I Was Seduced Over and Over Again by Our Aphrodisiac Night Menu!



Our oyster starter (recipe below)



The oysters were sultry; the beef entrée a sinful delight. The soup, the cake, the salad were all delectable. We commented during and after this meal full of seductive foods that it was, indeed, a memorable one; one that included elements we would make again and again.

We nibbled on some cheese and grapes as everyone arrived, just as Aphrodite herself might have when readying for an elaborate evening feast! We also enjoyed a special aphrodisiac cocktail that my husband and I brought back from our recent St. Lucia trip! The cocktail was called the “Lucian Rum Swizzle”, which includes dark rum, simple syrup, lime and club soda. Although delicious in and of itself, what made this fit our evening’s theme was the bottle of ginger and bois bande infused rum that we brought back from the island! I love the flavor of ginger, but until recently had never heard of “bois bande”. As it turns out, bois bande is a tree bark common in the Caribbean. It tastes a bit similar to amaretto and is known there for its aphrodisiac qualities. Perfect (and tasty)!



Strawberry champagne soup

 Even those who don’t crave oysters (a club to which I do not belong – I love oysters!) admitted that the oysters we enjoyed as a starter were absolutely amazing. They were also NOT the oyster recipe we had originally planned and that I had published on this blog last week. Flexibility is key in our group. Although we plan out our menus in advance for the season, that does not mean we can’t make changes and adjustments as we go. In this case, my girlfriend who was preparing the appetizer course simply decided she wasn’t moved by the original recipe we’d picked out. She looked for something that fit her interests and available time and she made sure it would still jive with our original menu plan for the night.

I still intend to prepare the original oyster recipe sometime just to try it out, but let me say that I completely trust her taste and her judgment and that this oyster appetizer was over the top delicious! She ended up making “Oysters with Champagne-Vinegar Mignonette” and I’ve included the recipe below. Try it! It was amazing!

Arugula salad with
pine nuts and cherry tomato

Although strawberry isn’t my favorite fruit, I truly enjoyed our chilled strawberry champagne soup as well as the transition from that sweet dish to the peppery tang of our arugula salad which followed. It was well-paired in that sense and the salad was an excellent transition to our entrée. Being more of a raspberry lover myself, I’d love to give some sort of raspberry soup a try this summer. The black forest cake with cherries that we had for dessert was not only absolutely moist and delicious, but was a feast for the eyes as well. It was beautiful!



The gorgeous black forest cake!

 I’ll blog more about my beef entrée later this week. We made some small changes in the preparation that I’d like to share with you that make it much better suited to cooking for a group as well as getting some of the preparation done well in advance. Also watch this week for photos of my table setting or “tablescape”. I think you’ll be inspired by it!

Oysters with Champagne-Vinegar Mignonette

Found at: www.epicurious.com
Gourmet | September 2005
In this elegant introduction to dinner, oysters are paired with Champagne grapes, whose sweet juice balances the sharpness of the vinegar in the mignonnette.

Yield: Makes 2 first-course servings
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

For mignonnette
2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

For oysters
1 1/2 cups kosher or other coarse salt
1/2 dozen small oysters, such as Kumamoto or Prince Edward Island, shells scrubbed well and oysters left on the half shell, their liquor reserved and oysters picked over for shell fragments
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 small cluster Champagne table grapes or 2 finely diced seedless red grapes

Preparation:

Make mignonnette:

Stir together vinegar, shallot, pepper, and sugar and let stand 30 minutes.

Prepare oysters:

Preheat broiler.
Spread 3/4 cup salt in an 8- to 10-inch flameproof shallow baking dish or pan. Arrange oysters on their shells in salt, then top each with a piece of butter.
Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until butter is melted and sizzling and edges of oysters are beginning to curl, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir parsley into mignonnette. Divide remaining 3/4 cup salt between 2 plates and arrange 3 oysters on each. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon mignonnette over each oyster and sprinkle oysters with grapes. Serve warm.

Cooks' note:
Mignonnette, without parsley, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered,