Sensual Talk - Eating with your hands

Emanuela Fernandes on THE SOCIAL, CTV

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Dates

When I think of dates, I think of that unforgettable soft, sticky, melting texture. That dark plump skin and a hard long pit in the middle. Popping the whole date into your mouth, gently biting into it is a sensual experience if you take your time to appreciate it. But dates are not just sweet and delicious. They also store a great wealth of nutritional properties that are so important for our well-being. Dates are also considered to be powerful aphrodisiacs. Ayurveda practitioners believe that it increases the amount of sperm in men as well as its quality. Because they are filled with good sugars, they are great energy boosters. In other words, it is a great snack option before you go for a jog or before a passionate night (or day) of love making.

Using dates in savoury dishes is a common practice in Moroccan cuisine. When used in stews, they become rehydrated and plump. They release that wonderful sweetness and when paired with the right spices, create a memorable flavour profile that is almost irresistible. This dish calls for other spices that are known to have "sexy" properties. Warm, inviting cinnamon, smoky cumin, healing turmeric and invigorating ginger. All come together to complement one another and other flavours in the stew. Chicken is the star ingredient in this Moroccan stew but to me it's all about the dates. Bursting with aromatic warm broth, so sweet and so fleshy. But start with simply enjoying a raw date. Look at it, smell it, lick it, taste it and see where it takes you. Recipe is just an inspiration. How you achieve your ultimate satisfaction is entirely up to you. 

Ingredients:

10 drumsticks, 2 onions, 15 pitted dates, 6 cloves of garlic, some parsley for garnishing. For the dry rub: 2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. turmeric. 

Method:

Mix the spices together and rub over the chicken. Let it sit for 2 hours in the fridge. 

In a heavy Dutch oven seer the chicken in olive oil until brown skin forms. Remove and set aside. To the same pot add onions, garlic, dates and sauté for few minutes. Bring back the chicken and add enough water to almost cover the contents of the pot. Simmer for 40 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous. Sprinkle with parsley. 

Figs with Honey Pomegranate Reduction and Fleur de Sel

Aphrodisiacs is not a new phenomenon. People have believed in their powerful abilities to induce lust for ages. Nearly every culture has its own legends and myths surrounding certain herbs, vegetables or fruits. There have been numerous studies done around foods that are known to stimulate sexual desire. For example, chili peppers are known to boost the production of endorphins (the happiness hormones) as well as speed up your heart rate which leads to a similar feeling that comes with sexual arousal. Honey helps with regulating the estrogen and testosterone (also known as sex hormones) levels in our bodies. Figs are loaded with potassium which is a powerful agent in relieving stress and helping with muscle strength. You may or may not believe in the powers of "sexy food" but giving them a try doesn't hurt. I came up with this little "passion potion" in my own kitchen years ago. It is a great recipe to make for any occasion, particularly when you are feeling a little down. I don't believe that love remedies should be cooked only when you have a romantic partner. A healthy sex drive should be present when you are single as well. 

Ripe figs (the symbol of fertility) are drizzled with honey and pomegranate reduction. It drips over fleshy figs, bathing them in sweet and sticky hot lava of flavour. Fragrant hazelnuts add a touch pleasant roughness as your tongue licks and savours the candied fig. And then there is an unexpected surprise... A touch of flaky Fleur de Sel sprinkled over the fruit. It creates an intriguing contrast to the sweetness of the syrup. It's raw and salty but so stimulating and luscious. This dish is a fantasy. It is meant to be the foreplay you will never forget. So be carried away by the fantasy and see where it takes you. Once thing is for certain. It will satisfy all of your senses. The rest is a mystery which is yours to discover. And that is a sexy thing in itself. 

Ingredients: 

10 figs, halved, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, splash of brandy, 10 chopped hazelnuts, 1 small chilli pepper and fleur de sel. 

Method:

Cut your figs in halves and place them fleshy side up on a cookie sheet. 

In a small pot combine your honey, pomegranate molasses, brandy, bring to a boil. Once it starts to simmer, throw in the chili pepper. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Take out the pepper and throw in your chopped hazelnuts. Once incorporated, turn off the head and drizzle the reduction over your figs. Make sure that each fig is topped with some hazelnuts. 

Preheat your oven to F400 and bake for about 10 minutes. For extra caramelized top, broil for another minute. 

Place them in individual serving plates and sprinkle with some Fleur de Sel. If you have some of your honey and brandy reduction left over, drizzle some more over your plated figs.

Maple Salmon Pâté with Blue Cheese and Fire Roasted Peppers

As a food journalist I have attended many dinner parties and gatherings. I cooked and dined with the most talented chefs from India, France, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Iran and many other parts of the world that have incredible cuisines. I ate with my hands and with silver spoons. I sat and ate on the floor and at the most meticulously set tables where "haute cuisine" was served. But here is something interesting that I have noticed. There is nothing that excites people more than Hors d'Oeuvres. Food unites people and Hors d'Oeuvres break the ice. May it be a simple a cracker topped with some cheese or a sophisticated artistic creation. People love that first bite they have before sitting down to have the main meal. And if the wine is served to go along with Hors d'Oeuvres... Well, the party is elevated to the next level. 

My Maple Salmon Pâté is a great party starter. It can be served assembled on a piece of baguette or in a bowl with slices of baguette on the side. A good chardonnay or champagne are perfect pairings to go with this starter. Holidays are fast approaching. Serve it at your holiday gathering and watch how quickly compliments to the chef turn into great conversations filled with laughter and cheer. And here is a party favour idea: print this recipe for each of your guests, roll it up and secure it with some ribbon. Let each of your guests take one before they leave your house. Trust me, they will ask you for the recipe the next day. Now they won't have to. 

Ingredients:

3 salmon fillets, 1 fire roasted marinated red pepper (available in a jar), 2 tbsp. maple syrup, 1 tbsp. capers, 1/4 cup of blue cheese, 1/4 tsp. herbes du Provence, pinch of red pepper flakes, splash of lemon juice, 3 tbsp, crème fraiche (or sour cream). 

Method:

Boil your salmon for 6 minutes and let it sit until cool enough to handle. Break it up into small pieces with your hands and set aside.

In the food processor combine the fire-roasted red pepper, maple syrup, blue cheese, capers. herbes du provence and crème fraiche. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and some lemon juice. Pulse until combined. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Empty the contents of the food processor into a bowl and add your shredded salmon. Mix and chill overnight. Check for the seasoning and serve with toasted baguette or crackers. 

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.

Vegetarian Spaghetti with Black Bean and Honey Sauce

Sophia Loren once said, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." As an impressionable teenager, I was a big fan of Cinema Italiano and Sophia Loren so I figured, she knew what she is talking about. I ate spaghetti as if it was going out of style. Let's be honest, too much of a good thing may not do wonders for your figure but it makes you happy. It's fun to eat spaghetti. You have to wrap it around your fork, you can slurp it and it has that distinctive texture that everybody loves. And then you add cheese, sauce, some basil and... you feel euphorically satisfied. It is that comfortable feeling that is synonymous with happiness. And as tacky as that sounds, this is where beauty begins! Sophia Lauren knew what she was talking about after all. 

My family loves pasta. Even my 1.5-year-old daughter Sandrine eats pasta with no disputes or mini temper tantrums. Therefore, I always look for new ways to make it. This recipe has some Asian flavours and is probably like no pasta you have ever tried. It is also a vegetarian pasta dish so if you want to introduce a weekly "no meat dinner" policy, this is a good way to do it. Deep, rich black bean and garlic sauce meets the sweetness of honey and acidity of white balsamic vinegar. This is your sauce. As soon as it hits sizzling, roasted vegetables and al-dente pasta, it releases even more of its aromatic properties and essence. To this you add some buttery white beans, crispy snow peas and a handful of cilantro. And there it is - the most satisfying, appetizing, steamy, slurpy goodness in a bowl. I like adding some chopped peanuts over this pasta. It is unusual but it gives your dish even more textural interest and appeal. And at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is happiness. And how you achieve it in your own kitchen is nobody's business but yours. 

Ingredients:

500 gr. spaghetti, 1 zucchini, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small package of cherry tomatoes, hand full of snow peas, 1 can of white beans, Chinese five spice. For the sauce: 3 tbsp. black bean and garlic sauce, 3 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp. honey, cilantro.

Method:

Chop up your zucchini, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and arrange in a roasting pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and sprinkle with Chinese five spice. Bake at 375F for 30 min.

In a bowl whisk black bean and garlic sauce with vinegar, olive oil and honey. 

Once your pasta is al dente, drain it and add roasted vegetables, white beans, snow peas, cilantro and the dressing. Mix and serve.

Salmon, Bacon and Gouda Gratin

Here is the moment of truth. I did not always enjoy cooking. In fact, cooking was the last thing on my mind until I was in my early 20s. I had no interest in hanging around the kitchen as a child or as a teenager. I was in journalism school and I was much more interested in chasing fire trucks (and the firefighters) rather than looking through the cook books in our house. My mom, who raised us on homemade meals, was getting a little worried about my lack of interest in being a domestic goddess. I mean, how was I going to snatch a husband if I cannot make scrambled eggs? And yes, the situation really was that hopeless! But then one Christmas morning the Miracle happened (notice the capital "M")! I woke up and was determined to make a contribution to our Christmas table. I decided to make salmon, bacon and gouda gratin. This was the dish that changed my life. What started out as an attempt to put all the nagging to rest, turned into an obsession. Soon enough I had a kitchen of my own and all I wanted to do was cook. There was something new on the menu every single day and sometimes even multiple dishes. Some of them were great successes and some of them were disasters big enough to set off my fire alarms and even call the firefighters. All in the name of my great, blossoming love affair with food. 

Over the years I mastered the Salmon, Bacon and Gouda Gratin and it still is one of my favourite dishes. Tender salmon poached in white wine, topped with sizzling bacon and stringy cheese that forms a luscious brown crust. Breaking it with a fork is a decadent event on its own. Almost like breaking the hard surface of Crème Brule in order to get to the creamy custard. Your salmon absorbs the delicate flavours of wine, dill and lemon, staying flaky and moist. The smoky and sweet essence of bacon gives the salmon that glorious tasty edge without overpowering it and still letting it be the star ingredient. I like serving it in the baking dish, garnished with some dill and the side of Basmati rice. If you want to go another mile for the ultimate flavour, add some saffron to your rice. It is the world's most expensive spice but it will add a great deal of exotic, mysterious notes of flavour to your creation. Try it at home. This may be the new chapter of your culinary adventures. It certainly was the beginning of mine.

Author Unknown 

Ingredients: 

5 salmon fillets, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp. butter, 100 ml. of white wine, 15 slices of bacon, 1 cup of Gouda cheese, 1 cup of bread crumbs. Some dill.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375F. Grease your baking dish and arrange your salmon fillets in it. Drizzle with some lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and add some wine. 

In a skillet fry the bacon till crispy. Washing the bacon with cold water prior to cooking it helps to reduce the shrinkage. Once bacon is fried, let it sit on a paper tower for few minutes and then layer it on the top of your fish. 

In a separate bowl mix your cheese and your breadcrumbs and layer the mixture on the top of your fish and bacon. 

Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the contents of your baking dish. 

Bake for 20 min then switch to broil for another minute.

Football Sunday Chicken Wings

My husband Victor loves football. He starts talking about his football Sunday early on Saturday, he impatiently waits for the first game to start (almost as impatiently as kids wait for Christmas), he talks about all the players as if they were his buddies and as soon as the first game starts, he turns up the volume of our TV set to the max. Therefore, Sundays are all about football in our household. Football is not my favourite sport, but I love tailgating food and it's not an uncommon occurrence for us to have a little tailgating party of our own. Chicken wings are definitely at the top of my favourite comfort foods list. It's satisfying, saucy and I love the fact that I can eat them with my hands. There is something so liberating about not having to use any utensils. Maybe it just brings out that wild side that we are taught to suppress when we are taught to eat with forks and knives?

My chicken wings recipe has earned quite the reputation. My family loves it, my friends love it and most importantly, Victor loves it. It makes crunchy, crispy wings and a devilishly good sauce that is sweet, tangy, spicy and buttery. It coats every wing enveloping it in luscious, sizzling, savoury lava of flavour. Intense aromas of hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, herbes de Provence, honey, mixed with refreshing lime juice, glistened with rich butter, create that unmistakable signature taste that will beat any restaurant that is known to make "the best wings in town." It will delicately tease and play with all of your senses, leaving them satisfied and excited. Serve your chicken wings with something else that you can eat with your hands. Like French fries. Just to intensify the satisfying practice of eating with hands. Get messy, enjoy the company and have a healthful salad on Monday. In other words, live a little. It's worth it.

Ingredients:

1 pound of small split chicken wings. 1/2 cup of your favourite hot sauce, 1/2 cup of butter, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional), a pinch of chilli flakes, a pinch of herbes de provence.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients (except chicken wings) in a small pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Toss wings in some flour and bake at 400F for 40 min. Turn them once.

When wings are done, pour sauce over them and let sit for 10 minutes.

Coq Au Vin With Pearl Onions and Pinot Gris

Coq Au Vin is one of those recipes that can seem complex and intimidating. For many people it is the first thing they think about when they think of French cuisine. The truth is that neither Coq Au Vin or French cuisine have to be complicated or frightening. And there are as many variations of Coq Au Vin as there are cooks who make it. There is only one rule that you cannot forego and that's the two main ingredients you must use in order to make it - chicken and wine. What parts of chicken you use or what wine you soak it in - is entirely up to you.

I like to marinate my Coq Au Vin in my favourite wine which happens to be Pinot Gris. Because Pinot Gris is not as strong as red wine, I leave it in the fridge for 2 days. Then it soaks up all the wonderful fruity, crisp nuances of wine and releases it when it hits the hot, sizzling, flavourful duck fat melted in the skillet. I like to use pearl onions in this dish because they masterfully withstand the heat and don't fall apart. They create a lovely contrast to the rest of the vegetables that become soft and buttery. I always take the time to make it more French by putting together a bouquet garni (a small bundle of herbs tied together with a string). If you do not have all the required herbs on hand, add 1 tablespoon of Herbes de Provence. It will give your Coq Au Vin that wonderful earthy aroma that will complement your chicken superbly. Coq Au Vin is that comfort food you need on a chilly fall evening. It will gather your friends and family at the table and provoke some great conversations. Just make sure to have plenty of rustic bread and wine. Table cloth and fine china are optional. Laughter, good memories and bonding will happen regardless whether you have them or not.

Ingredients:

 1 bottle of Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio), 2 celery stalks, 1 large carrot, 15 pearl onions, 3 cloves of garlc, 2 tbsp. of duck fat, 1 large chicken or 10 chicken thighs, 3 tbsp. four, bay leaf, 5 sprigs of thyme, some parsley, 1 pound of button mushrooms, 2 cups of chicken broth. salt, pepper to taste.

Method:

In a shallow dish place chicken, chopped into pieces. Add chopped celery, carrot, garlic and some pepper. Pour wine over chicken and vegetables and cover with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 days.

After 2 days, remove chicken from the marinate and pat it dry. Take out the vegetables and keep them aside. In a large pot melt the duck fat. Once heated, add chicken and sauté until brown on both sides. Fry chicken in two batches so you do not overcrowd the pot and the browning takes place. Remove the chicken and add vegetables that came from the marinade. Scrape all the bits that form at the bottom of your pot. Once the vegetables soften, add pearl onions and let them cook for another 5 minutes. Mix in the flour, stir till vegetables are coated. Whisk in the wine where the chicken was marinating and bring to simmer. Add your herbs, bay leaves, broth, chicken and stirring occasionally, cook for 40 minutes.

In a separate skillet sauté your button mushrooms till cooked. Add a sprig of thyme for extra flavour. 

Transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the bouquet garni or the thyme sprigs from the sauce and let it simmer for another 10 minutes, till reduced. Season, return chicken to the sauce and add button mushrooms. Arrange in a serving platter, garnished with some thyme and parsley.