How To Set The Mood The Mood For Love KITCHEN NOVICE
A wonderful way to celebrate a romantic relationship is through the kind of food that creates the mood for love. Food that looks, smells, tastes, feels and even sounds sexy.
You can show your lover how special they are to you by making them unique treats that set the stage for love. Surprise your sweetheart with romantic treats that you took the time and effort to make just for them.
Valentine's Day and anniversaries (wedding, first date, first kiss, etc.) are the most recognized days for expressing your affection with sensual treats, but setting the mood for love doesn't have to be confined to just one special day; periodically throughout the year, make the effort to honor that special someone in your life with some delicious sweets and treats with a romantic flair.
This book includes recipes for sexy appetizers, sensual desserts and mood-setting cocktails. All of them are relatively easy for people who have spent some time preparing food; in fact they can all be made in a few simple steps.
That being said, we know that some of you want to make the romantic effort but only enter the kitchen to get a cold beverage from the fridge. So, before we get to the main recipes, we'll start with some "baby steps" so even the cooking challenged can make an effective romantic gesture.
1. A 6-step Romance Guide for the 1st Time Cook
Even if the kitchen is a foreign place for you and you think making dinner means taking the food you got from the drive-thru out of the bag and putting it on a plate, you can still set a romantic scene that is a step beyond what your sweetheart expects.
All this takes is two things: Champagne and strawberries. Go shopping and pick up a bottle of the best Champagne you can afford (cheap sparkling white wine is better than nothing) and a pint of fresh strawberries.
But don't just pull a bottle of Champagne and a carton of strawberries out of a grocery bag and say, "I love you." You've got to do a little work.
- Chill the Champagne
- Wash the strawberries.Leave the stem/leaves in place (it gives you something to hold on to when you feed your lover a strawberry)
- Gently dry the strawberries and arrange them nicely in a dish or on a plate (not paper, use the "good china")
- Set the dish, two cloth napkins and two Champagne flutes (tall, skinny wine glasses) in a romantic setting (by the fireplace, in the bedroom, etc.). If you don't have Champagne flutes and cloth napkins, buy a couple of each; you'll use 'em again and it really helps set the scene.
- Welcome your lover with a warm hug. Retrieve the Champagne from the fridge and say, "I have some Champagne for us." 6. Lead him/her to the romantic spot where you have set up the strawberries (one hand for his/her hand, one hand for the Champagne).
- The rest is up to you
2. A 6-step Romance Guide for the Kitchen Novice
OK, you have more kitchen experience than the "1st Time Cook", but still are uncomfortable with doing too much in the kitchen. Or maybe, the magic worked with the instructions in Chapter One and you're ready to take it to the next level. Either way, here is an easy and simple way to offer a romantic treat.
You are going to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries and serve them with a Kir Royale. Impressive!
- Buy Champagne, a pint of strawberries, a ½ pound bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a small bottle of black raspberry liqueur (recommended: Chambord) NOTE: if you don't have Champagne flutes and cloth napkins, buy a couple of each ... don't worry, you'll use 'em again).
- Chill the Champagne and wash/dry the strawberries (leave the stems/leaves on)
- Set out a cutting board that will fit in your fridge and put a sheet of wax paper over it
- Put the ½ pound of the chips in a microwave safe bowl (or in the top of a double boiler over simmering water) and cook the chocolate until melted. Keep an eye on this and stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth (you don't want to burn the chocolate).
- Holding berries by the stem, dip each in chocolate about three-quarters of the way to the stem. Place on the wax paper and when they are all done, move the cutting board with the dipped strawberries to the refrigerator until hardened. Once hardened, transfer them onto a nice plate or platter (use the "good china").
- When your lover arrives, make them a Kir Royale cocktail*, and then take them, the cocktails and the strawberries (along with the cloth napkins) to a predetermined romantic spot (in front of the fireplace, the bedroom, etc.). *To make the Kir Royale cocktail: put a few drops of the black raspberry liqueur into a Champagne flute and then fill up the flute with Champagne. Optional: Garnish with a fresh raspberry and a lemon twist. NOTE: if your tastes tend towards the sweet, add a few drops more of the black raspberry liqueur
- Now, you're on your own.
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