ELLE HARROW:A menu for the seduction of your valentine

cpt-aboutfood09TextE423F5SRALL ABOUT FOOD

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, our thoughts turn to.... dinner. What? It wasn’t the first thing that leapt to your mind? Well, maybe it should have been.

For thousands of years, food has been reputed to have aphrodisiacal properties. According to his memoirs, Casanova fueled his 122 escapades with a breakfast of 50 oysters and a heap of chocolate. There is some basis to the legend.

Faced with undernourished populations, the first aphrodisiacs, most notably oysters, had a high nutritional value, rich in phosphorus, iodine and zinc. So, if nothing else, they at least provided energy for amorous activity.

More obviously, people attributed magical powers to food that bears a suggestive resemblance to one’s private parts, to wit: bananas, carrots, figs, avocados and pomegranates to mention a few.

Psychology may also play a part when it comes to hot and spicy foods since capsaicin (the active ingredient in chilies) is known for stimulating heart rate, metabolism and sweat glands. At least in one sense, these foods can get you hot and bothered.

In search of Love Potion No. 9, people have ingested flesh of skink (lizard), dried remains of the blister beetle and yohimbine (extract of the bark of an African tree), which can be deadly if you take too much.

In 1989, sad to say, the FDA declared that there was no proof that there were any effective over-the-counter aphrodisiacs and has since refused to endorse hundreds of food and drug products that make this claim.

Nevertheless, certain foods have been proven to contain phenylethylamine, a stimulating and mood elevating ingredient.

Casanova was no fool. Chocolate does contain this substance, but if you are not a chocolate lover, salami has nine times the amount. The problem here is that nobody has done any research as to how many Godiva truffles one must consume to achieve results.

Also, oysters have recently been found to contain the chemicals D-aspartic acid and N-methyl aspartic acid that act on the brain to encourage the release of estrogen and testosterone.

Once again, nobody knows how many of these briny mollusks you must consume. Perhaps the ticket is to follow Casanova’s expert advice, although he must have had a servant around because anyone opening 50 oysters at a time would have little strength for anything else.

One area where some research has been done is in the subject of smell. Experimenters at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation discovered that increased blood flow occurs in men when they smell a combination of licorice and doughnuts.

Licorice and cucumbers did it for the ladies. It turns out that smell is a very important part of the amatory experience since nearly everyone who loses their sense of smell also loses much of their libido.

With all this in mind, we have designed a menu to help you expedite the seduction of your valentine.

The Menu

Oysters Rockefeller

Fennel, cucumber, avocado salad with julienne salami

Spicy beef, chicken or shrimp curry (or grilled skink)

Easy sweetheart chocolate cake (or doughnuts)

Coffee and licorice sticks

Here are two recipes to help you get started:

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

Serves 2

1. Preheat oven to 450°

2. Chop garlic in food processor. Add spinach and onions. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped. Set aside in bowl.

3. In processor combine butter, breadcrumbs, Pernod, fennel and hot sauce. Blend well. Add spinach mixture. Blend. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

4. Sprinkle rock salt or crush foil on baking sheet to hold oysters. Put oysters in half shells on top. Top each oyster with spinach mixture; about a tablespoon or more. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in upper third of oven for 8 minutes or until mixture browns on top.

Variation: Put a dollop of sour cream under each oyster before topping with spinach.

EASY SWEETHEART CHOCOLATE CAKE

Serves 4 to 8

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray 8-inch cake pan with pan spray. Place wax paper circle in pan. Spray again.

3. Put water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. In second saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add chocolate. Whisk constantly until melted and smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

3. Whisk eggs into chocolate mixture.

4. Pour batter into baking pan. Place baking pan into a roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with water to halfway up the side of baking pan.

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.

6. Serve with raspberry sauce and whipped cream if desired.

Note: In our last column about organic greens (All About Food, “Organic greens delivered to your door,” Coastline Pilot, Feb. 2), we neglected to include the phone number of Devon Farms’ home delivery service. It is (949) 206-0248.