Sex begins in the kitchen!

Did I get your attention? A number of years ago I read a relationship book with this title.  It actually wasn’t so much about how food is the way to a man’s heart, it was about how all the little things we do to help each other (like cleaning up the kitchen!) can go a long way towards increasing our desire (specially us chicks who might need a little lead time ;-)!) for intimacy.  Given this is a food blog though and not a marriage blog I’ll turn my attention to sharing a few recipes that you might like to consider for a romantic night in tomorrow night for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is not a day on our marriage calendar that is given massive attention, however we do usually buy each other a card.  I’d much rather a gift or flowers at a random time than on a ‘required’ day, but given this year the day falls on a Saturday, and we have no other social plans, we’re planning on cooking a nice dinner (probably a family dinner), putting the kids to bed, then having dessert and watching a movie together.  Then it will be a date night at home and the boys will learn a little about the importance of Mum & Dad having time for our relationship without them.

I haven’t decided exactly what to cook, but here are a few ideas I’ve got that you might be inspired to try too.

If you’re after a 3 course meal, why not try this roasted field mushroom with rocket, persian feta (omit for paleo), sun-dried tomatoes and roasted beetroot chips for an entree?

Here are a couple of main course suggestions, depending on what kind of protein your after.  I really like this eye fillet with mushroom & crispy sweet potato.

If you’d rather some lamb (or are feeding the family), why not cook a butterflied leg of lamb. 

If fish is more your thing grill some fresh salmon and serve it with a fabulous salad, like this rainbow noodley one:or this pretty peach & greens salad:or even some good old brussel sprouts!

The pinnacle of any Valentine’s Day dinner is surely the dessert! Here are a few of my favourite desserts that I think qualify as ‘romantic’ and  fit within the ‘paleo or paleo-ish treat’ category.

These lemon coconut tarts are even AIP friendly and if you have a heart shape mould are even more perfect!

Sexy Choc- caramel tart:

Raw choc-nut raspberry tarts with banana ice cream: 

 

Here is a super easy paleo-ish dessert. Chocolate coconut ganache with fresh strawberries. Bring 1 cup coconut cream to a simmer with 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste, turn off and after 5 mins stir in 100g dark choc till combined. Pour into little dishes (or tart shell) and refrigerate until set. Serve with fresh strawberries.

 

 

Or if paleo is not your thing and you want, what I think is the prettiest of desserts, have a go at this Pretty Persian Rose Ice Cream.

Well, hopefully that’s got the romance building in the air/kitchen!  I’d love you to post/comment with your Valentine’s Day meal ideas or after the fact, let me know what you cooked.  You can always tag your photos with #whatannabelcooks and I’ll see what you’ve made.

♥  Annabel x

rhubarb, strawberry & lemon tart (AIP, paleo, gf, nf, eg, df)

I must say that it was how pretty this tart looked that made me want to make it! The second thing that intrigued me was that it was made with sweet potato flour.  If you follow my Facebook page you might remember the staged process it was to make the sweet potato flour! So after embarking on making the sweet potato flour, I had to use it up so I decided to make it as a ‘bonus’ for one of my recent cooking classes.

The recipe comes originally from AIP Lifestyle who have some great recipes, even if you’re not restricted by an AIP lifestyle! I added rhubarb and some pretty little dried rose petals to mine and served it with the ‘custard’ from the lemongrass & kaffir lime coconut icecream (ie just wasn’t churned in the ice-cream machine) but if dairy isn’t an issue it would be lovely (as are all tarts in my opinion) served with cream and ice-cream.

slow roasted honey ‘soy’ duck

Recently when I was visiting my family over Easter, Mum made slow roasted duck.  She made this version and it was beautiful, so tender! Last night, we had friends over and I made the version below but forgot to take a photo!  I didn’t have any orange/juice hence the switch to the ‘soy’ version.

2kg-ish whole duck, rinsed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut aminos/tamari/soy
2 cups water
1 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil/olive oil/butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 175C/350F.
2. In a small bowl mix together mix together the basil, ginger, salt and 1/4C coconut aminos or substitute and rub mixture all over the duck. Place it into a roasting dish with a lid.
3. Add water.
4. In a small saucepan combine the honey, coconut oil/butter, lemon juice and remaining 1/4 C coconut aminos. Simmer together over low heat until syrupy; pour a little of the mixture over the duck, saving the rest for basting. Cover dish.
5. Bake/roast duck for 30 minutes. Turn duck breast down, reduce heat to 150C/300F and roast covered for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until very tender. If desired, turn duck breast up during last few minutes of cooking, to brown.
6. Once removed and cooled slightly you can pull all the meat of the carcass.
7. Serve with side of your choice (eg warm sweet potato and herb salad) and pour over some of the syrup.

Serves about 4-6.

NB:  I made this ahead of time and once I removed all the meat and got rid of the carcass, I left the juices/fat in the pan, and put it in the fridge for a few hours.  The fat the solidified and I scraped the fat off, threw it out and then put the meat back in the juice to warm just before serving.

NB for AIP or paleo use the coconut aminos and coconut/olive oil.

za’atar spiced labneh

I think these little balls of yoghurty yumminess are perfect for Friday night drinks, broken up to spice up a green salad, or a perfect gift.  Now, go get a glass of wine, some crackers and snack away.

• 500g greek yoghurt
• za’atar spice mix
• olive oil
• thyme
• salt & pepper

1. To make the labne you scoop the yoghurt onto into a nut bag/onto a clean muslin cloth (or new rinsed chux will do). Pull up the corners to form a ball and tie a rubber band on the top. Suspend the bag over a jug by threading a wooden spoon through the rubber band and resting it across the mouth of the jug. Leave overnight (at least).  You can add the liquid that drips out to your green smoothie!
2. Make balls from the labne, roll them in your hands then roll them in spice mix.
3. Pour a little olive oil into the bottom of a jar, place a few balls in, more oil and repeat until the jar is full.  Stick a few thyme sprigs into the jar.

Enjoy.

paleo/raw bounty bars

I have thought about making these for a while and then as cacao is not AIP friendly forgot about them. The other day I had lunch at the Paleo Cafe with my friends Sharon and Lyn and Sharon brought out her secret stash of bounty bars for us for dessert! I was re-inspired to give them a go. Glad I did!
Coconut Filling

• 1 Tbsp cacao butter (melted)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• pinch salt

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until just starting to come together as a paste but don’t over process as you still want to have some of the texture of the desiccated coconut.
2. Press into rectangular container lined with baking paper (I used 15cmx22cm) or into rectangular shape. Freeze until solid.
3. Remove and cut into pieces (I cut mine into 18 but you could certainly make them larger or smaller)

Chocolate sauce

• 3/4 cup cacao powder
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

1. Place all ingredients into a saucepan and gently stir over medium heat until combined. Cool but don’t refrigerate before dipping.

To assemble

1. Dip each piece of the coconut centre into the chocolate sauce and lay out on baking paper. Put in the fridge/freezer until set and repeat at least twice to get a decent coating of chocolate.
2. Trim the ‘drippy’ edges of each bar with a sharp knife.
3. Bounty bars do need to be kept in the fridge (or freezer) and remove just as you want to eat them as the chocolate sauce will melt at room temperature in warmer weather.

Makes 18
Any leftover chocolate sauce can be kept in a jar in either the fridge or at room temperature.

eye fillet, mushrooms and sweet potato crisps (AIP/paleo)

We just finished this sensational dinner and so I just had to share it with you all! Eye fillet steak cooked to perfection by my hubby, topped with mushrooms (they are hiding a bit in this photo) and sweet potato spiral crisps.  It was served with a simple green salad on the side.  The crunch of the sweet potato makes this a complete winner for either an ‘above average’ mid week dinner, or a great meal for entertaining!

This recipe serves 2.

• 2 eye fillets or steak of your choice
• 300g sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbspn olive oil
• 1 Tbspn vegetable stock concentrate
• 1 Tbspn coconut aminos or soy sauce (if you can have it)
• 1 med sweet potato
• 2 Tbspn coconut oil

Mushrooms:

1. Fry onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add mushrooms and vegetable stock and cook until the mushrooms are soft.
2. Add coconut aminos/soy sauce and stir though.

Sweet potato crisps

1. Create spirals from the sweet potato using a spirialiser. (see picture below)
2. Toss in coconut oil.
3. Spread out on lined baking tray and bake in the oven (180C/350F) for 25 mins or until they have turned crispy but not burnt.  You may need to toss them around mid-bake so the edge bits don’t burn.

Steak

1. Grill or panfry your steak to your liking whilst the sweet potatoes and mushrooms are cooking.

Place the steak on the plate, top with mushrooms and sweet potato crisps and serve with a green salad.  YUM!

This is my spiraliser – you can buy on eBay or I got mine from local farmers markets.

lemon coconut passionfruit tarts (AIP)

When you’re following the auto-immune protocol (AIP) there isn’t much you can eat in the way of ‘treats’.  It is an elimination diet, and to be honest I guess the idea is that you also eliminate the ‘need’ for sugar and treats etc.  But being the sweet tooth that I am, I was excited to come across this recipe for lemon blueberry cupcakes that I could actually eat!

You do need a high speed blender/food processor or thermomix for this recipe.  I found it completely fascinating watching the desiccated coconut turn into a batter (coconut ‘butter’ I guess).

Without further ado, here is the recipe, and you can even check out my instructional video #2.  If you missed the first one, here it is.

• 3 cups unsweetened desiccated or shredded coconut
• Zest of one lemon
• flesh of the lemon used for the zest.
• ½ cup maple syrup/coconut palm syrup (maple is AIP, not sure about coconut palm but is has a very low GI)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 passionfruit (or 1/2 cup berries to top)

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C(fan forced)/350F.  Line 8 muffin cups with liners. Or use mini muffins (makes about 20)…
2. Place the unsweetened coconut in a blender/food processor.
3. Blend on high until the coconut starts to turn into a paste (about 1-2mins), scrape down sides and blend again until it is like a batter – not too thick.
4. Add the zest, lemon, maple syrup and sea salt.  Process until it comes together.
5. Add the baking soda, and process just until incorporated.
6. Divide batter into  muffin cups.  Sprinkle with passionfruit pulp or berries.
7. Bake for 25-27 minutes (larger ones, or 15-20mins for minis).  You want them to be a little toasty but not burnt.
8. Chill in the fridge before taking them out of the pan.
9. Best served chilled for the best consistency.

sexy chocolate caramel coconut tart

This is the sort of food for a romantic night.  I won’t tell you what my husband said when he had a bite, but suffice to say, if you want something a bit naughty, this might take you there!! This is really a compilation of a couple of previously posted recipes. Plus a bit of ‘new’.

Base: use the base from the Coconut tart shell & crumble

Middle layer:  coconut caramel sauce.

Top – chocolate ganche – to make the ganache gently heat a tin of coconut milk or coconut cream in a saucepan.  Remove from the heat and stir in 300g dark chocolate until melted.

To assemble, fill the tart shell (this one I did in little ones but you could do in a large one too) with a layer coconut caramel sauce then top with a layer of chocolate ganache. Sprinkle with the crumble, dollop some cream or coconut cream on top and the night is yours!   Serve warm or cold.

* for dairy-free & paleo omit the  dollop of cream on the top

rocky road buckini ball (gluten/grain/nut free)

I’ve already revealed my rocky road secret   but for this year’s twist – buckinis. If you’ve been reading my posts recently you will have noticed these little things have come up a fair bit  as I have been trying to avoid nuts and seeds but love to have ‘crunch’ in my food.  Buckini’s are apparently technically a fruit and come from the buckwheat family.  They are gluten free too.

So to make a completely gluten free, nut free rocky road without compromising on crunch or taste I have employed my new friend, buckinis instead of my usual slivered almonds.

christmas nougat – step by step guide

I think I have decided that I like nougat even better than rocky road at Christmas!  Perhaps it’s the extra effort and skill involved and the anticipation of what ‘kind’ of nougat it’s going to turn out to be… runny (fail), sticky, perfect, crisp?  Living in Queensland it’s usually hot and humid in December which is far from ideal nougat making weather.  We had a ‘dry’ day on Monday so I thought it might be a good day to make a batch.  It did turn out on the ‘sticky’ side, but still a winner.

The recipe comes from taste.com.au (basic almond nougat).  I have copied and pasted their recipe and added in my own photos and  tips along the way.

If possible, nougat making it as some stages a 2 person endeavour.  Enjoy!

• 4 sheets (about 15.5 x 23.5cm each) edible rice paper
• 200g blanched almonds (or nuts, dired fruit, chocolate of your choice)
• 560g (2 1/2 cups) sugar
• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 1 500g jar glucose syrup (from corn)
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line an 18 x 28cm slab pan with non-stick baking paper or greased foil, allowing it to overhang the sides. Lay 2 sheets of rice paper side by side on a clean work surface. Use the base of the pan as a guide to cut an 18 x 28cm rectangle. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of rice paper. Place 2 sheets of the rice paper in the base of the lined pan. Spread the almonds evenly over a baking tray and toast in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until light golden. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Chop and set aside.
2. Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Use a wet spoon to spoon the glucose syrup into the pan. (To soften glucose in the microwave, see microwave tip.) The glucose prevents crystallisation and helps to ensure the nougat has the correct texture. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, brushing down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in warm water, until the sugar dissolves (this will take about 10 minutes). Fill the sink with 10cm of cold water. Place the egg whites in a large, clean, dry heatproof bowl. Place a sugar (candy) thermometer in the pan. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil, uncovered, without stirring. When the syrup reaches about 120°C, use the whisk attachment on an electric stand beater to whisk the egg whites until firm peaks form. It is important to use a stand mixer because, unlike a hand-held electric beater, it has a motor powerful enough to beat the nougat mixture.
3. When the sugar syrup reaches 140°C, immediately remove the pan from heat and place the base of the pan in the sink of cold water for 5 seconds, or until the bubbles subside. This stops the syrup temperature increasing. The temperature of the syrup determines the texture of the nougat. When the syrup is cooked to 140°C, a chewy nougat results; if the syrup is cooked to 150°C, a harder nougat results. With the beater on medium speed, slowly pour hot syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Don’t pour the syrup down side of the bowl or onto the whisk as it may set before being incorporated into egg whites.
4. Once all the syrup is incorporated, whisk for a further 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy. Use a wooden spoon to mix the almonds and vanilla essence into egg white mixture until well combined. It is important to work quickly or the nougat will begin to set. Also make sure the nuts and vanilla essence are at room temperature – if they are cold, the mixture will set too rapidly, making it difficult to transfer to the pan.
5. Quickly pour the nougat evenly into the lined pan using a spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl. Use the spatula or the back of a spoon dipped in hot water to spread the nougat evenly into the pan and smooth the surface. Place the remaining rice paper or piece of greased foil over the top of the nougat and press down gently. Set aside in a cool, dry place for 6 hours or until set.
6. Lift the nougat from the pan and place on a cutting board. Remove baking paper or foil (if using rice paper, don’t remove it, as it is edible). Use a serrated knife in a sawing motion to cut the nougat crossways into 3cm-wide pieces and then cut each piece into about 4cm lengths. Place nougat in a clean, dry airtight container, separating layers with non-stick baking paper. Keep in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. If storing nougat in the fridge, bring to room temperature before serving.