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...
It's getting to be that time of year again when we start planning for
Valentine's Day. This menu is a culinary affair with aphrodisiacs.
Whether
or not you believe in tempting hearts with the lure of aphrodisiacs,
this menu will put you on the right path to give it a try. By working
with champagne, seafood, and pomegranates--culinary charms of long
standing repute, how could you possibly go wrong? Start with a chilled
Blushing Lady libation. Add to that the
sultry sounds of Bebel Gilberto and you are sure to enjoy an
intoxicating romantic rendezvous.
A Menu of Temptation for Valentine's Day Blushing Lady Cocktail
This has always been one of my favorite Mexican dishes. Chilis en nogada, or stuffed chili pepper with walnut sauce--a truly seductive Mexican meal. Typically made with poblano peppers stuffed with beef and/or pork, I decided to try this recipe with crab instead. I paired this dish with a bottle of chilled 2007 Adelsheim Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley. Just delicious!
Crab Stuffed Poblano Peppers in Walnut Sauce. Walnut Sauce
1 cup fresh walnuts
3 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup Mexican crema (or 1/2 cups sour cream &1/2 cup heavy cream)
This recipe is an easy, delicious meal that will warm you both on a cold winter night.
Drunken rum punch chicken stew Recipe courtesy of Mount Gay Rum serves 4
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1 tsp lime juice
¾ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves chopped
½ tsp minced scotch bonnet pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 liter pineapple juice
1liter orange juice
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
chives, parsley and tomato to garnish
Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper and lime juice.
Sauté onion, garlic, minced pepper in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add chicken and cook until chicken turns white turning so as not to burn.
Add orange and pineapple juices, sugar, and Rum.
Stew 1 ½ -2 hours.
Plating the dish Fill two serving bowls with stew and garnish with chopped chives and parsley and cherry tomatoes cut in half. We also have a few thin slices of yellow bell pepper for added color. Serve with warm, crusty bread to dip up this tasty sauce.
As we get ready for Valentine's Day its a good idea to try out a few recipes you might not have prepared before so you are sure the meal will be a success. While this recipe requires marinating overnight, this is an easy, seductive recipe where pomegranate juice adds flavor and color to these spicy, honey-kissed holiday hens.
Honey Roasted Game Hens with Pomegranates recipe from the Pomegranate Council -- serves 6
1 cup fresh pomegranate juice
1/2 cup and 3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cloves garlic, smashed
3 game hens, split in half
Salt and Pepper
Pomegranate seeds for garnish
Chopped, roasted pistachio nuts for garnish
To make 1 cup of juice, put 1-1/2 to 2 cups of seeds in a blender; blend until liquefied. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve.
Mix pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup honey, and next 5 ingredients; pour over hens. Marinate, covered, overnight or at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. Turn occasionally.
Season hens with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees F, basting frequently with reserved marinade, until hens are just firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.
Remove from oven; let rest covered with a tea towel for 5 minutes. Brush each half with 1/2 tablespoon honey. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios.
Grab 10 of your closest friends and celebrate the inauguration with the same menu that will be served at the three-course inaugural luncheon this Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol. The recipes below are the official recipes courtesy of the host of the event, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Design Cuisine from Arlingon, Virginia is the caterer hired to create the seductive meals for the Inaugural Luncheon
Often featuring cuisine reflecting the home states of the new President
and Vice President, as well as the theme of the Inauguration, the
Luncheon program includes speeches, gift presentations from the JCCIC,
and toasts to the new administration. While this tradition dates as far
back as 1897, when the Senate Committee on Arrangements first gave a
luncheon for President McKinley and several other guests at the U.S.
Capitol, it did not begin in its current form until 1953.
2009 Inaugural Luncheon Menu and Recipes
Seafood Stew paired with Duckhorn Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
Brace of American Birds paired with Goldeneye 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley Duck Breast with Cherry Chutney Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing Molasses Whipped Sweet Potatoes Winter Vegetables
Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glace, paired with Korbel International "Special Inaugural Cuvee," California Champagne
FIRST COURSE Seafood Stew Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
6 (1 Lb) Maine lobsters
20 medium size Sea scallops
36 Large shrimp, peel, cleaned and tail removed, aprox. 2 lbs.
10 (1 oz) pieces of black cod
½ cup small dice carrots
½ cup small dice celery
½ cup small dice leek
½ cup small dice Idaho potato
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper or black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup dry vermouth (can be made without)
10 (5 inch) puff pastry rounds
Equipment 10 (3 ½ inch) terrines/ramekins or serving dish of your choice
Directions
Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil; poach lobsters, then shrimp, then black cod and last scallops.
After seafood is cooked, remove from water; reserve water and bring to boil.
Cook all vegetables in liquid that was used for the seafood, remove vegetables when tender. Allow the liquid to continue to boil until only 1qt of liquid remains. This will be the base for the sauce.
Bring seafood liquid back to a boil and add the vermouth and heavy cream and reduce by half, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. You have reached your desired thickness when the sauce will cover the back of a wooden spoon.
Set aside to cool.
Cut Maine lobster, shrimp and scallops into bite size pieces.
Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
Fold seafood and vegetables into cool sauce, being careful not to mix too much as this will break up the seafood.
Scoop mixture into terrines or oven proof baking dish of your choice.
Cover terrines with puff pastry rounds, brush them with egg wash and bake them until golden brown about 8-10 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Note: You can cook this 2-3 hours ahead of time and keep warm at 150 F degrees. All seafood can be substituted with other favorite options of your choice and availability.
This recipe was inspired by taking a fish cake recipe from the Fresh Thai cookbook of Oi Cheepchaiissara, and slightly modifying it. And then adding my dipping sauce using two store bought sauces: a Fusion Sauce by Forbidden City called Thai Nut Splash mixed with Aroma Chef's Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and a splash of fresh squeezed lime juice. Delicious!
Fish Cake Ingredients
1lb of white fish fillet, skinned cleaned and roughly chopped
1. Place the chopped fish into a food processor or blender and mince fish 2. Add fish sauce, corn starch, red curry paste and egg, blending until smooth 3. Place mixture into a bowl and add green beans 4. Using your hands make as many thin flat patties as you can.about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter 5. In a large skillet, heat up 3 Tbsp sunflower oil. Lower temperature to medium high and gently fry fishcakes, turning over when golden brown to cook both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side). 6. If cooking in batches, add a little sunflower oil per batch
Plating the Dish 1. Place fish cakes on a platter. You can place bean sprouts or chives on the bottom if you want to dress up your plate. 2. On top of each fish cake, place a sliced cucumber. Add a dollop of the sauce on top of each cucumber 3. Serve remaining sauce in a bowl on the side
Every major region of India brings its own unique dishes. Murgh makhani or Butter Chicken is an Indian dish
from the Punjab region and is usually served with naan, roti, parathas
or steamed rice.
This dish is made by marinating chicken overnight in a yogurt /spice mixture that is usually made of garam masala, ginger, lemon or lime, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, methi and lots of garlic. The chicken is then grilled or roasted. Makhani sauce is made from butter, tomatoes, almonds and various spices, often including cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, fenugreek and sometimes cream. Once the sauce is prepared, the marinated and grilled chicken is chopped and added to it.
Enjoy, this is truly a delicious, exotic Seduction Meal.
Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) Serves 4
Chicken Marination Marinate for 4 hours or overnight
Ingredients:
6 chicken thighs and 3 whole chicken legs, skinned
7 large cloves of garlic
1/2" cube of ginger
1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder or paprika
juice of 1 small lime
1/4 tsp of salt
16 oz of plain yogurt
Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces
Make slits on the chicken pieces with a knife, set aside
Place all of the ingredients except the yogurt in blender and puree
Place chicken in a bowl and with your hands thoroughly blend in the spiced garlic/ginger paste
Next add the yogurt and blend well
Cover with Saran wrap and let stand for a few hours or refrigerate overnight
Cooking the Chicken
Ingredients:
5 tbsp vegetable oil
dash of salt
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat add vegetable oil and a dash of salt
Add the chicken pieces covered in the marinade. Cover and cook over low heat until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken over during cooking
Years of restaurant experience in Paris, Sausalito, and Portland have led chef Pascal Chureau to a unique style of cooking best described as modern European cuisine. His intriguing blend of flavors breathe life into dishes exotically laced with unexpected creativity and ingredients: absinthe creme fraiche, yuzu vinegrette, bourbon gastrique. I had the pleasure of dining at the James Beard House for the Nothwest Passage to Modern Europe dinner hosted by Chef Chureau. Each dish was a tempting, seductive experience.
Northwest Passage to Modern Europe
Hors d'Oeuvre
Potato Pillows with Coffee-Smoked Wild Salmon and Absinthe Crème Fraîche
Guanciale-Wrapped Squab Breast with Prunes and Tangerine Confit
Sea Bass Carpaccio with Cured Foie Gras and Yuzu Vinaigrette
Paired with Soter Beacon Hill Brut Rosé 2003
Dinner
Siri & Son Farms Petite Greens with Roasted Porcini, Quail Egg, Brioche, and Maple Vinaigrette Paired with Champagne Gosset Célèbris Extra Brut 1999
Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Pain d'Épices, Lait de Poule Froth, and Bourbon Gastrique Paired with Anam Cara Cellars Estate Riesling 2006
Rabbit Loin Crépinette with Nougat de Montélimar, Persimmon Tarte Tatin, and Jus Paired with WillaKenzie Estate Terres Basses Pinot Noir 2002
Cardamom and Blood Orange Spritzer
Seared John Dory with Cauliflower Velouté, Chanterelles, Chestnut Tuile, and Veal Essence Paired with Champagne Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut 1997
Dark Chocolate Mille-Feuille with Cacao Nib Tuile, Apple Confit, Candied Beets, and Salted Butter Glace Paired with Privé Vineyard Pinot Noir Port NV
Next time you are in Portland, Oregon be sure to make reservations at Chef Pascal Chureau's recently opened restaurant, Lucier. And of course, to experience
some of the best food and wine tastings in New York City, check out the upcoming events at the James Beard House.
Take a look at this photograph to visually realize how deliciously tempting this Seduction Meal would be. A succulent braised pork with crispy skin bursting with flavor, sitting on a small tower of sliced crispy potatoes floating in a savory sauce. Now that's what I call a Seduction Meal! Serve this dish with an organic, simple salad and a bottle of your favorite red or white wine. You can substitute wild boar in place of the pork. Either way, this dish will definitely get his or her attention.
Braised Pork or Wild Boar with Crispy Yukon Gold Potatoes Recipe, cooking and styling by Chris Tanghe Recipe courtesy of MarxFoods.com
Ingredients:
2 lb. of Pork or Wild Boar Bellies
1 large onion - medium dice
1 bulb fennel - medium dice
2 carrots - medium dice
2 stalks celery
2 cups brown chicken stock
2 cups veal stock
2 sprigs sage
3 Yukon Gold potatoes - sliced into ¼ inch rounds on the mandoline
Surprise your lover with an unusual homemade treat--organic fruit Pop Tarts paired with a cup of steaming hot chocolate or coffee. We're all familiar with the store bought variety, but when has someone handed you their very own homemade version? You know its going to taste far superior to the box you find on the shelf at your grocer's, so start cooking! While pop tarts taste best served warm out of the oven, you can also bring them to your next outing. Unwrap this seductive pastry at an outdoor sports event, on a break while skiing, or while lounging in bed on a lazy Sunday morning.
Organic Pop Tarts Recipe courtesy of Foreign Cinema: Chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cold water for mixing
1 cup homemade preserves/jam from organic fruit such as apple, apricot, cherry, wild blueberry, cherry, mango or your favorite fruit flavor
Powdered sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the flour in a bowl with the salt, sugar, and cut the butter into small pieces. Work the flour and butter together with your hands, until the mixture is well blended. Sprinkle the water over the mixture to smooth out the any small irregular clumps. Work the dough vigorously until it is relatively smooth. You may also use a food processor, if desired. Wrap in plastic and let the dough rest 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the tart dough on a cold lightly floured surface. The dough should be about 1/8" inch thick. Cut rolled out dough into 3" by 5" shapes, using a postcard as a visual gauge. (For smaller tarts, simply use a smaller measurement.) Cut 8 rectangles, and use a pastry scraper to place 4 bottoms onto cookie sheet lined with parchment.
3. If you have the time to make homemade jam - go for it! If not you can use a high quality store bought jam. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of jam onto the center of each pastry of the 4 bottoms. Place the 4 pastry tops onto the jam centers, aligning the corners. Press the edges with a fork, until each tart is closed, working around the entire rectangle. (These may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen.)
4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tarts are golden brown. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Note: The filling varies on the time of year. Choose an organic store bought jam if you don't have time to make your own.
E-mail Me
RSS Feed
