INTERCOURSES
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About the Recipes:
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- Ischade Bradean
- Prerafaelite
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Ischade Bradean wrote...
Just squeaking by for
sundown on Yom Kippur, we finally finished sampling the strawberries
recipes. I forgot to ask what we were testing for. Were we just supposed
to see if the instructions were complete and clear? If so, I'll give
these an A. If we're testing for edibility, well, I'll get a bit bitchier: |
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The good: |
Strawberry avocado salad
- the dressing was very good, and the whole salad worked even though
the ingredients seemed a little odd when I was assembling it. I might
actually make this one again. Cornish hens with strawberry glaze -
I used raspberry vinegar instead of strawberry because I couldn't
find strawberry vinegar anywhere. (I decided that I already spent
enough on this project- talk about expensive ingredients!) And I cheated
and used plain old chicken. However, it turned out pretty good. (I
will admit to a bit of overcooking, which was entirely my fault, not
the recipe) Chocolate torte dressed in berries - It tasted fine, it
looked fine, and it worked. |
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The Bad: |
Strawberry pasta - It
may take years of therapy to get over this one. Everyone in the house
agreed - ick! Lemon-pepper shrimp and strawberry salad - Shrimp and
strawberries aren't generally found together in dishes, probably for
a very good reason. I'm glad I served the dressing on the side. Everyone
tried dipping lettuce and shrimp into the dressing, then immediately
chose the other salad dressing. Two people at the table actually removed
the shrimp from their mouth rather than swallow it - not a good sign. |
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The Ugly: |
Strawberry Empanadas
- these tasted pretty good and they were a snap to make. My six year
old helped me, to give you an idea how simple they were to put together.
However, the filling was a very unappealing beige - pink and very
runny. We closed our eyes and enjoyed them. |
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The okay: |
White chocolate strawberry
trifle - the filling never set up very well, even after we froze it
for two hours. And the espresso was too strong, even though I only
used half of what it called for. (this from a woman who drinks a double
shot of espresso every morning) Except for the strawberry avocado
salad, I had the overwhelming desire to fix the recopies. For example
- I would have used gran marnier instead of espresso in the white
chocolate trifle. In fact, I would have skipped the white chocolate
as it added little flavor, texture, or color to the dish. If the color
and thickness problems could be fixed in the empanada filling I'd
be more likely to try them again. And - I'd use a sour cherry jam
instead of strawberry on the chocolate torte to bring out a nice sweet-sour
contrast. The dish was unrelentingly sweet. It needed a little edge. |
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That may be more or less
than you wanted to know. I hope this helps. |
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Prerafaelite wrote...
My husband and I recently
had the opportunity to review a selection of recipes from the cookbook
Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins. The section
chosen was from the chapter including chillies. As confirmed hot and
spicy food lovers, this suited us down to the ground. The recipes
were well laid out and easy to follow with readily available ingredients
even in this part of the world. We particularly liked the preface
to each recipe, giving an insight into the contributorÕs thoughts
and feelings of memorable events as they ate these particular dishes. |
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The first
recipe we tried was the spicy grilled shrimp. They are called prawns
here in Australia and I managed to get some fantastic tiger prawns
from off the coast of Western Oz. The recipe called for marinating
them for 4 hours but due to being called out to an emergency, these
prawns ended up marinating for 24 hours. I was concerned that the
limejuice would pickle the prawn flesh but as it turned out it didnÕt
and they remained tender and juicy. |
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The flavours
of the honey and ginger mixed very well with the perfume of the cilantro
(coriander) and didnÕt overpower the taste of the sweet prawn flesh.
Also, the small amount of chilli was enough to give a hint of flavour
without consuming the dish in heat although personally we would have
liked a little more in there so maybe next time I shall add one or
two extra chillies. |
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The recipe
called for skewering the prawns so I used bamboo skewers as I would
for sate sticks. It then became necessary to eat with our fingers.
There is something very sensual in eating with your hands and feeding
your partner can be an exciting experience, which was the whole idea
of the exercise I believe. It worked, we had a great time in a child
free zone lit by candlelight. A good bottle of chilled, lightly wooded
white wine went down rather well with this dish and the one to follow. |
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The next course
was the honey-peppered salmon. I managed to get two lovely thick,
juicy pieces that were the most magnificent rich red colour. Again,
a marinade was called for only this time just for thirty minutes which
I did as I organised the cooking of the first course. This marinade
also contained some honey, though it wasnÕt the predominant flavour,
with mustard and cayenne and a hint of ground coriander and garlic.
The rich golden colours of these ingredients highlighted the salmonsÕ
natural colour and thirty minutes was sufficient time for the flavours
to penetrate the fish. The meat flaked beautifully when pressed with
a fork and dear hubby had a great time feeding me from his plate. |
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I served a
Greek salad with the salmon and we finished the bottle of wine with
the meal. We read the short tales leading into each recipe together
as we ate to spur the imagination. He seemed to like the idea, as
we never did get around to having desert. Thai chicken with peanut
sauce is on the menu tonight and already I can feel my mouth watering
in anticipation. |
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All in all
this was a delightful section of this book to review and now I shall
have to add yet another book to my rapidly expanding library. The
most endearing thing about this book was definitely the short tales
of romance and erotica leading up to the recipes. Whether the foods
and ingredients have aphrodisiac qualities I reserve judgment but
as a bit of fun I can highly recommend this pleasant little read. |
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Copyright © K.J Hebden.
September, 2002. All rights reserved. I am NOT politically correct.
I'm Australian. http://www.geocities.com/prerafaelite |
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![InterCourses](cookbook/hoplock.jpg) |
INTERCOURSES:
An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins, Randall Lockridge
is available for purchase through Amazon.com
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, asparagus--even coffee--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.
The book is divided into 17 sections, each one devoted to a
particular food with aphrodisiac qualities, from chocolate and chilies
to black beans and oysters. Following these are recipes for massage
oils, seasonal dishes, and meals to appeal to every astrological
sign and every stage of a relationship, from first date to golden
anniversary. There's even a list of resources on subjects ranging
from further reading on aphrodisiacs to locating aromatherapy candles.
Just reading Intercourses is a sensual experience--imagine what
eating from it will be!
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All Text, Codes, Graphics © 2002 ENE. All
Rights Reserved.
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