INTERCOURSES

About the Recipes:

Ischade Bradean
Prerafaelite

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

That may be more or less than you wanted to know. I hope this helps.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Back to the review of InterCourses by JZ Sharpe

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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