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by MK Burnell

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by MK Burnell

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by MK Burnell

With winter on the way and wild winds buffeting the city, a lot of lovers are choosing to snuggle up for an at-home date night. Skipping the fancy restaurant or exclusive club not only saves you some petty cash, but also lets you set the mood for the evening any way you like! Candlelight and a nice Montepulciano will only take you so far, though; to really transform your living space into a romantic getaway, you need the proper background music. Here are five can't-miss tunes to get you started.

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I just have to congratulate and celebrate the success of four fellow bloggers who have published their own cookbooks. Check out these beautiful cookbooks by Sprouted Kitchen food blogger Sara Forte, Smitten Kitchen food blogger Deb Pereman, The Wednesday Chef food blogger Luisa Weiss, and What Katie Ate food blogger Katie Quinn Davis.  Congratulations Ladies!  - Seduction Meals

We are happy to promote cookbooks produced by food bloggers so send us links / information on the cool cookbooks that you find and love.


Sprouted Kitchen food blogger Sara Forte showcases 100 tempting recipes that take advantage of fresh produce, whole grains, lean proteins, and natural sweeteners--with vivid flavors and seasonal simplicity at the forefront.

Sara Forte is a food-loving, wellness-craving veggie enthusiast who relishes sharing a wholesome meal with friends and family. The Sprouted Kitchen features 100 of her most mouthwatering recipes. Richly illustrated by her photographer husband, Hugh Forte, this bright, vivid book celebrates the simple beauty of seasonal foods with original recipes--plus a few favorites from her popular Sprouted Kitchen food blog tossed in for good measure. The collection features tasty snacks on the go like Granola Protein Bars, gluten-free brunch options like Cornmeal Cakes with Cherry Compote, dinner party dishes like Seared Scallops on Black Quinoa with Pomegranate Gastrique, "meaty" vegetarian meals like Beer Bean- and Cotija-Stuffed Poblanos, and sweet treats like Cocoa Hazelnut Cupcakes. From breakfast to dinner, snack time to happy hour, The Sprouted Kitchen will help you sneak a bit of delicious indulgence in among the vegetables. (source: Amazon)



The long-awaited cookbook by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen--home cook, photographer, and celebrated food blogger. Deb Perelman loves to cook. She isn't a chef or a restaurant owner--she's never even waitressed. Cooking in her tiny Manhattan kitchen was, at least at first, for special occasions--and, too often, an unnecessarily daunting venture. Deb found herself overwhelmed by the number of recipes available to her. Have you ever searched for the perfect birthday cake on Google? You'll get more than three million results. Where do you start? What if you pick a recipe that's downright bad?

So Deb founded her award-winning blog, Smitten Kitchen, on the premise that cooking should be a pleasure, and that the results of your labor can--and should--be delicious . . .  every time. Deb is a firm believer that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes. She has dedicated herself to creating and finding the best of the best and adapting the recipes for the everyday cook.  (source: Amazon)



The Wednesday Chef cooks her heart out, finds her way home, and shares her recipes with us. It takes courage to turn your life upside down, especially when everyone is telling you how lucky you are. But sometimes what seems right can feel deeply wrong. My Berlin Kitchen tells the story of how one thoroughly confused, kitchen-mad perfectionist broke off her engagement to a handsome New Yorker, quit her dream job, and found her way to a new life, a new man, and a new home in Berlin--one recipe at a time.

Luisa Weiss grew up with a divided heart, shuttling back and forth between her father in Boston and her Italian mother in Berlin. She was always yearning for home--until she found a new home in the kitchen. Luisa started clipping recipes in college and was a cookbook editor in New York when she decided to bake, roast, and stew her way through her by then unwieldy collection over the course of one tumultuous year. The blog she wrote to document her adventures in (and out) of the kitchen, The Wednesday Chef, soon became a sensation. But she never stopped hankering for Berlin.

Luisa will seduce you with her stories of foraging for plums in abandoned orchards, battling with white asparagus at the tail end of the season, orchestrating a three-family Thanksgiving in Berlin, and mending her broken heart with batches (and batches) of impossible German Christmas cookies. Fans of her award-winning blog will know the happy ending, but anyone who enjoyed Julie and Julia will laugh and cheer and cook alongside Luisa as she takes us into her heart and tells us how she gave up everything only to find love waiting where she least expected it.
(source: Amazon)



Renowned food photographer and blogger, Katie Quinn Davies' cookbook shares her favorite simple dishes with a dazzling collection of recipes and beautiful images (American edition). After spending more than a decade as an art director working for some of the top design studios in Ireland, the United States, and Australia, Katie Quinn Davies refocused her creativity towards food and lifestyle photography and created a blog called What Katie Ate. An Internet phenomenon, What Katie Ate has received international attention and was even dubbed one of the best food blogs in the world by GOOP. Showcasing her extraordinary eye, this debut cookbook is a unique combination of food diary and how-to, with tips and tricks, photographs, recipes, and stories.

Sharing more than one hundred simple culinary recipes drawn from Katie's travels, dinner party cooking and foodie haunts, What Katie Ate emphasizes seasonal ingredients and irresistible flavors. Featured dishes range from Wild Mushrooms on Toast with Parmesan and Herbs to Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple, Prune & Pine Nut Stuffing and Cider Cream Gravy. What's for dessert? Temptations include Coffee Hazelnut Frangelico Cake and Honey Baked Peaches with Vanilla Bean Créme Fraiche.

Perfect for entertaining, this gorgeous cookbook minimizes the time spent in the kitchen and maximizes the time spent enjoying the meal with friends and family. Bringing together easy-to-cook recipes (using standard American measurements) with gorgeous world-class food photography, What Katie Ate will indulge all of your senses. (source: Amazon)

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"Made in America is a celebration of the contemporary American food landscape. Be inspired by some of this nation's finest and most influential chefs as they help you navigate from coast to coast."

"Lucy Lean has given us a unique perspective on classic American dishes, bringing a modern chef's twist to our nationally-treasured favorites."

"Ever wonder how a world-renowned chef creates a recipe? Author Lucy Lean travels the U.S. to challenge chefs to recreate family classics, and gives us a peek into the kitchen
and into the brilliant minds of master chefs."

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I love the sizzling sound of frying sliced pork belly, affectionately known as bacon, and the way it fills the room with its intoxicating aroma. And based on the emergence of bacon as the #1 food trend of 2011 where we saw bacon EVERYWHERE, there is definitely an ongoing love affair with this food.  The most notable change was finding bacon infused in the world of sweets: bacon-flavored chocolates, bacon-flavored cocktails, bacon-flavored coffee; and dare I say--there were crazy inventions like bacon-flavored bubble-gum, toothpaste and dental floss.

So what is it about bacon that fascinates our palette so?

Seduced by Bacon, a new book by Joanna Pruess, has captured a sizzling zeitgeist. With ninety delicious and unique recipes including pecan waffles with caramel-bacon sauce; bacon-wrapped trout; sweet potato-hazelnut rosti with apricots, bacon, and watercress; and pecan-brown sugar and bacon ice cream to name a few, this all-bacon recipe book would be a great gift for the food lover, bacon fanatic, or low-carb dieter's cookbook collection. Every cook and bacon connoisseur - in fact, anyone who eats - will savor the delectable recipes, photos and bits of "baconry" in this fresh, innovative cookbook.

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With cooler weather coming upon us, there is nothing as comforting as a hearty bowl of soup or chowder. The New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein, features more than 100 Recipes including Roasted Yellow Beet and Pear Soup with Blue Cheese; Butternut Squash Soup with Calvados, Gorgonzola Cheese and Prosciutto; Cheddar Corn Chowder with Bacon and Scallions; Apple, Onion and Cheddar Soup; Split Pea with Bacon and Potatoes, Sweet Potato, Chicken and Barley Soup; Curried Mussel Bisque, and Yellow Tomato Soup with Jasmine Rice.

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Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Will you make reservations at your favorite restaurant or do you prefer to share a more intimate romantic meal at home? If you are planning a Seduction Meal at your place but aren't sure what to whip up, here are a few cookbooks for culinary inspiration. TIP: Never cook a meal for the first time on a special night such as this. Always prepare a dish or menu that you know or practice your meal before the big night. You want to be relaxed and confident, not nervous about whether or not the meal will turn out just right.

1. Seduction & Spice by Rudi Sodamin

If you can find this book it is worth the search. A beautifully designed book with 130 splendid recipes - this is part of my cookbook collection and one that people always want to pick up and fondle given its red suede cover. Here are two impressive reviews from from Amazon.com, need I say more?


2. The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge

Also part of my cookbook library, I love the design, photography, format and the carefully selected recipes all with a slant on cooking with aphrodisiacs.

From Amazon.com: While the jury's out on which foods, if any, are true aphrodisiacs, the authors contend that "anyone who has served an elaborate candlelit meal, painstakingly prepared with love, knows the potential power of food." The newly expanded and revised edition of this 1997 cookbook features a bevy of recipes that may win the heart of that special someone. Ranging from simple Strawberries Drenched in Honeyed Cream to the more elaborate Orange Blossom Panna Cotta and Grilled Vietnamese Gingered Beef Rolls, lovers of all stripes are sure to discover a new favorite.

3. The Seduction Cookbook by Diane Brown

From Amazon.com: In The Seduction Cookbook, author Diane Brown offers much more than romantic recipe secrets. She teaches how to heighten passion through appetizing anticipation, and shares tempting techniques for preparing and serving her creations. 

Inside you'll find appetizers that will induce a little "fork-play" such as Chile Lime Shrimp; Rocket Salad with Black Mission Figs; and Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Advocado. Erotic entrees include Scallops with Asparagus and Ginger Beurre Blance and Sausages in Red Wine. And if you make it to dessert, try replacing low-carb with "low-garb" by enjoying the sweet sensation of Strawberries Stuffed with Mascarpone Cheese and Dark Chocolate or Poached Pears in Cardamom Syrup, among many others.

4. Booty Food by Jacqui Malouf

The title is a long one: Booty Food: A Date By Date, Nibble by Nibble, Course by Course Guide to Cultivating Love and Passion Through Food. And that it is. From your first date to every phase of your relationship, Jacqui has put together an alluring collection of recipes sure to win his /or her heart. I loved reading this cookbook as much as trying the recipes--Jacqui is a total treat and very very funny! A must have book for your collection.  From Amazon.com:



5. The Loin King by Ryan O'Horn

Here we have "366 sexy and uplifting aphrodisiacs to answer the call of the wild" From Amazon.com: The only thing better than sex is, well, more sex--and The Loin King makes sure everyone is ready to answer the call of the wild when it comes. Featuring the most popular libido enhancers devised by man (and woman), this engaging and enlightening little volume is a racy ride through the bedrooms of history. From the ancient Aztec avocado cure to Lord Byron's poetic plate of vermicelli, you will learn all you need to know about aphrodisiacs, past and present. No matter what your pleasure, you will find the concoction you need to spice up your sex life. 

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David Chang is a name known throughout the foodie world. And if you've ever dined at any one of his restaurants you'd know why. Get ready for pure culinary seduction: Foie grass with riesling jelly lychee and pinenuts, the best, and I mean BEST steamed pork buns you will ever try, and of course the infamous Bo Ssam (see recipe below), a succulent pork dish made with pork shoulder from Niman Ranch that is slow roasted for 6-8 hours with a brown sugar and kosher salt rub. If you love pork, this is something you must try!

Bo Ssam is served at the Momofuku Bar, which is on Second Avenue in NYC. This dish is served family style and easily fed our entire table of 8, with some go-bags for a lucky few. Moans of cuilnary pleasure (which course is a sure sign of a Seduction Meal) will be heard from your table, as you lovingly lick your fingers and dig in for more!

As is the case with any popular restaurant in New York, I hope your experience is a good one given the number of people that jam into Momofuku Bar hoping to experience it at its best.

 What is Bo Ssam?

Bo ssäm (which is korean for enclosed or wrapped) includes a whole slow cooked pork shoulder, a dozen oysters, white rice, bibb lettuce, ssäm jiang (korean bbq sauce), kimchi and ginger scallion sauce. The dish is essentially pork and condiments wrapped in lettuce.

The Cost?

Served family style, Bo Ssam is prepared for large groups with a flat cost of $200 for your entire party. The cost does not include other food and drinks ordered or tax and tip.

Do I need a reservation? How far in advance does one have to reserve?

Yes! You need a reservation as each pork butt is cooked with your name on it. Their web site recommends up to 4 weeks in advance and at least 24 hours notice for Monday to Thursday reservations. Friday, Saturday and Sunday reservations close at 11:30pm on Thursday evenings. There is a fee for cancellations so book wisely.

David Chang's Bo Saam Recipe
Serves 8 - 10

While most of us will not spend this amount of time and dedication on a recipe, it is good to know you can be served this wonderful dish at Momofuku Bar. For those that love creating sensational dishes--here is the recipe and a link to David's cookbook below.
 
Ingredients:

• 10 pounds bone-in Boston pork butt
• 2 1/3 cups white sugar
• 2 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons salt
• 4 each red and green chiles
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 cups uncooked Korean rice
• 2 heads Boston lettuce
• Sagyegeol ssam jang (Korean soybean paste)
• Salted shrimp
• 1 pound cabbage or daikon kimchee

Directions:

• The night before:
• Place 2 cups each sugar and salt in a bowl or saucepan large enough to hold the butt, add 6 cups water and stir until dissolved. Place the pork butt in the brine solution. Make sure it's submerged (weight it if necessary), and refrigerate overnight.
• Clean the chile peppers (leave the seeds in for a hotter flavor) and slice them 1/2-inch thick, on the bias. Mix 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup salt with 1 cup water until dissolved, pour over the chiles, and set aside. 
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the pork in a large 6-in deep pot or casserole, and cook uncovered in the oven for 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 hours, basting the pork with the pan drippings every hour. 
• When the meat is fork-tender and pulls away from the bone, sprinkle the exterior with a mixture of 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue roasting until the outside is well caramelized. Remove from oven.
• Rinse the rice well to remove any sediment. Add 7 cups cold water, 1 tablespoon salt, and 4 cups rice. Cook for 20 minutes or until water evaporates.. 
• Clean and wash the lettuce, select the best leaves and set aside.
  

Assembly and Servings:

1. Place the pork on a large platter surrounded with the pickled chiles.Arrange the Korean rice, saam jang, salted shrimp, kimchee, and lettuce in separate bowls.
   
2. Allow guests to assembe their saam by wrapping each component in a lettuce leaf.
   

David Chang's Momofuku Cookbook

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After our last post---Tempting Summer Gelato, and my personal quest to find the perfect Gelato maker, I thought I'd share a book review, a book I would hope to have delivered the same time I purchase my dream Gelato maker--Making Artisan Gelato. Gelato is the perfect finale for your Summer Seduction Meal.

Making Artisan Gelato has Authentic Italian Style gelato and sorbet recipes with dozens of inspiring flavors--all made at home! With simple, fresh ingredients and a standard ice-cream maker, perfect, fresh gelato can be yours.From pureeing fruits to tempering egg yolks for custard, the gelato-making techniques illustrated, Making Artisan Gelato ensures that your frozen creations will be professional grade. The 45 indulgent gelato, sorbet, and granita recipes incorporate nuts, spices, chocolates, fresh fruit and herbs, and more, with novel flavor pairings that go far beyond your standard ice-cream-shop fare

Imagine tasting each and every seductive recipe Include in this book and then start experimenting with your own.

Making Artisan Gelato

    * Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla
    * Milk Chocolate chunk
    * Espresso
    * Irish Cream
    * Chocolate cinnamon Basil
    * Dark chocolate Orange
    * Honey and Toasted Sesame
    * Raspberry
    * Candied Ginger
    * Meyer Lemon Sorbet
    * Pear Sorbet with Honey and Cumin-Scented Candied Walnuts
    * Lime-Mint Granita
    * Fudge sauce, caramel, nut brittle, and other delicious toppings

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The origins of sous vide cooking, or vacuum-packing foods and cooking them at precise, relatively low temperatures for long periods, may have been largely in frozen convenience foods, but it has become standard in top kitchens worldwide, notably Kellers own. With the publication of Under Pressure, Keller aims to demonstrate the technique to a wider swath of cooks--not the masses, but at least those who can afford this lavish volume and the sous vide equipment.

One need not cook the exact recipes (which are unaltered from the restaurants) to be inspired by Kellers careful yet whimsical creations, such as a cuttlefish tagliatelle with palm hearts and nectarine or squab with piquillo peppers, marcona almonds, fennel and date sauce. And Keller, with several of his chefs as well as curious cook Harold McGee, takes pains in the introduction to explain sous vide fundamentals, arguing persuasively that it is not a fad but an important technique that allows unparalleled control over how ingredients are heated and what flavors and textures result.

Still, at least until the equipment is more affordable, (see SousVide Supreme Water Oven) most readers will admire this gorgeous book on their coffee tables, from the simple beauty of photos of ingredients in their natural states to plates with a courses elements so artfully arranged they would not be out of place in a modern art museum.

The ground-breaking under-pressure method involves submerging food for minutes or even days in sealed, airless bags at precisely the temperature required to produce perfect doneness. Flavors and textures unattainable by other cooking methods can also be achieved.

The technique has been in the pipeline for awhile--one forerunner is the boil-in bag mom used to put veggies on the table--but has only recently attracted top chefs. One is Thomas Keller, famed chef-proprietor of The French Laundry and Per Se. His mightily sized, gorgeously produced Under Pressure explores every inch of sous vide, including the ramifications of using this precision-cooking technique (once time and temperature are established, best results follow automatically) on the craft of cooking, which has always meant a potentially rewarding engagement with the possibility of failure.

The book makes no bones about being addressed to professionals. Typical recipes, like Marinated Toy Box Tomatoes with Compressed Cucumber-Red Onion Relish, Toasted Brioche, and Diane St. Claire Butter, involve multiple preparations and dernier cri ingredients, and thus resist home duplication. There's also the matter of the pricey equipment required--chamber vacuum packers and temperature-maintaining immersion circulators--not to mention the precautions required to ensure that foods, usually cooked at low temps, are safe to eat.

What the book does offer the home cook is, however, thrilling. It introduces something new under the sun--an exciting, transformative technique of great potential. Anyone interested in food and cooking--not to mention lovers of extraordinarily well produced books--will want to explore Under Pressure

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From Thomas Keller's Cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, comes this amazing Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe.

"If there's a better fried chicken, I haven't tasted it. First, and critically, the chicken is brined for 12 hours in a herb-lemon brine, which seasons the meat and helps it stay juicy. The flour is seasoned with garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The chicken is dredged in the seasoned flour, dipped in buttermilk, and then dredged again in the flour. The crust becomes almost feathered and is very crisp. Fried chicken is a great American tradition that's fallen out of favor. A taste of this, and you will want it back in your weekly routine." --Thomas Keller.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• Two 2 1/2- to 3-pound chickens (see Note on Chicken Size)
• Chicken Brine (recipe follows), cold

For Dredging and Frying

• Peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
• 1 quart buttermilk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coating

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup onion powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Ground fleur de sel or fine sea salt
• Rosemary and thyme sprigs for garnish

Chicken Brine
Makes 2 gallons

• lemons, halved
• 24 bay leaves
• 1 bunch (4 ounces) flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bunch (1 ounce) thyme
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 1 head garlic, halved through the equator
• 3/4 cup black peppercorns
• 2 cups (10 ounces) kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal
• 2 gallons water

The key ingredient here is the lemon, which goes wonderfully with chicken, as do the herbs: bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. This amount of brine will be enough for 10 pounds.

Combine all the Brine ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Full Recipe Below

Ad Hoc at Home was voted by Amazon.com as one of the Best Books of the Month, November 2009. As reviewed on Amazon:  "You don't often see the name Thomas Keller mixed with words like "accessible" or "home cook," but with Ad Hoc at Home, the award-winning chef presents a collection of recipes destined for the center of the table at casual family gatherings. Don't throw away your whole notion of "quick and easy," though, as this is still a casual cookbook filtered through the genius mind of the man behind The French Laundry Cookbook, but the sense of whimsy and the pure joy of Keller doing his version of  comfort food proves irresistible. The inspiration for his restaurant Ad Hoc was the simple family meals created and served by the staff at his  restaurants. As he says in the introduction, "here is food meant to be served from big bowls and platters passed hand to hand at the table." And with dishes like Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, who's going to argue with that?

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Maria Hunt, also known as The Bubbly Girl, is the author of The Bubbly Bar, the ultimate guide to entertaining with sparkling wine cocktails. One of her favorite sayings, it's always better with bubbly! is true to my heart.

"Champagnes and sparkling wines are my passion and I want more people to pair these joyful wines with every day meals and especially when entertaining".

We are honored as Maria shares with Seduction Meals one of her favorite recipes: Champagne Brie Spread which she tells us pairs well with any brut sparkling wine with crisp acidity, such as cava, Prosecco, or brut champagne. "This decadent appetizer created by Fleming's Steakhouse isn't served at the restaurant any more, but they were kind enough to share the recipe." Thank you Maria!

Champagne Brie Spread
Makes 1-1/2 cups spread

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces brie, cut out of the rind
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 3 ounces brut champagne
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon butter, cut in pieces
• 2 teaspoons chopped Marcona almonds
• 2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
• 6 or 7 Morello (brandy-soaked cherries), cut in half
• 1 teaspoon sun-dried tomatoes
• Assorted crackers

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the brie and the cream cheese. Mix on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese, champagne, white pepper and butter. Continue to blend for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 3 minutes.

Divide the spread into 5-ounce ramekins. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until just set. Remove from the refrigerator just before serving, and let the spread warm up slightly. Garnish one of the ramekins with almonds, one with chives, one with cherries and the fourth with sun-dried tomato. Serve with assorted crackers.

Check out her book: The Bubbly Bar

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Another delicious Italian recipe from the cookbook: Ciao Italia: Five-Ingredient Favorites, where Mary Ann Esposito shows you how to turn just five ingredients into an easy, delicious dish bursting with Italian flavor.  Here we have an Italian classic--Coal Miner Style Spaghetti or Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

"Just about everyone I know has a recipe for spaghetti alla carbonara. This simple but heavenly dish is said to get its name from the coal miners who could easily make it with readily available ingredients: eggs, cheese, and guanciale, cured and salted, pig's jowl and cheeks. A likely story, but the fact is that this dish is superb when made correctly and a completely balanced meal. The eggs should be of the highest quality and at room temperature so they will mix well with the spaghetti. The cheese should be none other than true Parmigiano-Reggiano, or pecorino Romano. Today, the more readily available pancetta is used in place of guanciale. And a pepper mill is essential for the right grind of black pepper."

 Coal Miner Style Spaghetti: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Recipe Courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounce chunk pancetta, diced
• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 3 large eggs at room temperature and lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Good grinding coarse black pepper
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and stir in the pancetta. Cook until crispy. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Cook the spaghetti until it is al dente, in 4 quarts of rapidly boiling, salted water. Al dente means still firm but no uncooked flour is visible when a strand of spaghetti is broken in half.
3. Drain the spaghetti in a colander, and save 6 tablespoons of the water. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved water to the sauté pan with the spaghetti and toss well for a few minutes over low heat to get the spaghetti really hot.  Remove the pan from the stove top and rapidly stir in the beaten eggs, 2 more tablespoons of the reserved water, and half the cheese.  Combine well.  If the spaghetti seems dry, add the last 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.
4. Add the reserved pancetta and any drippings. Stir well.  Add a good grinding of the pepper.  Add salt if needed. 
   
5. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Serve immediately.

This recipe is from  Ciao Italia : Five-Ingredient Favorites by Mary Ann Esposito. For another delicious treat, try her Cheesey Stuffed Meatballs.

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Authenticity, history, and tradition.  Those three words define Mary Ann Esposito and the signature cooking style that has made her one of America's best-known and most loved television chefs.  In her latest book, Ciao Italia Five-Ingredient Favorites, Esposito, best known for her authentic and inspired take on rustic Italian cooking, has taken a crack at the ubiquitous quick/easy genre offering 75 recipes that focus on five main ingredients.

Here we share one of Mary Ann's delicious recipes. Turn meatballs into a gourmet treat with very little extra effort, then sit back and enjoy the meal and the compliments!

Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs
Makes 8 Meatballs
Recipe Courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

"Can you make a better tasting meatball? Absolutely! Just stuff them with a creamy, melting cheese like Fontina! This may be a little unconventional way to make them, but the taste elevates meatballs to elegant and they can be served alone or in tomato sauce. Achieve great flavor by using a combination of ground chuck and ground sirloin because the fat in ground chuck is essential for moistness, while the sirloin provides great texture" -- Chef Esposito

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup good quality bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or half/half
• 1/2 pound ground chuck
• 1/2 pound ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• Grinding coarse black pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound Fontina or mozzarella cheese cut into 8 small pieces

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put the bread crumbs in a medium size bowl and pour the cream over them. Mix with a fork; the mixture will not be soupy.
3. Add the ground chuck, sirloin, and salt and pepper. Mix just to combine the ingredients. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces and roll each in the palm of your hand to make compact 2 1/2-inch balls.
4. Insert your thumb into the middle of each meatball and push in a piece of cheese. Close the meatball encasing the cheese and smooth the top.
5. Place the meatballs on a rimmed, nonstick baking sheet. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until they are nicely browned. Serve hot as is or put them in tomato sauce and serve with pasta or as a second course.
   

Variation: make the meatballs miniature size and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Serve as an antipasto. Leftovers make great sandwich filling too!

Cook's Secret: If you wet your hands between making each meatball, the meat mixture will not stick to your hands.

Ciao Italia : Five Ingredient Favorites by Mary by Ann Esposito

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Haute cuisine, culinary alchemy or perhaps both? Grant Achatz is a master of seduction. See for yourself in the slide show below as one flirtatious dish after another is presented, leaving you to smile in amazement and wonder at this chef's incredible skill.

My initial response was full praise for Grant's culinary artistry and provocative presentations. Next I imagined how one would actually eat each dish. Fingers, fork, knife, spoon, spear, or using some contraption he has devised; how intriguing. How fun!  And, my fascination is done through mere photographs from his beautifully designed cookbook--Alinea, a "must-have" book for your collection. How I long for my next trip to Chicago so I can experience this in person.





Alinea, the cookbook has all the ingredients to become the "hot" coffee table book / gift of the moment. Between the story of Achatz' meteoric rise as culinary superstar, his fascinating food creations and techniques, to the seductive photographs by photographer Lara Kastner--you can't help bring this book to your lap and slowly devour each page. Grant and his partner Nick Kokonas have created a web site to go with the book that features demos, recipes, and techniques.  What the videos to witness the passion behind each dish.

I will say, this is not a cookbook for home chefs, the 600 recipes are complex and require special equipment , ingredients, and patience.  Consider this a beautiful book that shares a glimpse into the world of Grant Achatz, molecular gastronomy or hyper modern cooking, and need I say--perfection.

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I am a big fan of Bobby Flay and absolutely love Mesa Grill.  I recently had lunch there with a friend and being a beautiful Fall day in New York, I was intrigued by the pumpkin soup on the menu. As the bowl of soup was placed before me, and the smell of cinnamon and spices came my way, I knew this was going to be special. With the very first taste, it was as though all conversation in the room ceased as I lovingly devoured this dish in complete self-indulgence.  My poor friend had no idea I tuned out--if only for a few moments. Needless to say, this is the perfect fall/winter soup for a Seduction Meal for two.

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When you find yourself alone with the love of your life--or a contender for that role, and you want to serve up an amazingly delicious, yet light seduction meal, this salmon dish will do the trick. Another hit from one of my favorite cookbooks, Mod Mex; this easy dish is made to impress.

The presentation begins when you plate the dish with a coating of Pipian Verde, a simple mole sauce (pronounced MOH-lay) made from roasted tomatillo, garlic, jalepeno peppers, and onions, thickened with toasted pumpkin seeds. Place the pumpkin seed-crusted salmon over the mole sauce, and pour two glasses of a light, crisp white wine. Lift your glasses and toast to your good fortune. Place a forkful of the salmon with the pipian verde into your mouth. Your eyes will slowly close to fully experience the vibrant sensations: the soft crunch of the toasted pumpkin seeds, the silky texture of the salmon complimented by the fresh flavors of the pipian verde. Just divine!

 
pumpkin seed-crusted salmon with pipian verde sauce
Serves 6

basic salsa verde
6 large tomatillos, husked
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 to 3 jalapeno or serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the oven and roast for 15 to 30 minutes until lightly browned and soft; or you can grill them until charred. Combine all ingredients in the jar of an electric blender. Add chiles, cilantro, salt and pepper, and puree until the desired consistency; either chunky-smooth or completely smooth. This sauce will last for about a week stored in the refrigerator in a nonreactive container.

pumpkin seeds, salmon and pipian verde sauce
2 cups pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups salsa verde (see above)
6 skinless salmon fillets
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

If you are cooking for 2 - 4 just use less salmon fillets and 1 egg white
I would make all of the pipian verde. You can use this for other dishes, even a dip with chips or crudite.
Note: You will need a large, oven-safe nonstick skillet to finish this dish off in the oven.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the pumpkin seeds in 2 tablespoons of the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread evenly on a baking sheet to lightly brown and become crisp, 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the pumpkin seeds and turn the oven up to 375 degrees F.

In the jar of an electric blender, pulse the pumpkin seeds until just coarsely ground. Do not over blend. Remove half of the seeds and set them aside in a flat dish or pie plate. Save a few pumpkin seeds to garnish each dish.  Pour the salsa verde into the jar with the remaining seeds and puree until smooth.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and brush the top side of each fillet lightly with egg white. Carefully press the egg-coated side into the ground pumpkin seeds

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add the fillets, crusted side down, and transfer the pan to the oven for 3 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and crispy. Using a spatula or tongs, turn the fish, return the pan to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes, cook the fish to medium. Add 1 more minute of cooking if you prefer your fish more well done.

While the fish is cooking, in a small saucepan, heat the Pipian Verde sauce over medium heat until hot.

Coat each dinner plate with about 1/3 cup of the sauce, lay a fillet on top, garnish with a few toasted pumpkin seeds, and serve.

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San Francisco is a city filled with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the country. Add its close proximity to world-class wineries and you can easily understand why so many food enthusiasts travel to this city to revel in its culinary delights.

With this in mind, I happily purchased a cookbook that lets me bring San Francisco's top recipes to my Seduction Meal arsenal-- 86 San Francisco, a concept cookbook designed to look and feel like a traditional recipe box with 86 recipe cards. Each card features one authentic recipe, adapted for home cooks, from a selection of top restaurants in the Bay Area. Included are recipes from Chez Panisse, Gary Danko, Michael Mina, Boulevard, and One Market to name a few. In addition to San Francisco, 86 Recipes offers recipes from the top restaurants in New Orleans and and New York as well. Here is one example of an 86 San Francisco recipe.

Created by Michael Mina restaurant, this recipe for Butter-Poached Main Lobster wrapped in vanilla crepes served with a coconut Thai creme sauce is one of the many gems you will find in this cookbook. I've also had much success serving up char-grilled oysters with roquefort cheese and red-wine vinaigrette which is a recipe from the 86 New Orleans recipe box by Chef Scott Snodgrass of One Restaurant & Lounge in New Orlean

Butter-Poached Main Lobster with Vanilla Crepes
Serves 4

Note: For this recipe you will need a fine mesh strainer, and allow at least 30 minutes for the crepes to rest in the refrigerator. You might want to prepare the dough first, refrigerate and proceed to the Thai Coconut Reduction.

Thai Coconut Reduction
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 inch of ginger, peeled and sliced
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 cup mirin
1 cup orange juice
10 oz unsweetened coconut milk, canned
2 cups heavy cream
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed medium sauce pot over a medium flame
• Just before the oil begins to smoke, add the ginger, shallots, garlic and lemongrass. Stir to coat well with the oil.
• Saute for 3-4 minutes until very fragrant.
  
• Add the curry and stir well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes
• Add the mirin and orange juice to the pot and reduce the heat so the liquid just simmers. Reduce until half the liquid is gone.
• Add the coconut milk, cream, and cilantro
• Simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have come together. Strain through a mesh strainer and hold warm.
  

Vanilla Crepes

6 oz all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 of a vanilla bean, seeds scraped
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
Nonstick spray

• Sift the flour, sugar, and salt together in to a mixing bowl
• Place the butter, 1/2 cup of the milk, vanilla bean pulp and pod in a small pan and heat gently to melt the butter
• Once the butter has melted, temper the mixture into the remaining cold milk and then whisk in eggs.
  
• Combine the liquid into the dry ingredients being sure that there are no flour lumps
• Strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any lumps and the vanilla been seeds/pod
• Allow the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before using. Batter can be made up to a day ahead of time
• When you are ready to cook the crepes, place a 6-inch nonstick pan over a medium-low flame. Be sure to allow the pan to fully preheat before attempting to make any crepes. Generously spray the pan with nonstick spray and ladle about 1/4 cup crepe batter into the pan swirling to coat.
  
• If there is any excess of batter, pour it off before returning the pan to the heat.
  
• Return the pan to the heat and allow it to set--this should take about 30-45 seconds. Once the edges just begin to look "dry", the crepe is done. You do not need to flip the crepe to release the crepe.
• As you make the crepes, lay them onto an oiled piece of parchment paper or platter to cool. Continue working until you have the desired number of crepes.
• Once the crepes have cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap so they won't dry out.

Lobster

1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into chunks
4 sprigs of thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
Kosher salt and black pepper
(4) 3-4 oz lobster tails, shelled

Garnishes

Jalapeno slices (optional)
basil leaves
orange sections

• Place a medium sauce pan over a low flame
• Add the wine to the pan and heat until small bubbles form.
• Working with one chunk of butter at a time, whisk until incorporated. The butter should stay emulsified and thick
• Add the herbs and season ot taste. Keep the pan on a low flame
• When ready to serve, season the lobster tails and place into the butter-herb sauce.
• Poach the lobster tails for about 8 minutes until just cooked through. Remove them from the butter and place onto a platter.

Assembly

• Working with two Vanilla Crepes at  time, lay them onto your work surface, overlapping one third, in a figure-eight shape
• Place one lobster tail at the edge of the crepe and roll it up like a cigar. Trim any excess off the ends. Continue until all 4 tails have been rolled.
• Place the lobster tails onto an oven-proof tray, brush them lightly with some of the lobster cooking butter and  place into a 350 degree F oven for about 3-4 minutes, just to heat through.

Plating the Dish

• Once the crepes are hot, carefully slice each tail into 3 sections and place in the center of a small dish cut-side up.
• Spoon the Thai Coconut Reduction around the plate
• Finish with the garnishes

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Walking along Park Avenue I came upon one of my all time favorite contemporary Mexican restaurants--Dos Caminos. I was immediately drawn to a brightly colored book in the window-- Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home by Executive Chef Scott Linquist. Needless to say, I rushed in to purchase my very own copy. 

If you love Mexican food this is a must-have cookbook for your collection.There are over 125 recipes that highlight food from the regions of the Yucatan to Oaxaca with the creative flair Scott Linquist is famous for. I knew this book would be a keeper for my Seduction Meal library.

Flipping through the pages there were so many recipes I wanted to try. For my Mexican Seduction Meal I chose to serve "el amor de mi vida" Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos, Guacamole and chips, and Pico de Gallo. Served with a chilled glass of beer and a wedge of lime...let the fiesta begin!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos + Guacamole
served with Salsa Pasilla and Queso Fresco




For this meal I break the prep into 4 tasks. First I made the Mushrooms which need to marinate for at least one hour. Next I made the Salsa Pasilla; this salsa is pure heaven. The tomatoes, garlic and onions are roasted and then pureed with a blend of mesmerizing flavors. You will love it!  Next I made the Pico de Gallo and ended with the Guacamole. Note: The first three tasks call for refrigeration for at least one hour, so be sure to make this 1-2 hours before your meal. If you prefer, you can make everything but the guacamole the day before.

Ingredients and Tasks

Tacos
12 six inch corn tortillas, purchased or home made (I bought mine and had to use flour tortillas)
1 cup very thin sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup of crumbed queso fresco (I had to substitute a mild goat cheese)

Mushroom
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 serrano chile, stemmed and chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chile, salt, and pepper. Add the mushrooms, turn to coat evenly, and let stand for at least 1 hour. I had to add a bit more olive oil to coat them all.

Salsa Pasilla  (this sauce is heaven!)
4 medium whole plum tomatoes
1 small yellow onion, quartered
3 cloves of garlic
6 pasilla chiles
2 chipotle chiles
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the onion is slightly brown. Toast and rehydrate the pasilla and chipotle chile. In a jar of an electric blender, and working in batches if you need to, add the drained rehydrated chiles, roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic along with the remaining salsa ingredients, except the salt, and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Pico de Gallo
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into small cubes
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 to 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together. Season with about 1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste), and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Basic Guacamole

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp minces jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeds and membranes removed, if desired
Kosher or coarse salt
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 small plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp freshy squeezed lime juice
Warm tortilla chips for serving

Mash together 1 Tbsp of the cilantro, 1 tsp of the onion, 1 tsp of the chile and 1/2 tsp of salt in the bottom of a Molcajete (a lava-stone mixing/serving bowl) or a medium sized-bowl. Add the avocados and gently mash with a fork until chunky smooth. Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture. Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips. Make this just before you are going to serve it, but before preparing the tacos so the flavors can settle in.

Preparing the Tacos
Heat a barbecue or gas grill until hot. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and put them on the grill to warm. Lift the mushrooms from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place them individually on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes, and then turn and cook the second side for the same amount of time. Remove and but the mushrooms into 1/2 inch wide strips.

Serve 3-4 strips of mushrooms to each tortilla and top with a generous pinch of lettuce, 2 tablespoons of Pico de Gallo, 1 tablespoon of Queso Fresco, and 2 tablespoons of the absolutely delicious Salsa Pasilla. Fold in half and serve 2 tacos on each plate.

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For the rest of December Seduction Meals will feature holiday gift ideas for your lover and the foodies in your life. We hope you enjoy the collection of gifts we've put together. We set up quick links to make your shopping fast and easy. Tis the Season...may it sparkle with love.

Holiday Gift Ideas:  This holiday season push those boring romance novels and sports books off your bookshelf and step in the real world of romance by starting a collection of books that will truly deliver the goods: cooking to hook up. A few of my favorites include: Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, Booty Food, and you have to love the directness of the titles such as Cooking to Hook Up and Will Cook for Sex.







The New Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook (gotta have it!)
Forget Spanish fly or powdered rhino horn; if you want to get your lover in the mood, look no farther than your local supermarket. Strawberries, chocolate, caviar and asparagus have long been considered stimulants for the romantic appetite. For centuries, folk wisdom held that foods either rare or resembling a sexual organ had tremendous power over the libido. Modern science has since debunked that theory, but there's no denying that a meal lovingly prepared and properly presented with just the right ambience can precipitate the most passionate encounters. In Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge appeal to all the senses as they offer up 85 heart-melting, temperature-raising dishes, along with an array of sensuous photographs that will make you look at food in a whole new light.

Cooking to Hook Up (gotta have it!)
Cooking to Hook Up: The Bachelor's Date-Night Cookbook is really two books--a relationship guide and a cookbook--presented together in a hysterically funny, yet sophisticated voice. The authors carefully instruct their male readers to determine the type of girl his date is. They offer ten distinct types and clear profiles of each type. The book offers five complete menus per girl, as well as numerous other tips on how to get the girl. This is real information and these are real recipes.

Win her With Dinner (gotta have it!)
"Talk about being upfront on the hardcover. "This book's premise is based upon the simple truth that women like to see a guy put forth a little effort." Hallelujah. And hello to the intriguing blurbs on the acknowledgements page by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Ladies, if all this doesn't get your attention, the back of the book will: "Any schmo can take a woman to a swanky restaurant and slap down his credit card. Cooking for a woman, however, shows her you've put a dash of initiative, a smidgen of energy, and a pinch of thought into the date." Kitchen novices are walked through an entire meal and evening, including recommendations for wine and music, tips on etiquette and how to create a comfy setting. -- USA Today"

Booty Food (gotta have it!)
A date by date, nibble by nibble, course by course guide to cultivating love and passion through food. If Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw cooked, and wrote a cookbook, this might be it. It's a sassy collection of recipes and menus for the occasions and stages of relationships (from flings to marriage), with dating advice, sex sidebars and a dash of etiquette-a primer on "caviar for newbies"; a key to the pronunciation of wines and international foods; suggestions for successful key exchange0thrown in for good measure. Jacqui Malouf, co-host of Hot off the Grill with Bobby Flay and host of the WE network's Full Frontal Fashion, offers stories from her own dating life along with simple-chic recipes such as Funky Mimosas for the morning-after breakfast; Pan-Roasted Chicken with Rosemary-Lemon Butter, Blue Cheese Arugula Salad with Honeyed Walnuts, and Grilled Asparagus with Balsamic Vinaigrette for the first home-cooked meal; and Chicken Ramani, Cucumber Raita, and Minty Cuban Mojitos for keeping things "hot."

Seduction and Spice (gotta have it!)
130 recipes for romance. "In Seduction and Spice, Rudi Sodamin will intoxicate you with delectable aphrodisiacs that will have you scurrying from the kitchen to the bedroom...do, rejoice and indulge in the world of Aphrodite and gastronomy."--Jacques Pépin, chef, book author, and host of Jacques Pépin's Kitchen: Encore with Claudine on PBS. Need I say more?

The Seduction Cookbook (gotta have it!)
"The Seduction Cookbook" is probably one of the most exciting cookbooks you will ever buy. Not only does it contain many secrets of seduction, the recipes are exotic and divinely delicious. Your lover will think you are a cooking god or goddess who has arrived to give them a tantalizing gourmet feast. They will worship you later in appreciation. "Cooking and seduction are delicious arts that involve head, hand and heart. Great lovers are inspired by passion, as are great chefs." ~Diane Brown

Great Food Great Sex (gotta have it!)
If you are concerned about eating well and enjoying great sex, this book is for you. Written by two health psychologists with both clinical and academic experience in nutrition and sexual function, and backed by the latest nutritional and medical research, Great Food, Great Sex is the first food book designed to fire up sexual vitality in both men and women. The simple-to-implement program-including recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health-serves up a dazzling array of sumptuous foods packed with the key nutrients that provide an ample supply of nitric oxide, the proven "miracle molecule" for optimal sexual function.

Will Cook for Sex (gotta have it!)
Women were once taught that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. In reality, fewer women cook, or really want to. Making reservations or ordering in has become one of the multiminded abilities of today's more progressive woman. Therein is the problem. Men must learn to navigate their way around the kitchens, galleys and cucinas of the world. In fact, to every man's advantage, the women can be very generous to men who know a spoon from a spatula. All men need is some beautiful inspiration and a few words of simple instruction from Rocky Fino. Step-by-step pictorials include menus and recipes for important occasions like The Date, The Stacked Deck, The Closer, the Morning After and The Weekend Pass.

Will Mix for Sex (gotta have it!)
As if cooking for sex was not enough!...Ready to Mix it Up? Just in time for the holidays, Rocky Fino presents Will Mix for Sex: Twenty-One Classic Cocktails to Set the Mood - the perfect compliment to Rocky's first book, Will Cook for Sex. Whether you are a woman looking to give a few hints to the man in your life or a man hoping to impress that special someone this is the book for you. Following the format of Will Cook for Sex, author Rocky Fino details all the needed elements to make any man a master mixologist.

Find the perfect match for your date with chapters such as Sweet Girls, Tart Girls, Classy Girls, Sunny Girls or Guy's Girl.

Dishing with Style (gotta have it!)
Trovato worked in just about every part of the cooking world before she became a food stylist, and her experiences all taught her one important lesson: "flavor and balance are the most important aspects of a dish; but without beautiful presentation, they're essentially lost." It's surprising then, she says, that cookbooks rarely give any advice about plating a dish. In her guide, she teaches readers to "style outside the box," encouraging them to serve hot chocolate in fancy brandy snifters and goat cheese hors d'oeuvres on curly lettuce leaves. Each of her delicious recipes is followed by two style ideas (one formal, one casual) to help readers understand how the same dish can be served in multiple ways.  .

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Tequila and food pairings--now that is something to explore. In Mexico Tequila is typically served with food as tiny shots, similar to how Russians enjoy vodka in between bites. When pairing Tequila with food you want to serve a premium tequila that is made for sipping. I recently discovered a wonderful ultra premium tequila called Anejo VIDA Tequila--a blend for the true tequila aficionado.

The finest tequilas are made from 100% blue agave plant juices and are best enjoyed slightly chilled and straight, offering a pure, clean taste. For those who prefer mixed drinks instead of drinking neat, there are many tequila cocktails including the most recognized tequila drink-- the margarita. VIDA has created a collection of simple to exotic recipes you can serve with your meals such as the Beso de la Manana, Vida Rojo, the Green Tequilatini, Gourmet Vida, and their signature drink the East Coast V. Watch for upcoming cocktail recipes.

At the same time that I discovered VIDA tequila, I also found this GREAT new cookbook called Fiesta Latina. I want to make every dish in this book! 

Armed with VIDA in one hand, and Fiesta Latina in the other, you are sure to create a Seduction Meal for your significant other that will always be remembered. VIDA offers three distinct premium blends that will perfectly complement the fabulous recipes you will find in Fiesta Latina.

Three VIDA Premium Blends and Suggested Recipes

VIDA Anejo (Extra-Aged) - Rich & Clean this is the finest of the three styles. Vida's Anejo Tequila is meant to be sipped. This will go well with the Lobster Chipotle Crab Cakes, or the Sirloin Steak Tiradito with Traditional Chimichurri, or one of my all time favorite dishes (not in the cookbook) but served at Mi Cocina in NYC: Chile en nogada, a poblano chili stuffed with a pork picadillo flavored with raisins, lemon and almonds sitting on top of a walnut cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. What I wouldn't do to get my hands on that recipe...

VIDA Reposado (Aged) - Sweet & Smoky this pairs well with pork and chicken dishes such as Roasted Chicken and Saffron Lobster Mashed Potatoes, or Roasted Duck Ropa Vieja Quesadillas with Spicy Guacamole, or to compliment the sweetness of the Sweet Corn Arepas Topped with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream.

VIDA Blanco (Silver) - Pure & Smooth Blanco tequila goes best with Seafood and Citrus based foods such as Fiesta Latina's Lobster Mango Ginger and Lemongrass Ceviche or Crispy East Coast Oysters with Sweet Fufu and Saffron Aioli or Marinated Lobster Tail and Scallop Pinchos.

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