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...
An enticing seduction meal for seafood lovers: Honey Ginger Soy Salmon topped with Mayan Shrimp. This dish is made by placing a grilled Jumbo head-on shrimp from the Pacific Coast of Guatemala on top of a broiled slice of King salmon that has been marinated in honey, ginger, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic and fresh cracked pepper. so simple....so delicious.
Mayan Shrimp Brush with a simple dressing made of of olive oil, a large clove of crushed garlic, a teaspoon of minced fresh parsely, and seasoned with sea salt and pepper to taste. You can also marinate the shrimp for an hour in the dressing before cooking. Grill or Broil on very high heat for 2 - 3 minutes per side until the shell is charred. Honey Ginger Soy Salmon Marinade salmon for 1 - 2 hours: 1/4 cup of honey, 3 tablespoons of Tamari Soy Sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, grated, sea salt and pepper to taste. Place salmon skin side down in marinade. Turn over halfway through the time you marinate. Broil or Bake at 450 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes. NOTE: I placed the Mayan Shrimp in the broiler at the very end so they cooked together.
Plating the Dish Place the salmon on a plate and top with a Mayan Shrimp. You can use a toothpick on one side to hold into place. Serve with your favorite side dish, here I have grilled asparagus sprinkled with sea salt and fresh squeeze lemon juice. Bon appetit!
Light, clean, fresh; Chilean Sea Bass with Cilantro Sauce is one of my favorite fish recipes. Serve this with a crisp white wine and slow roasted plum tomatoes or grilled yellow squash, and you'll have a healthy, seductive romantic meal for two. Chilean Sea Bass with Cilantro Sauce
1 pounds sea bass
1 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Garnish with Micro greens
Cilantro Sauce
1 bunch of cilantro, bottom stems trimmed off
3/4 cups of grapeseed oil
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 clove of garlic
salt to taste
Blanch the cilantro for 10 seconds in boiling water, drain and place in a bowl of ice water. Chop the cilantro and place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, or in a microwave, melt the butter
Remove from heat when the butter has melted, and set aside.
Heat the grill, medium/high
Lightly brush the grill grate with oil
Grill fish for 5 minutes, then turn and brush with butter. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.
Drizzle with cilanto suance and garnish with micro greens
With the Sea bass Kabobs and Grilled Peaches being such a hit, I decided to try another kabob recipe, this time Balsamic and Rosemary Scented American Lamb Kabobs. They were done just right, juicy lamb skewers with a hint of rosemary and balsamic flavors.
Balsamic and Rosemary Scented American Lamb Kabobs 6 servings
Ingredients
1-1/4 pounds American Lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 18 cubes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
12 medium mushrooms
2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large red onion, cut into 12 wedges
1 large zucchini, cut into 12 pieces
6 wood skewers (12-inch) soaked in water
Directions:
In small bowl combine vinegar, garlic, rosemary, cumin, salt, pepper and coriander.
Prepare kabobs by threading lamb, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion and zucchini onto skewers.
Baste with herb sauce.
Broil 4 inches from source of heat for 4 minutes per side or to desired degree of doneness:
145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium and 170ºF for well.
Before you pack away that BBQ, consider the romance of dining outdoors under the stars on a Fall evening with a Mediterranean style feast. This seduction meal calls for grilled Lamb Kabobs and Fennel that marinate overnight in a blend of juices and herbs. The results? Bold enticing flavors and tender, succulent lamb. This can be served with a side dish of rice. End your romantic soiree with the sweet temptation of baklava--here is a recipe from SimplyRecipes.com that caught my eye.
Here's an alternative to beef burgers that went over big time for my last BBQ bash. I served this with a tomato, onion dill salad, and grilled corn-on-the-cob. This was paired with ice-cold beer and lime slices.
Grilled American Lamb Burgers Recipe and photo courtesy of the American Lamb Board 8 servings
In large bowl, combine ground lamb, tomato sauce, oats, onion, basil, garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are blended. Shape into eight 1/2-inch thick patties.
To Grill: Cook over medium-hot coals. Grill 4 inches from coals 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness: 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium or 170ºF for well.
To Broil: Place lamb patties on broiler pan. Broil lamb 4 inches from source of heat for 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness: 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium or 170ºF for well.
Plating the Dish
Arrange lettuce leaf on bottom half of each bun.
Top with onion rings, 2 tomato slices, cooked lamb patties and bun top.
You can't go wrong with grilled steak and a delicious salad served with a full bodied red wine--such a simple seduction meal that is always a hit. Here we have grilled rib eye steak lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and minced garlic, grilled medium-rare, sliced and topped with two pats of black truffle butter. To accompany this dish we prepared a Mediterranean Salad of mixed greens, artichokes, black olives, cherry tomatoes, onions, olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon.
Grilled Steak with Black Truffle Butter Buttons Serves Two
Remove steaks from refrigerator and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature
Heat up the Grill -- high heat
Season steaks with salt and pepper, add a bit of black truffle oil to one side, and top with minced garlic clove, spreading evenly over the steak using your fingers.
Place steaks on the grill and reduce heat to medium-high
Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how you enjoy them (rare, medium-rare, or well)
Slice the steak, arrange on a serving plate and top with black truffle butter. Serve Immediately
For all the culinary vixens out there... listen up. There isn't a meat-eating man who can
walk away from this delicious treat... grilled BBQ pork ribs, jalapeno cheese corn bread, and an icy cold glass of beer. A friend of mine, who never tried pork ribs before, enjoyed this meal so much that he declared his life would be defined as "life before pork ribs" and "life after pork ribs". Now that's a Seduction Meal.
I like to serve this meal with a tomato / red onion salad with chopped fresh dilI, topped with olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, finished with a pinch of Victoria Taylor's Australian Sea Flake salt. I typically cook BBQ ribs entirely on the grill, but I've seen so many recipes where they call for boiling the ribs first. So I tried it. After boiling the ribs I added a dry rub, and ended with my favorite BBQ sauce with a touch of spice. The results? Sweet 'n spicy caramelized sauce on the outside and moist, tender ribs on the inside. A big hit!
BBQ Pork Ribs
2 lbs. pork ribs 1 tsp. salt Bobby Flay Dry Rub Kick Ass BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
Boil the ribs in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Remove the ribs and let them cool down a bit. Get your grill nice and hot and lower to medium heat.
Using your favorite dry rub (I used Bobby Flay's), rub the ribs on all sides. Lower the grill to medium low; place the ribs on the grill and cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the meat is no longer pink near the bone, carefully watching the ribs and turning often so they don't burn.
About 15 minutes before serving, add your favorite BBQ sauce on one side and turn this side to the heat. While they are cooking, add more BBQ Sauce on the side facing up. Grill the ribs on one side for 5 - 7minutes. Turning them over and cook for another 5 minutes. Add BBQ sauce again to both sides, turning the ribs over to caramelize the sauce.
Jalapeno Corn Bread
1 package of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix (8.5 oz) 1 egg 1/3 cup of milk 1 can of corn, drained 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, grated 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top 1/2 jalapeno pepper jack cheese, grated 8x8 greased pan
Preheat oven to 400. Mix together muffin mix, egg, and milk. Gently fold in the cheese and corn. Pour into the greased pan, top with some more grated cheddar, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.
I am enjoying a new love affair with another Australian culinary hit. First Donna Hay (to me a queen of seduction meals), and now delicious. magazine. As per their site, "delicious. celebrates food and the people who produce it, from celebrity chefs to passionate foodies from around Australia and the rest of the world. So whether you want a simple but scrumptious midweek meal or an impressive dinner-party menu, we've got the recipes you need."
In Volume 4 Issue 7 you will find the recipe for Kickass Barbeque Sauce. I chose to try this recipe because it uses a mix of spices that I wanted to explore: coriander, cumin, allspice and cayenne pepper. The resut was truly kickass as I used way too much cayanne pepper the first go around--having missread 1/2 teaspoon as 1 teaspoon. Let me tell you, tears were shed...but the taste was awesome. Not to worry, the measurement below is the right recipe, although I did increase the ketchup from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.
delicious. kickass barbecue sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tspn ground coriander
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn ground allspice
1/2 tspn cayenne pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water
2 sprigs of onions, finely chopped for garnish (optional)
Get ready for some serious sighs of satisfaction! When choosing a steak my preferences is rib eye and always medium rare. Serve this juicy grilled steak with the Tomato Blue Cheese salad (see salad recipes) or Roasted Rosemary Parmesan Potatoes (next post to come). Add a nice Bordeaux and you're good to go! One tip when cooking steak, it is best to let the steak stand at room temperature for 1/2 - 1 hour before cooking.
Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Sherry Mushrooms
Steak: Choose one large Rib Eye Steak for two, at least 1 inch think
cracked pepper and coarse salt, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp of crushed garlic
2 tbsp of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Pappy's Sauce for Sissies)
garnish with a tarragon leaves
Mushrooms: This recipe can be used in many ways; Pile mushrooms on top of thinly sliced, toasted baguette and serve as an appetizer. Serve over grilled steak, poultry, pork chops or with eggs. It is delicious on its own and can be served as a side dish to complement most main dishes.
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