Seduction Meals is about food + romance and the premise that everyone should learn to master one dish that is their signature dish—a Seduction Meal, to enchant and captivate that special someone in your life...
A delicious libation that can be made ahead
of time so you can enjoy the party with your guests, right where
you should be!
A Pitcher of Acai-Blueberry Mojitos
Ingredients
28 oz Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka
14 oz Lime Juice, fresh
7 oz Simple Syrup
Mint Leaves
Blueberries, fresh
Club Soda
Directions Muddle mint leaves, blueberries and simple syrup in a pitcher. Stir in Van Gogh Acai-Blueberry Vodka and lime juice. Then add ice and top with club soda. Serve in a highball glass garnished with a mint sprig or skewer of blueberries
Lassi (pronounced luh-see), is a popular and traditional Punjabi yogurt-based drink of India and Pakistan. It is made by blending yogurt with water or milk and Indian spices. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin. Sweet lassi, blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices, is also very popular.
Strawberry Lassi
Ingredients
1 pint of fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
3 cups of cold water
1 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons of raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon of rose water
a pinch of ground cardamon
garnish with fresh ground pepper
Directions
Place strawberries and water in a blender and mix until smooth
Sauteed spinach with toasted pine nuts, golden raisins and crumbled bacon is a simple, side dish that pairs well with grilled lamb chops, a juicy steak or chicken. I also use this recipe for a bruschetta appetizer: Take fresh sliced French bread, toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic (after it is toasted) and top with this spinach recipe and crumbled bacon.
Spinach with Pine Nuts, Raisins and Bacon Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of pine nuts
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 small onion
2lbs or 1 bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup of golden raisins
4 strips of bacon, cooked
Directions:
Fry the bacon and set aside
In a small frying pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat with nothing in the pan for 3 minutes, until golden, stirring constantly. Place toasted nuts in bowl.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes
Add the spinach, cook until wilted about 5 minutes, gently stirring often with a wooden spoon.
Add the pine nuts and raisins and carefully toss in with the spinach
This recipe was created by Georgina of NYC: Pepper crusted tuna seared to perfected. Serve this with a simple tomato avocado salad, tossed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
Pepper Crusted Tuna Serves Two
Ingredients
Two 1-inch to 1 1/2 inch thick fresh Tuna
1/4 cup of fresh cracked black pepper
salt to taste
Directions
To crack the peppercorns, place them between two sheets of wax paper. Seal all edges by rolling tightly together and pound with a large knife, flat side down, or use a rolling pin.
Lightly coat each piece of fish with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with a pinch of salt
Cover all sides of the fish with the cracked pepper
In a dry skillet, over high heat, get the pan searing hot
Place the Tuna pieces in the pan and sear on each side for 3 minutes, for a rare tuna steak. Cook longer if you prefer more well done.
I just read Chef John's post about "Bringing Sexy Back" and had to share it. Not only do I LOVE figs, this is one of my favorite bruschetta recipes: Burrata Brushcetta with Grilled Figs - sexy & divine!
Photo: Chef John
Here is the post by Chef John of Food Wishes: And while you are at it, be sure to visit his site, a video recipe blog for people who love food and fun.
balsamic vinaigrette (1 part vinegar to 1 part extra virgin olive oil - shaken vigorously)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
If you watch as much
food television as I do, you hear the adjective "sexy" thrown around
quite a bit, and more often than not, it just doesn't fit. No matter how
nice a bowl of chili looks, or how beautifully a game hen glistens,
they're not really "sexy."
This burrata bruschetta with grilled figs on the other hand? Totally "sexy!" If there were such a thing as word association flash cards of food, the most common result for this one would be "sexy." Okay, I'm going to stop using those quotation marks now. Above
and beyond how awesome this recipe tastes, it's so nice to be able to
post such an aesthetically pleasing dish after the recent string of
homely food. I appreciate all the nice comments about the sausage and zucchini stew, but if that thing was a blind date, it would have been described as, "having a nice personality."
Depending on the
location, I can't guarantee you'll be able to find burrata and fresh
black mission figs, but if you can, you really need to give this a try. I
know someone will ask, so I'll tell you right now, there really isn't a
great substitute for this heavenly cheese.
A very fresh
mozzarella would be the closest, but it would still be like substituting
for Beyonce with Wanda Sykes. That's no insult to Wanda Sykes (she has a great personality), but in the sexy department, Mrs. Jay-Z is in a whole other league, and so is this burrata and grilled fig bruschetta. Enjoy!
This recipe was made for me by a friend who is a sensational cook. She made a 3 course meal and this salad was outstanding. With so few ingredients, it perfectly balanced the rest of our dinner. I thought I had fresh thyme on hand, but to my surprise, I didn't, so we used fresh chives instead. While this was very good, I am told the thyme is preferred. Be sure to use the best olive oil you can get and all fresh ingredients.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese and Thyme Serves 4
Ingredients
4 medium sized heirloom tomatoes (preferably a mix of colors)
1 small log of goat cheese
olive oil
lemon juice
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
fresh thyme, flowers only (stems removed) - or in this case, I used Chives
Directions
Wash tomatoes and pat dry. Cut into 1" pieces
Place tomatoes on individual plates
Drizzle with Olive Oil followed by squeezed lemon juice
Portion goat cheese on each plate, arranging over the tomatoes
One of the BEST happy hours in New York City, in my humble opinion,
takes place on Grove Street and seventh avenue at a small restaurant called Mercadito,
between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00. The mixologist at this place is a
rock star! I tried to get the recipe but without success, however I do have the ingredients. I will try my hand at recreating this in another post. Take a look at this incredibly sexy Cucumber Margarita. I opted for no salt but hear the cumin salt on the rim is quite good.
Cucumber Margarita or Pepino el Pyu
Tequila blanco, cucumber, lemon, hoja santa, cumin salt
Mercadito prides itself on making each drink to order. No pitchers and no mixes. The Red Sangria is just amazing and the Cucumber
margaritas is like no other. I am hooked! And while I go on about how
great the drinks are, the food is quite good too. Here is a photo of their Ceviche Trio Platter and both drinks.
Callo Bay scallops, watermelon, pico de gallo, serrano
Camarón Shrimp, pico de gallo, tangerine, roasted jalapeño, citrus-guajillo broth
Dorado Mahi mahi, avocado, tomato, orange-chile de árbol broth
Roja Sangria red wine, jimador blanco, guava, cinnamon
Blanca Sangria white wine, brandy, pineapple, elderflower
If
you have been here yet, try do visit Mercadito in the summer when they
have the extra outdoor space. The place is so small in the winter you
might not get in!
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A Pitcher of Acai-Blueberry Mojitos
