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...
Using the freshest sweet and ripe strawberries of the season, this dreamy dessert was submitted by Virginia, NYC.
Seizing the moment is key to a quickie seduction. I needed a quick dessert to seal the deal without fuss or missing a beat, which is how this recipe came about. You and loverboy/girl can taste the honeyed creamy mixture and the berry liqueur concoction, and all the ingredients are lickable.
Biscotti is a light yummy finish to any meal. Amaretto is very romantic. Add smooth marscapone ricotta for body and honey for sweetness. Its a surefire way for the perfect finish to a seduction meal or the quickie your meal may lead to. My "quickie Imagination" coupled with a "seize the opportunity and use what was on hand" was successfully rewarded, as this can be eaten before, during and after a truly seductive encounter.
creamy strawberry almond biscotti
4 pieces of almond biscotti
1/2 cup Amaretto
6-8 strawberries, washed and halved (quartered if berries are large)
3 sprigs fresh chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup of marscapone
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
4 tablespoons honey
Soak berries and mint in 1/4 cup of Amaretto - set aside. Mix marscapone and ricotta with honey until creamy, set aside. Soak almond biscotti in remaining Amaretto. Refrigerate all ingredients except biscotti until you moment of Seduction.
Spoon ricotta/marscapone mixture onto a biscotti. Spoon the strawberry/mint mixture on top of that. Feed to your object of desire...lick fingers and any other part the mixture drips onto--enjoy!
You can use flavored biscotti, fruit and liquor can be tailored to your preference, i.e. hazelnut biscotti with chocolate liqueur and raspberries or cherries. Enjoy this guaranteed combo for a quickie seduction
A wonderful, savory dish that is sure to enhance any Seduction Meal. This one is all about taste, texture and presentation. I typically serve this with grilled rosemary lamb chops.
First; I hope to spare you the mistake I made the first time I prepared this dish. I never worked with leeks before and had no idea what was to follow. While not complex, this is time consuming process. I painstakingly followed the recipe to a "T". The aroma filled the room; the anticipation was great. I had 6 people over for dinner--everyone commented on how beautiful the dish looked. We all lifted our forks and savored the moment the food would hit our palette. To my horror, I had an unexpected mixture of mushroom, sherry, leeks and sand in my mouth. It was devastating! Thank goodness it was my family so (to this day) we all laughed it off.
A little bit about leeks. A member of the onion family, leeks are grown in sandy soil. It is very important to thoroughly wash the leeks as dirt and grit can be found in the white section from the base up. Buy fresh, healthy looking leeks--preferably younger ones. The best flavor is the white part of the leek, which has a sublime sweet, earthy flavor, much milder than cooking with onions. When cooking leeks be sure not to overcook or brown them, rather, saute leeks until soft and remove them from the stove.
Mushroom + Leek Beggar's Purse
4 Leeks, washed thoroughly
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs of mushrooms (mixed is fine), I used shitake and button mushrooms. You can use chanterelles or criminis too.
Crumbled Gorgonzola blue cheese (optional)
1-2 tablespoons of fresh crushed thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup of sherry or Madeira Wine
6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator
8 tablespoons (1 stick), unsalted butter melted
Long stemmed chives (use for ties)
1. To prepare leeks, cut away the blue/green leaves on top and trim the base. Peel away the first layer. Slice the leeks in 1/4" rings from top to bottom. Using your finger, push through each sliced ring and drop into a colander (this results in a bunch of smaller rings--see photo). Take the colander to the sink and rinse with cold running water. Place the colander in a bowl (or better yet use a salad spinner), and fill with cold water. Let stand so sand/grit falls to bottom. Lift colander out of water, throw out sandy water, rinse leeks again in cold running water. I do this process three times. Lastly, shake away any water and set aside to dry for a few minutes.
If you enjoy the social experience of food and wine tastings,The James Beard Foundation offers a special alternative to yet another night at your favorite restaurant. When I first discovered the place, I thought: what a wonderful place for a first or second date (and then some). Throughout the year the foundation features ongoing chef hosted events. The cost is $100 - $200 per person per tasting event, perhaps a bit pricey I agree (luncheons and workshops are less). However, if you do not find this a big ticket item the overall experience could serve as inspiration for your next home cooked Seduction Meal.
I experienced my first James Beard event-- The Annual Soft Shell Crab Experience. What a night! First, it was completely booked when I called to RSVP. Happily someone canceled so they dialed the waiting list...I was thrilled when the call came through. This year's event was orchestrated by Michael Sullivan of Brouwers restaurant in New York City.
The Menu: Hor d'Oeuvre / Cocktail Reception
Salmon & Spinach Strudel
Main Crab Cakes with Chipotle Tarter Sauce
Mini Crab Cake Quiche
Tuna and Mango Tartare
Open-faced Grilled Brie Sandwich with Bacon and Tomato
Who can resist hot and spicy? This is a guaranteed hit and very easy to prepare. You can serve this as an appetizer with French bread to soak up the garlic flavored olive oil, or you can toss in some of your favorite cooked pasta and serve as a main coarse.
Spicy Garlic Shrimp
1 lb of medium size shrimp, peel and devein (I leave the tails on, but that's up to you) 1/2 cup of olive oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 3 medium cloves of crushed garlic A dash or two of sea salt
To infuse the flavor of garlic and pepper, pour 1/2 cup of olive oil
in a large skillet, add pepper flakes and crushed garlic and let stand
for 1/2 hour. When you are ready to cook, turn up the heat high to get
the oil nice and hot. Turn heat down to med-high and add 1/2 of the
shrimp. Cook shrimp until they turn pink on edges (about 2 minutes per
side), turn each shrimp and cook until the entire shrimp is pink (2
minutes). Remove immediately, do not overcook. Place shrimp in a plate
and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining shrimp (there should be
plenty of oil left). Place shrimp on a serving dish, pouring some of
the oil over the shrimp. Serve with crusty french bread to soak
up the flavored spicy olive oil.
This Seduction Meal Story, photographs and recipe was submitted by Jay R. from NY. Thank you for sharing this...Great Job!
"Cooking something special can be as seductive as eating it. Of course, cooking while entertaining takes a degree of confidence that, in itself, can impress as much as fancy ingredients. To my mind, seduction meals involve conversation, gazing, tasting, touch, and movement. Cooking and serving a meal allows ample time for all five. The only seduction meal that will ever matter to me was making homemade thin crust pizza on an outdoor grill at sunset on the deck of my country house. I made two with separate toppings; mozzarella with olives and fresh basil and a white pizza with chopped clams and garlic. A crisp Italian white wine got the conversation flowing and helped pull everything together. Mission accomplished!"
Grilled Pizza
1 ball of pizza dough
1 medium size can of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano preferred),
1 ball of super fresh mozzarella cheese, slice ¼ inch thick
1/2 bunch of fresh basil leaves, chop into large coarse pieces
¼ cup of black oil cured olives, pull flesh off of pits
small can (6.5 oz.) of chopped clams, drain liquid
3 cloves of fresh garlic, slice super thin like they do in the movies
I used to take this great photography class at Cooper Union whereby the instructor, Eric Feinblatt, would throw out a word a week and our challenge was to go out and shoot our interpretation of that word. The work presented by the students was extraordinary; filled with creativity, thought-provoking approaches and enough conversation and critique to fill each class. You were inspired to push yourself beyond the expected.
I took this approach when I stumbled upon this image. I loved the way the food was styled, shot and presented; so I decided to reverse engineer this process by concocting a recipe to go with the photo. While I am not a food photographer, and this photo is definitely better than mine, I have to say this dish tasted as good as the original shot looked.
Salmon Tobiko Rolls
4 oz - 8 oz of smoked Scottish Salmon*
4 tablespoons of creme fraiche
2tablespoons of whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons of tobiko caviar (fish roe)
1teaspoon of fresh, finely chopped chives
fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup of mixed greens
2-4 tablespoons of fresh Malossol American Keta Salmon Caviar
*Note: This recipe provides enough of the creme fresh mixture for 8 rolls. 4 oz of smoked salmon makes 4 rolls, 8 oz = 8 rolls.
This recipe was submitted by Stefan in NYC. A beautifully presented dish meant for breakfast in bed, the frittata, or open faced omelet, is easy to prepare and impressive to serve.
Mexican Frittata
8 eggs 1/2 cup of half and half salt and pepper 3 tablespoons of sweet butter 3 heaping teaspoons of cilantro, chopped 3 tablespoons of chopped yellow chives (Chinese garlic chives) 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese Tortilla chips
Garnish 1 avocado quartered and thinly sliced lemon juice black pitted kalmata olives Dollop of chipotle
Whisk together eggs, half and half , and salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add cilantro and yellow chives, sauté over medium-low heat until soft. Pour egg mixture into skillet, cover and cook until outer edges begin to slightly brown. Add 1/2 cup grated cheese, replace cover and allow cheese to melt into the frittata.
Heat broiler. Slice avocado and drizzle with fresh lemon--set aside. Place the remaining cheese (1/2 cup), over the frittata and place the uncovered skillet under the broiler until starts to brown and frittata fluffs up, about 2-3 minutes. Slide the frittata on to a plate. Garnish with sliced avocado and place in a pinwheel fashion around the plate. Add olives and place a dollop of chipotle in the center. Grab two cups of coffee, a bag of tortilla chips and hop back into bed.
One of my favorites, crab cakes can be served as an appetizer or a main dish. Served with a glass of wine or champagne this is also a great way to jump start your date with a moment together at your place before heading out for your favorite restaurant.
Spicy Remoulade
1 cup of mayonnaise
4 teaspoons finely chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle sauce
2 tablespoons chopped scallions for garnish
Combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Serve on top of each crab cake.
Well here it is, the first day of my blog. So what's it all about?
Seduction Meals is about food + romance and the premise that everyoneshould learn to master one dish that is their signature dish--a Seduction Meal, to enchant and captivate that special someone in your life. From simple to gourmet, whatever your style, anytime you find someone "oohing and ahhing" over the food you've served, and the overall experience moves you closer to your desired intent... you can consider that a Seduction Meal.
While the taste of your meal is paramount, the overall holistic experience is also key: the ambiance of the room or location, the time of day, the aromas, the presentation of the meal, the music played, the drinks served--it all adds up.
Let me paint a picture...
That special someone has accepted your invitation--dinner at your place. What will you do for this potentially enchanting evening? A rooftop soiree with stars overhead, sultry music, a candle lit table with bouillabaisse for two. Or, perhaps its your anniversary, you want to do something seductively romantic. What do you have in mind? Champagne and caviar served in front of the fireplace followed by chocolate dipped strawberries. Or, maybe chocolate body paint is more your style. . .
The reason for your Seduction Meal may vary; the first date at your place, a special celebration, taking your relationship to the next level, or an anniversary. The main purpose of this blog is to share recipes, stories, mistakes and tips on how to prepare for your special occasion. But more than anything I welcome hearing from YOU and learning about YOUR favorite recipes, YOUR favorite music, and YOUR Seduction Meal stories--good and bad.
Let's have some fun sharing two of life's universal pleasures, food + romance.
E-mail Me
del.icio.us
RSS Feed
twitter
facebook
technorati
