup recipe, St. Patrick's Day recipe, vegetable soup