Emanuela Fernandes on THE SOCIAL, CTV

Sexy Breakfast Salad with Aphrodisiacs

Imagine yourself waking up in the luxurious comfort of white satin sheets. The sun is playing in the trees and there is a gentle breeze coming through your open window, bringing in the smell of the distant sea and ripe apples. You spread your arms, give your body a stretch and you land your bare feet on a cool floor. You walk out on a perfect little balcony overlooking the endless fields of lavender in the midst of French Provence. And when you thought that your morning just couldn't get any better, your breakfast is served. 

Fresh hard-boiled eggs, cheese, ripe figs and avocado, arranged on a bed of peppery arugula, garnished with some zesty chilies and buttery walnuts. Lightly drizzled with some invigorating vinaigrette that immediately wakes up your senses. Sunny notes of orange zest and lemon, sultry heat of the red chilies, earthiness of the Herbes du Provence and sweetness of sensual honey. They all come together in a perfect harmony to tantalize your body and your taste buds. Filled with a medley of aphrodisiacs, this breakfast salad will charge you up for the day, no matter where you enjoy it - in bed, on a patio, with your lover or alone. It's a great foreplay for all five of your senses that will get you ready for the day filled with small, exciting pleasures. And who said that salad should not be eaten for breakfast? If it makes you happy, then you should be. For the sake of pleasure that comes from living life by your own rules...

Ingredients:

Arugula, 3 hardboiled eggs, 1/4 avocado, sliced, 2 ripe figs, 4 pieces of Brie cheese, 1/2 cup of walnuts, pinch of dried lavender, few slices of red chili pepper. 

For Vinaigrette: 

1/2 cup of olive oil, juice of one lemon, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. honey, pinch of Herbes de Provence, zest of 1 orange, grate a pinch of fresh ginger, salt, pepper and add few chilli flakes. 

Method: 

Make Vinaigrette: In a bowl combine oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, herbs, orange zest, ginger and chili flakes. Whisk it and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 min or overnight. 

On a plate arrange some arugula, hard boiled eggs, cut in halves, halved figs, avocado, cheese and top it with chilies and walnuts. Sprinkle some dried lavender around the plate. Drizzle with your vinaigrette but don't toss. Serve with some leftover vinaigrette on a side.

Escargots a la Bourguignonne

Someone once told me a story about the beginnings of the posh little delicacy called escargot. After the French Revolution, two Parisian chefs wanted to introduce something new to their menu that would intrigue tourists and subsequently make extra cash. When translated from French, escargot actually means dirty slimy bag on the ground. French may be sneaky but also incredibly creative. And when enveloped in rich garlicky butter sauce or wrapped in a steaming puff pastry, rich cream, butter and white wine sauce, the dirty slimy bags on the ground, surely transform into blissful mouthfuls of pleasure. The story also goes to say that the original escargots were picked up from the dirty streets of Paris in the rain, at the doorstep of the restaurant where the two chefs worked. They brought them to their kitchen and the rest is history. Whether the story is true or not, good news for us is that we don't have to go snail picking or experiment in order to make them edible. There are so many incredible escargot recipes out there. The only prerequisite is to be adventurous enough to try them in the first place. 

If you are, this recipe will make you fall in love with escargots, unless your love affair with snails has begun a while ago. If that's the case, then expect the spark to be rekindled. Delicate shells of escargots oozing with buttery mixture of garlic, parsley, white wine, shallots and brandy. Spiced with a touch of warm, spicy nutmeg, all immersing the tantalizing, fibrous snail in a warm bath of velvety deliciousness. I like serving it with lemon wedges and slices of baguette. It is that perfect appetizer that will intrigue your guests' taste pallets and get them excited about the next course. Here is the challenge though - try to come up with something even more memorable than your appetizer. If you don't, all your company will talk about is your escargots. On the flip side, one unforgettable dish is a great success and the gift of love (new or rekindled) is priceless. 

Ingredients:

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, 1⁄4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley, 1 tbsp. white wine, 1 tsp. cognac or French brandy, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 shallot, minced, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg, to taste, 24 extra-large snail shells, 24 canned extra-large snails, Rock salt, baguette, for serving.

Method:

In a bowl, whisk together butter, parsley, wine, cognac, garlic, and shallots with a fork. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let the flavours meld.

Heat oven to 400°. Spoon about 1⁄2 tsp. of butter mixture into each snail shell. Push a snail into each shell; fill shells with remaining butter mixture. Cover bottom of a baking pan with a layer of rock salt. Arrange snail shells butter side up on bed of salt and bake until butter sizzles, 10–12 minutes.

Strawberry and Cream Meringue Cake

My friend Nada Rajic and I go way back. When we met, I was in my first year of university and she was the one who invited me to my very first formal dinner party. There was something magical about that evening. It was definitely very different from all the parties I attended in my freshman year of journalism school. The guests were served a three course meal, there were exquisite centerpieces on the table, plenty of wine to go around and lots of stimulating conversations. And then there was the Dessert! A spectacular, airy walnut meringue cake with strawberry and cream filling. It's been many years since that evening at Nada's. Since then I attended dozens of dinner parties and had plenty of mouth-watering sweet endings but I never forgot the cake that Nada served that night. It truly was life changing. It was like that first love or that first kiss that you never forget. Everything that comes after is great but it does not come close to that very first sensual experience. And then you spend your life wondering if you will ever go through anything like this again. 

First your dessert fork breaks up a crispy meringue filled with toasted walnuts, perfumed with essence of almond extract. It is crunchy and airy, nutty and light. Then your fork reaches sweet, ripe strawberries, enveloped by fresh, sweetened cream. It's like digging into a celestial cloud of pleasure. And then comes another layer of that perfect nutty meringue. Again, crispy, airy and delicate. And then as your eyes devour this iconic piece of heaven on your plate, your fork finally snatches a piece and you are ready to put it in your mouth. The contrasts of the cake's consistency create the bite that is impossible to forget. Plump, fleshy berries, soft cream and the crunchy crust. Have I mentioned heaven? Nada was kind enough to share this recipe with me and I couldn't be more grateful. I can go back to that wonderful sweet experience anytime I want and now you can experience it for yourself. But be prepared. You may have to scratch out your favourite dessert from the list of your guilty pleasures. This cake might become "the one." 

Ingredients: 

5 egg whites, 1 cup of sugar, few drops of almond extract, 1 tbsp of flour, 1 cup of chopped toasted walnuts, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 500ml of whipping cream (35%), 2 tsp. powdered sugar, 1 large basket of strawberries, 1/2 tsp. cream tartar (optional). 

Method: 

To make 2 meringue crusts: Beat 5 egg whites with 1 cup of sugar, few drops of almond extract and some cream tartar (optional). 

In a separate bowl mix 1 tbsp. flour with chopped walnuts and 1 tsp. cornstarch. 

Mix your wet and dry ingredients together. 

Grease 2 spring form pans and lightly dust with flour. Divide the batter evenly and bake at 350F for 35-40 min. Turn off the heat and let it dry for another 30 minutes without opening the oven. 

To make the filling: Cut the strawberries in big chunks. Whip your whipping cream with 2 tbsp. powdered sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in the strawberries. 

Assembly: Place one of the meringues on a serving stand and top with berry and cream mixture. Place another meringue on top and dust with powdered sugar. Do not assembly too early in advance to avoid soggy crusts.

Cherry Cassis Clafoutis

Clafoutis is one of my favourite French desserts. It represents everything that French food stands for - it uses uncomplicated ingredients, it is elegant, it showcases ingredients that are abundantly found in the region of the dish's origin. In other words, it's perfect. Clafoutis originated in the south-central region of France called Limousin. Desserts with black cherries are long-established in that area and it is common not to take out their pits before using them in baked goods. The reason is the subtle woody flavour locked inside of the pit that gets released when being heated. It is that delicate almond-like essence that infuses the clafoutis with that "something something" that you can't identify but you know the dish is not as good without it.

I love to elevate my clafoutis by giving the cherries an overnight soak in some Cassis, a flavourful black currant French liqueur. I let my cherries "bathe" in that celestial juice for at least eight hours and the next morning they come out even more enhanced, plump and infused with aromatic, bottomless notes of Cassis. The combination is magical. Clafoutis is that happy ending to any meal. It is that last kiss, that overwhelming emotion after the curtain drops at the theater or that ideal summer morning somewhere in the midst of France, filled with sunshine, laughter and a light breeze playing in the heavy branches of cherry trees.

Ingredients:
 2 cups of black cherries, 2/3 sugar, 1/5 cup Cassis, butter (enough to butter the pan), 1 cup of milk, 2/3 cup of flour, 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, 3 eggs, 1 teasp. lemon zest, a touch of salt, pinch of nutmeg.

Method:Put cherries in a shallow dish and cover them with Cassis. Do not remove the pits. Let them soak overnight. Grease the baking pan and preheat the oven to F425. Remove your cherries from the soaking dish and place them in the greased pan. Add the rest of your ingredients to the blender and add 2 tbsp of Cassis where your cherries were soaking. Pour over cherries. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to F350 and bake for another 40 minutes.