KISS THE COOK THIS VALENTINEÂ’S DAY
(PRWEB) February 6, 2000
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Dubin, PR Works, (781)878-9533 or sdubin@prworkzone. com
KISS THE COOK
THIS VALENTINEÂ’S DAY
Authors and radio hosts ‘The Cooking Couple’ offer advice and recipes for romance
DATELINE: BOSTON, MA, ISSUED February 2, 2000Â…If youÂ’ve ever tried to book a dinner reservation on ValentineÂ’s Day, you may have been disappointed by the difficulty in getting a table, the crowds and the overworked waitstaff.
If you donÂ’t have any desire to spend an intimate dinner for two surrounded by a herd of complete strangers being rushed through their meals, why not try having a romantic dinner at home.
The following advice and recipes are offered by "The Cooking Couple™", Ellen and Michael Albertson, hosts of a weekly radio show each Saturday from 2-5 p. m. on WMEX News-Talk AM 1060. Each week "The Cooking Couple™" and their special guests share strategies for improving life and advice for enhancing love, optimizing health and increasing happiness. Their show features interviews with food celebrities, taste & trend reports, cutting edge health and nutrition news, relationship and parenting advice, wine information, delicious recipes and product reviews.
The following romantic suggestions come from the Epicurean duoÂ’s popular cookbook, Food as Foreplay: Recipes for Romance, Love and Lust.
KISS (keep it simple, sexy)
Cooking for a lover doesnÂ’t necessarily require extravagance. Prepare foods you like to eat and don't worry about getting too fancy. Even a simple plate of spaghetti can be a romantic success. All it takes are a few candles, a bottle of wine and a smile to turn mere Ragu into amore.
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE
DonÂ’t let one person do all the cooking. Have fun and prepare the meal together (unless, of course, your plan is to surprise him or her with an unexpected treat).
LEAVE THE DISHES
DonÂ’t ruin the romance by rushing into the kitchen to be a bus boy. Leave the dishes until the morning and keep that loving feeling going into the night. Cleaning up means showering together.
GET SPICY
Many spices and herbs are aphrodisiacs and would make great and flavorful additions to your special meal. Caraway and parsley are reported to create a desire for sex. Anise, basil, cinnamon, clove, fennel, ginger, rosemary and thyme are believed to bring love. Coriander, cardamom and vanilla are thought to fan the flames of lust.
GET THE FACTS
If the relationship is in the early stages, make sure you have a few facts before you set to shopping. You want to avoid anything your partner may be allergic or cannot tolerate. You will also want to respect their diet. Are they are a vegetarian?
SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY
The way to a manÂ’s heart is, apparently, not just through his stomach. According to the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation of Chicago, some aromas are documented as increasing arousal and stamina in men. Among the aromatic concoctions that did the trick were: pumpkin pie, black licorice; vanilla; strawberry, lavender andÂ…believe it or notÂ…doughnuts. Keep these sensual scents in mind for a dessert to remember.
To make your trip from the dining room to the bedroom, here are a few easy recipes to get your motors revving:
STRACCIATELLA
Hard to pronounce, but easy to prepare, this light soup is a terrific first course.
2 eggs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to top soup
2 tablespoons of bread crumbs or Cream of Wheat
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth, 3 (16 ounce) cans
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely minced
1. Beat together the eggs, cheese, bread crumbs ((or Cream of Wheat) and thyme. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth.
2. In a medium-size saucepan, bring the remaining five cups of broth to a boil. When the soup boils, whisk in the egg mixture, stirring constantly so that the egg forms thin ribbons. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes. Add the pepper and stir in parsley.
3. Serve immediately topped with additional grated cheese. For a more substantial sour, add 1 cup of cooked cheese tortellini to the boiling broth after adding the egg mixture.
SMOKED SALMON PENNE
A great dish if your lover is a seafood lover
8 ounces penne
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups milk, warmed in microwave or over low heat
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional to top pasta
½ cup frozen peas, defrosted
Salt and white pepper, to taste
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1. Bring pasta water to a boil, add the penne and cook pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta. If the pasta is ready before the sauce, keep it warm in a covered pan until ready to serve.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. When butter melts and starts to bubble, whisk in the flour, I tablespoon at a time. Continue to stir mixture over low heat for three minutes completely combining butter and flour.
3. Turn heat up to medium. Stirring constantly with a wire whisk, slowly add the warm milk making sure to incorporate all of the flour/butter mixture. Continue to stir until sauce is thick, about five minutes.
4. Stir in the Parmesan Cheese. Add the peas, salt and white pepper and cook until the peas are heated through.
5. Stir in the smoked salmon, Toss sauce with pasta and serve with additional grated cheese.
CAVIAR TOPPED POTATOES
If you have the money, splurge expensive, imported beluga caviar. For a more modest budget, try a few ounces of less-expensive salmon or whitefish (American golden) caviar.
1 dozen tiny new red potatoes (about one pound)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup sour cream
2-3 ounces of caviar
Lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Wash, scrub and dry the potatoes. Coat the potatoes with the butter and set on a baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes feel tender when pierced with a fork, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Let the potatoes cool slightly so you can handle them without burning your fingers. Cut the potatoes in half. Scoop out about a teaspoonful of pulp from each potato half.
4. Fill the potato halves with about 1-teaspoon of sour cream. Top with caviar and drizzle with a few drops of lemon juice.
WHITE CHOCOLATE HONEY MOUSSE
A easy and elegant desert to tickle the sweet tooth
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
11/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 (1 ounce) dark chocolate bar (optional)
1. Place the white chocolate in a glass container and microwave on medium for 2-3 minutes, stopping to stir after about 1 minute. Chocolate can also be melted in the top of a double boiler placed about 1-inch away from simmering (not boiling) water.
2. Take chocolate off heat. Stir in the honey and ½ cup whipping cream. Let cool to room temperature.
3. When the chocolate mixture has cooled, whip remaining cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the cream into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into four wineglasses, cover and set in refrigerator for at least two hours. Garnish with shaved dark chocolate (use a sharp carrot peeler) if desired.
SLOSHED SLUSH
Another desert idea sure to leave the both of you giddy.
2 cups orange juice
1 cup sugar
4 cups frozen strawberries, thawed
1 bottle chilled champagne
1. In a medium saucepan, gently heat orange juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree.
3. Stir together the orange juice mixture, strawberry puree and champagne. Freeze the mixture in a large rectangular pan, stirring every 30 minutes to 1 hour, making sure to stir crystals around edges of pan back into the liquid, until you have slush (this takes about three hours)/ Serve in wine glasses.
COOKING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Cooking Couple™ have appeared in The Boston Globe, Glamour, Playboy, the Boston Herald and USA Today. Ellen Albertson, M. S., R. D. is a Registered Dietitian and well regarded health and nutrition journalist who regularly contributes to Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Self and Taste for Life. Michael, a former chef and stand up comic, has penned articles for Playboy, the Boston Herald and Booming. She makes it healthy, he makes it taste good and together they make it fun.
This dynamic husband and wife duo dish on everything from food, love, and life to child raising and raising hell. (After the baby is put to bed of course.) They have appeared on EXTRA, Maury, the Food Network, WCVB Channel 5 News and NBC News.
Their cookbook, Food as Foreplay: Recipes for Romance, Love and Lust, has been selected by Amazon. Com as a ValentineÂ’s Day recommendation.
CLICK & COOK - COOKING WITH LOVE & LAUGHS
The Cooking CoupleÂ’s deliciously informative and delightfully decadent views are captured online at www. cookingcouple. com.
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Editors -
To arrange for an interview with The Cooking Couple, or for photo prints or jpegs, please contact Steve Dubin, PR Works, (781) 878-9533, sdubin@prworkzone. com.
