Romantic repast: enjoy these sensual Valentine's Day dishes - food

Better Nutrition, Feb, 2003 by George Erdosh

Preparing and eating good food in welcome company is invariably a sensual experience. But some fares seem sexier than others.

Is there anything erotic about downing your morning toast, snacking on crackers or biting into a corned beef sandwich?

Compare that with savoring a velvety, creamy bisque, a luscious chocolate mousse or a chilled, pureed Burgundy peach soup.

Are some foods really aphrodisiacs? Scientists can't confirm that for a fact, but the belief that certain ones stir the libido may be all the convincing that's needed.

To plan an amorous meal for your valentine, think of gentle, creamy, mellow dishes that offer a smooth, silken texture and the hint of subtle perfume.

Conjure up a light pureed soup, a garlic-perfumed aioli sauce, an exotic Middle Eastern baba ghanoush, a salmon mousse, ripe fruits, smooth puddings, sweet mousses, French creme brulee, Mexican flan, bread puddings and cream puffs. And, of course, everyone's favorite in any form--chocolate.

Here are a few ideas to help you start your Valentine's Day planning.

chilled strawberry soup

SERVE 4

Chilled soups are elegant, unusual,
classy and quintessentially sensuous.
You can't go wrong serving
these sumptuous dishes, whether
vegetable- or fruit-based.

They're easy for you, too,
because you can prepare them
ahead of time and serve them
right from the refrigerator.

If you want to make your meal
truly festive, serve a chilled fruit
soup in a half-cantaloupe shell. If
you prefer to serve it in bowls,
chill them well beforehand.

Ordinarily a strawberry soup
isn't an ideal winter choice
because strawberries flown in
from faraway places are insipid
and lifeless. However, frozen
strawberries are excellent for this
soup base. They're harvested at
peak ripeness and frozen within
hours, retaining their summer flavor
and color.

For thickening, you can use
cornstarch, but the end result
won't have the translucent brilliance
that arrowroot or tapioca
starch sustains.

Although Valentine's Day calls
for two servings, here we suggest
saving the extra two servings for
another meal.

20 oz. frozen strawberries,
or 2 pints fresh, picked
in season
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup water
2 Tbs. arrowroot or
tapioca starch
2 to 3 Tbs. cold water
1 tsp. orange flavoring
1 cup fruity white wine
1 cup unflavored yogurt

1. In blender, puree strawberries,
sugar, orange juice and water.

2. Transfer strawberries to medium
saucepan, and heat mixture
over low to medium heat, stirring
often, until it comes to a
rapid boil.

3. Mix starch with water until it
forms thin paste.

4. Stir starch paste into strawberry
mixture in slow stream. Soup
will thicken at once.

5. Mix in orange flavoring and
wine, and cool mixture to room
temperature.

6. Thin with more water if soup
appears too thick.

7. Gently stir in yogurt with rubber
spatula. Chill thoroughly.

wine-marinated poached
oysters and asparagus

SERVES 2

If you've ever cooked large, fresh
oysters, you realize why they're
the cardinal aphrodisiac food.
Their shape and sensuously soft
feel are strongly suggestive.

Apart from the look and feel,
there's nothing in oysters that may
sensually stimulate--but feasting
the eyes and taste buds is enough.
Oysters taste terrific but, as with
all seafood, be very careful not to
overcook them.

This recipe is so simple, so
quick, that you may feel guilty
spending so little time at the stove.
You may serve the oysters over
freshly steamed rice or with a loaf
of good bread.

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely
chopped
8- to 10-oz. jar fresh, large oysters
8 to 10 fresh asparagus spears
Steamed rice or bread (optional)
2 to 4 lemon peel slices for
garnish

1.In medium-sized, nonreactive
bowl, use wire whip to mix
white wine, olive oil, lemon
juice and parsley thoroughly.

2. Drain oysters, and place in
marinade. Stir well.

3. Marinate oysters 2 hours, stirring
every 30 minutes.

4. Snap off tough lower segments
of asparagus spears.

5.Just before serving, blanch
asparagus in salted, boiling
water, 2 minutes. Drain and
keep warm.

6. Drain marinade into medium
saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Slip oysters into bubbling liquid,
and poach over medium
heat, 2 minutes, turning once
with slotted spoon.

7. Quickly remove oysters with
slotted spoon, and keep warm.

8. Boil marinade down over high
heat until only a few spoonfuls
remain.

9. Remove from heat, place oysters
and asparagus side by side
over steamed rice and smother
with concentrated marinade.
Garnish with several thin curls
of lemon peel.

coffee-poached pears
with curried honey

SERVES 2

The perfect ending to a delicious
Valentine's Day meal, this light
and luscious fruit dessert has a
twist--an unusual honey sauce
flavored with curry powder.

Only good cooks have the
courage to smother fruits with a
spicy, savory sauce instead of
familiar sweet flavorings. Curry
powder goes well with nearly any
fruit, and adding fresh black pepper
imparts one more unexpected layer
of flavor. If you aren't a frequent
user of curry powder, be sure to
purchase a fresh supply.

Ripe pears, which this recipe
demands, are difficult to find. Buy
the pears a few days in advance,
and let them ripen in a closed
paper bag on the counter.

Even if the pears are fully ripe,
the sugar in the poaching liquid
will keep them from becoming
pulpy--as long as you don't over-coke
them.

2 cups strong coffee
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large ripe pears, peeled,
halved, seed pods
and stems removed
3 Tbs. honey
3 tsp. curry powder
Generous grind of freshly
ground black pepper
Small edible flowers or
mint sprigs for garnish

1. In medium skillet, bring coffee
and brown sugar to a boil.

2. Slip four pear halves into sauce,
and bring back to a boil. Turn
heat down to slow simmer, and
cover pan.

3. After 3 minutes, gently turn
pears over with tongs, and continue
poaching until tender but
not pulpy, 8 to 15 minutes
depending on ripeness of pears.
Test tenderness with skewer.

4. Remove from heat, and let
pears sit in hot poaching liquid,
10 minutes.

5. With slotted spoon or spatula,
remove fruit from skillet, and
place on two dessert plates.
Cover and chill.

6. In small pan, heat honey, curry
powder and pepper until honey
is hot.

7. Cool honey sauce to room temperature.

8. To serve, drizzle honey sauce
over pears, and garnish with a
sprig of mint or small edible flowers
such as pansies, violets, roses
or mums.

cappuccino mousse

SERVES 8

A dessert concocted in heaven,
cappuccino mousse is the ultimate
sensual food.

This recipe is difficult to prepare
for two servings, but you can
halve it to serve four, and save two
servings for another mini-feast on
February 15th.

1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups sugar divided into 3/4
cup, 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup portions
1/4 cup cold water
1 packet gelatin
6 Tbs. strong, fresh-brewed
espresso, hot
1 Tbs. orange zest,
finely minced
2 egg whites, room
temperature
1 cup heavy cream,
well chilled

1. In medium pan, slowly heat milk
with 3/4 cup sugar.

2. Meanwhile, pour water into
small bowl, sprinkle gelatin
over water and let stand, 1
minute.

3. Add gelatin to hot milk, stir and
continue heating.

4. Remove from heat before mixture
comes to a boil.

5. Stir in espresso and orange zest,
and pour into large bowl. Cover
and chill.

6. When mixture begins to set
(75F), beat egg whites to soft
peaks, and slowly add one-quarter
cup sugar.

7. Whip cream in chilled bowl
until soft peaks form, and slowly
add last quarter cup sugar.

8. Gently fold egg white foam and
whipped cream into cappuccino
liquid.

9. Spoon into 8 ramekins, cover,
chill and let set.