Do vanilla, ginger and white chocolate make you amorous?
Well if so then I just made a potential aphrodisiac for this month’s SUGAR HIGH FRIDAY #16.

On our host site, Jennifer of Taste Everything At Once it says

We’re looking for truly amour-inducing sweet treasures. Tempting desserts that double as aphrodisiacs. Desserts so amative we’re surprised the Domestic Goddess is letting us get away with this risqué incarnation of her monthly blogging event.

Find an ingredient renown for it’s aphrodisical effects and build a seductive dessert around it.

The main theme is chocolate desserts that double as aphrodisiacs. I knew exactly what book I have to refer.
Isabel Allende’s book on Aphrodite (the love of food and the food for love) has beautiful stories and recipes full of aphrodisiac.
But it has got only a chocolate mousse that falls on the chocolate category for this months theme..

I did use her book as part of my research on my ingredients.

So what is aphrodisiac?

According to Encyclopedia Britannica
Aphrodisiac: any of various forms of stimulation thought to arouse sexual excitement. Aphrodisiacs may be classified in two principal groups:
(1) psycho-physiological (visual, tactile, olfactory, aural) and
(2) internal (stemming from food, alcoholic drinks, drugs, love potions, medical preparations).

To arouse sexual excitement aha!

Chocolate is the most known food that is full of aphrodisiac elements.

The Aztecs referred to chocolate “nourishment of the Gods”Chocolate was the sacred drinks of the Aztecs, related to the goddess of fertility, XOCHIQUETZAL and consumed only by the nobility.

The cruel conqueror or Mexico, Hernan Cortes tasted it first in the court of the Emperor of Moctezuma and shortly was introduced to Spain where its fame as aphrodisiac was so great that the women drank it in secret.

It is addictive and stimulating because of theobromine,(theobroma… fruits of gods) but it is also symbolic in rituals of romantic courtship

What about vanilla?

According to Gourmet Sleuth the scent and flavor of vanilla is believed to increase lust.

The Spell of Aromas on page 48 on the book Aphrodite says that taste and smell are inseparable. And amorous desire begins with the nose.

No wonder I feel so sexy when I used that French soap Le Petit Marseillais Douche Crème Extra Doux Lait de Vanille.

Ginger:

Ginger root raw, cooked or crystallized is a stimulant to the circulatory system.
It is listed as forbidden herb because of its aphrodisiac properties . Its hot in taste enhances desserts, exotic food.

Madamme du Barry’s chef prepared egg yolks and gingers that drove this courtesan’s lovers even Louis XV himself to unbridled lust.

Oh well unbridled lust I wonder what happens if I cook daily with ginger, since its one of my favourite herbs and my fridge never ran out of it. Ho ho!

As you see herbs and spices are the soul of the kitchen and they turn ordinary dish into potential aphrodisiac.

For this months Valentine theme I have choosen crème brulee. Not just a plain crème brulee but its flavoured with chocolate, ginger and vanilla.

It was the summer of 1996 when I first tasted my crème brulee when we found ourselves in
Biot, Cote D’ Azur. One of my first summers spent in South of France and I was seduced by this tempting luscious dessert.

I first tasted the ginger crème brulee when I was in the USA circa 1997 -98 . One day I will do my own ginger brulee. I said to my myself.

The day has come indeed today to experiment my first crème brulee. I waited 10 years to do my own.

This recipe has been given to me by a chef, knowing my weakness for crème brulee and ginger.

I will share you his recipe that you might want to prepare when you do a dinner a deux this coming February 14th.

White chocolate crème brulee

12 servings

  • 3 eggs
  • 4 egg yolk
  • 700 ml double cream
  • 250 ml milk
  • 100g sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split

    • 1 tsp grated ginger

  • 300 g white chocolate -I used Valhorna
  • Sugar for caramelizing tops

    1) Preheat oven to 120C

    2) In a large bowl mix together the eggs and yolks,whisk until well blended

    3) In a saucepan combine cream, sugar, split vanilla pod (scrapping the seeds before hand) and grated ginger and milk and bring to a boil.

    4) Take of the heat and stir in the chocolate, stir until all chocolate is melted.

    5) Mix in the egg mixture and strain.

    6) Pour mixture among 12 ramekins ( I used tiny oval dish which I got from Ikea)

    7) Bake in a water bath 30 min, until set.

    8) Remove from the water and chill.

    9) Sprinkle each crème brulee with brown sugar and caramelize with a torch

    I was very much in surprised how easy this dessert is and for those out there who might want to try this is surely a luscious treat on the 14th and might prove that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach

    Biot is perched medieval village about 2,500 years old and the Mediterreanean beaches is only 4 klms. Its located between Nice and Antibes.

    Biot is also known for hand blown glasses other than the place where this wanderlust fell in love with creme brulees.