Recipes For Love: Meals Made With Edible Aphrodisiacs
You’ve heard that food is the way to a man’s heart, but is each ingredients as important as the finished meal? We searched for a recipe for love with these edible aphrodisiacs. (Photo: Pamela Hanson)
Despite the fact that I’m always happy to write about love and sex, I’ve never given aphrodisiacs much thought. As far as I was concerned, there was no more romantic sound than a cork being extracted from a wine bottle. But after sampling many of the cocktails at PLAY, the new bar in the Museum of Sex, I realized I might have been underestimating the power of sexy ingredients.
Divided into demure, curious, and kinky categories, the bar’s menu wasn’t hiding its hot-and-heavy agenda. After a few taste tests, I was hooked and ready to test out these passion-providing add-ons on my first test subject (a.k.a. my boyfriend, Blake). Lacking a few of the fancier foods, I turned to PLAY’s bar director Jim Kearns, who told me that I should aim to “create a full-on sensual experience through taste.” Armed with groceries and background ambiance (We cooked and watched the Super Bowl), I was good to go.
Think my experiment lead an amorous evening? Check out my dinner menu, and the results that followed.
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A Lovely Kickoff
Figs stuffed with goat cheese and almonds, drizzled with honey and balsamic vinegar
My thoughts: These turned out to be crazy delicious, but I was so impressed with our classiness that I felt more domestic than erotic.
Blake’s take: “I feel luscious.” Later on he noted that, “the figs made me feel all Adam and Eve-y.”
The Main Event
Pecan and chili pepper-crusted scallops with avocado and roasted asparagus
My thoughts: I am obsessed with scallops. Depending on the day, they even have a fighting chance against steak as my ultimate last meal. This combo of crunchy, smooth, and creamy textures added complexity to each bite, and the chili pepper added some serious heat. I was definitely feeling romantic, but at first I wasn’t sure if it was for my boyfriend or the food (I think it was both).
Blake’s take: A repeated “this is really good,” mumbled through many mouthfuls. After a bit of time, he was noticeably caring less and less about football. Without a doubt, the scallops were a total touchdown!
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A Sweet Ending for the Win!
Vanilla gelato with bananas, honey, and milk chocolate
My thoughts: This was the least successful attempt of the night. To amp up the sexiness, I melted the chocolate first. That was useless since it hardened the second it hit the ice cream, as did the honey, so each gooey flavor blast was also oddly crunchy. It was still good (as if I would ever insult gelato), but by no means did it rev our engines. Having indulged so much already, we felt more roly-poly than come hither.
Blake’s take: “This honey makes me think of the bees and the birds. If ya know what I mean.”
The MVP
Red Wine
Shared thoughts: Let’s be honest, we could have just skipped the food, shared a bottle and found the same results.
When the meal was over, there was no doubt that we were more into each other than before we’d eaten. But was the meal really owed thanks? As we prepped, Blake and I grooved to Bruno Mars’ flashy halftime performance, troubleshot tricky recipe instructions, and constantly made each other laugh. The good dinner was a nice reward, but cooking as a team was the real magic ingredient.
By Zahra Barnes
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