About a week before your dinner, mail out a perfume or cologne scented invitation inviting your sweetie to dinner (this works well also if you and your sweetie live in the same house). You can request an informal attire or something special. Pack up your picnic basket, complete with champagne and candles. Lay a blanket in front of the fireplace or decorate your kitchen table with a red tablecloth and candles, and prepare to indulge in these perfect aphrodisiac treats together.
Appetizer: Honey-Drenched Figs
Ingredients:
- 8 figs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts
Grill the figs over a low heat until heated through, turning occasionally. Warm the honey. Place the figs on individual plates, drizzle with enough honey to lightly coat figs, and top with nuts.
Dinner: Honey-Glazed Salmon
Ingredients:
- 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons chopped basil
- Rinse salmon and pat dry. Place, skin-side down, in a greased baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
- Coat with honey and top with salt and pepper. Coat with the honey and top with basil.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until done (about 10 minutes per inch of thickness). May substitute or add other herbs of your choice for the basil.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3/4 Arborio rice
- 2 cups hot chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 cup fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion until tender.
- Add the rice. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper.
- Cook, covered until the rice is tender on the outside and chewy on the inside. While the rice is cooking, saute the mushrooms in olive oil.
- When the rice is done, fold in the mushrooms, tomatoes, cream, basil, rosemary, and cheese.
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 3 1/2 ounces almond paste
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- Chop the chocolate in a food processor until finely ground. Add the almond paste and process until smooth.
- With the motor running, add the coffee and liqueur. Process until the mixture forms a soft ball.
- Roll mixture into 3/4-inch balls. Sprinkle with the cocoa powder. Place the balls in small paper cups. Chill.
Serve extra dry champagne with the figs and chocolate hazelnut truffles. But for the rest of your menu try this champagne recipe.
Lemon-Honey Spritzer
Ingredients
- 1/2 (6-ounces) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 2 tablespoons honey, warmed
- 1/2 (750-milliliter) bottle chilled champagne
- Fresh strawberries or raspberries
- Combine the lemonade and Grand Marnier in a pitcher. Add the honey, stirring until dissolved.
- Stir in champagne. Pour into glasses. Garnish with berries.
Reference:
- Hopkins, Martha & Lockridge, Randall. (1997). Intercourses: an aphrodisiac cookbook. TN. Terrace Publishing.
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