Lovin' spoonfuls

Valentine's Day recipies for romance

Jan Crain Rudeen, Special to the News

Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Try this word game.

What comes to mind when you hear chocolate-dipped strawberries? Candlelight and come-hither glances, you say? How about oysters? Satin sheets and torn bodices, perhaps?

Can aphrodisiac foods really fire up the libido? The truth is out there, but it's a bit subtler than that.

"It's like taking your daily vitamins," says Amy Reiley, a national food and wine writer based in Las Vegas who earned a master of gastronomy degree at France's famed Le Cordon Bleu, concentrating her studies on aphrodisiac foods. "Aphrodisiac foods have nutritive properties that are beneficial to your sexual health."

Although the Food and Drug Administration has declared that edible aphrodisiacs don't exist, some scientific evidence indicates that these lusty foods do their job. Just about every restaurant in Denver will take that belief to heart, featuring seductive foods ranging from the lobster gratin served on spoons at Panzano in the Hotel Monaco to the chocolate desserts of pastry chef Jason LeBeau, who makes pastries for Udi's Bread Bistro, in the Stapleton Town Center; Udi's Cafe, 70th Avenue and Broadway; the Kevin Taylor restaurant group; and other restaurants.

The bulk of support for the lusty-foods tradition comes from "a wealth of folklore and legend on the use of aphrodisiac foods by every ancient culture," Reiley says, from Greek mythology to Eastern medicine. Many of these foods remain popular today - with good reason.

Take the oyster, for example.

"In our culture, it's the clichéd aphrodisiac," says Reiley. "But there's evidence of its power. Oysters have high levels of easily digestible zinc, which is essential to blood flow." Making oysters a kind of natural Viagra? "Could be," she says.

Reiley cites a recent study correlating the ingestion of oysters to increased sexual hormone levels in men and women. But in addition to chemical effects, she notes, oysters have their sensual appeal. "They're wonderful in the mouth - soft and slippery."

Another aphrodisiac food still in demand is the truffle. Long valued as a culinary delicacy, this fungus - or rather, its fragrant oil - will play a prominent role this year in chef Elise Wiggins' Valentine's Day menu at Panzano. Among the sexy foods she'll be whipping up to get diners in the mood for love is Venus Soup, a romantic blend of ingredients finished with a drizzle of white truffle oil.

Wiggins will slake the desires of meat-lovers with her Bistecca Foie Gras, a grilled steak with a delicate cherry and port wine sauce accompanied by a drizzle of truffle oil. The final touch is the fabled aphrodisiac foie gras, seared and laid invitingly on top of the beef.

Chocolate, a longtime Valentine's Day tradition, holds its place on today's short list of aphrodisiac foods. Any chocoholic worth his Godiva would defend its titillating qualities, but Reiley says its aphrodisiac effects are questionable.

Although ancient Mayan lore linked chocolate to sex drive, "you'd have to consume an enormous amount to get the physiological rush comparable to arousal," she explains. Chocolate contains sugar, however, which gives quick energy. And dark chocolate, whether or not it contains caffeine - there's some debate, she says - has a stimulant that behaves like coffee, making people feel good.

"Cheese has a lot of the same contents as chocolate but produces 10 times more of the 'happy hormone rush' than chocolate," says Reiley, who has the online Aphrodisiac of the Month newsletter (lifeofreiley.com).As if that weren't enough, she adds, "The double- and triple-cream soft cheeses are said to have aromas that are very similar to female pheromones," the subtle scent of a woman that attracts a suitor.

In foodie circles, Reiley is known as the "aphrodisiac-foods maven," thanks to her postgraduate work, which mated her career in food journalism with her passion for Greek mythology - Aphrodite, in particular. This quixotic mixture led her into virgin territory. "I had found a gap," she says. "No one in the food world was fulfilling this role."

Reiley's new cookbook, Fork Me, Spoon Me: The Sensual Cookbook, features aphrodisiac ingredients in each recipe - a number of which will pop up in a Valentine's feast she collaborated on with Envy, a restaurant in the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel.

Each entrée during the feast will include such racy ingredients as almonds, described in Fork Me, Spoon Me as an international symbol of fertility; chile, with its ability to raise the body temperature and make the tongue tingle and lips plump; honey, with its hypnotic appeal to the human longing for sweetness; mint, which teases with its fresh kiss; and vanilla, whose arousing aroma has proved to be a strong temptation to men of all ages.

For the home cook who wants to romance that special someone on the big day, what Valentine's dinner would best stir those desires? Reiley cautions that the meal is only one aspect of the evening.

"On Valentine's Day, most everyone has the same goal," she says, laughing. "So, it's not just about the food - it's about the whole atmosphere. Ideally, you want to have your mind completely on the person you're cooking for."

She suggests creating the setting for a romantic dinner - candles, music, a fire in the fireplace - and keeping the food preparation simple and sensual. Reiley says her recipe for Moist Mango Meatloaf fits the bill. "You can use ground turkey or lean beef to keep it on the lighter side; it smells fabulous while it's cooking, and the mango makes it moist and exotic."

Best of all, she adds, it can be prepared the day before and popped into the oven that evening, so you can spend more time with your beloved.

Reiley recommends serving the meatloaf with a simple green salad and "a sexy pinot noir."

And for dessert? Her dark-chocolate-covered brie with fresh strawberries, and two spoons. "It's an interactive dessert, one you can feed to one another," she says. "And every ingredient is an aphrodisiac."

The spice rack

In honor of Valentine's Day, the Spice Hunter provided the following list of common herbs and spices known as aphrodisiacs. The Spice Hunter and its chef, Judson McLester, are based in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

• Aniseed: Sucking on the seeds is said to increase desire (and freshens breath).

• Basil (sweet basil): Beyond promoting a general sense of well-being, basil is known to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility.

• Cayenne pepper: stimulates the circulation

• Celery seed: The Romans dedicated celery to Pluto, their god of sex and the underworld.

• Cloves: one of the most powerful natural aphrodisiacs

• Coriander: Dried seed is said to have a euphoric effect, especially on women.

• Garlic: said to stir sexual desire (but make sure to have aniseed on hand after ingesting this pungent bulb)

• Ginger: said to stimulate the circulatory system

• Nutmeg: prized by Chinese women for its amorous effect on men

• Mustard: stimulates action of the sex glands