Fresh fruit combines with fragrant syrup for the perfect dessert

A dessert using the fruit of the day to include the end of the stone fruit season here.  My favourite time of the year for fruit - how exquisite are the peaches, plums, nectarines, and this year we also had apricots tasting almost like they did when we were fortunate enough to pick them from the tree.



Fresh nectarine and date with cinnamon syrup and roasted almonds

 Of course the best way to serve stone fruit is fresh.  
But sometimes we want to serve a dessert that feels special and goes a bit beyond that.  This is an in-between  concept which fits that need.

Make a sugar syrup - equal quantities of sugar to water over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Add a cinnamon stick,  a few drops of vanilla, and a slurp of white wine if there is some available. 
Meanwhile, slice nectarines, add  dates and combine with cooled syrup.
Sprinkle with roasted slivered almonds and serve with Greek yoghurt.
(roast almonds in oven for about 10 minutes at medium temperature - keep watching because they turn brown quickly) 

Valentine Food for love

 If you are planning a romantic Valentines Day over the dinner table and want to know which foods will bring your object of desire closer, here are the facts.


There are many myths but  very little evidence that some  foods act as an aphrodisiac.  There appears to be a strong placebo effect however.  A spokeswoman for Nutrition Australia says, "It's not about particular foods.  A nutritious diet consisting of food from the five food groups, regular exercise, and a healthy weight is a prerequisite  for a healthy libido."


Well OK, we know all of that but what about oysters?  Apparently Casanova consumed 50 every day  and became a legendary lover so why not?  They do contain more zinc than any other natural food, this being required for reproductive health.


Under the heading of rare, expensive, glamorous, we have champagne and truffles, with the humble celery, carrots, cheese, anchovies and Asian fish sauce containing pheromones particularly androstenone which appears to be important in animals for attracting mates. 

Edible flowers such as roses, violets, pansies and nasturtiums contain flavonoids known as Vitamin P which showed higher libidos and sperm counts in animals.  Certainly good potential here, but I'm putting my money on Gingseng root - which has been considered an aphrodisiac for centuries, with chocolate a close second with phenylethylamine increasing the glucose and adrenaline levels in the blood to make one feel good.

So what do we serve?  Start with oysters, then serve the classic dish, Spaghetti alla puttanesca, which contains several ingredients thought of as aphrodisiacs, including anchovies, olives and garlic. I have included  Jamie Oliver's recipe.  When served with a salad including celery, carrot, and  pansies or nasturtions, followed by  cheese and ending with chocolate, you can't go wrong.   Clara

Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti alla puttanesca

Spaghetti alla puttanesca
400g dried spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic,
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tomatoes, diced, or a 400g can peeled tomatoes, with their juice
50g anchovy fillets, without the oil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
100g black olives
Preparation


Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the garlic and the anchovies and fry gently till the anchovies have ‘melted’. Don’t let the garlic turn brown. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the other ingredients (capers, oregano and olives) and let simmer for another 5 minutes.


In the mean time, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and cook the pasta al dente. Drain, and mix with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Chicken salad easy choice for heat wave.





This is how I feel

 Today is soooooo hot in Sydney - 42 degrees !!!!!!!  The keyboard of my laptop feels like an oven.  We don't get many days this hot, and being near the water we are lucky since we get a sea breeze.  Even that doesn't seem to be working today.

I have taken off any jewelry, and am wearing white shorts which show my knees, not my best asset although being a walker I do have excellent calves.  But the sure sign that it is hot is that I am sleeveless!!!!  This is a major indicator and no, I'm not taking a photo.

It's time to think about dinner and because I can't use my trusty oven, it's going to be BBQ'd Chicken Salad.  We still have a wonderful basil crop going so will do it with an Italian twist.

Here's a recipe but you don't really need one - I went vege shopping yesterday so have heaps to choose from  - tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms,  red onion / shallots, leafy greens,  avocado.   A nutritious and tasty salad suitable for any weather.  Clara

 BBQ 
Serves 4
Chicken pieces - bake or BBQ 2 chicken breasts marinated in some of the dre ssing.  When cool, slice diagonally and set aside.
Choose leaves of different colours - tear or leave whole.   Add other salad ingredients of your choice such as cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and avocado and toss together with dressing. 


For Basil & Caper dressing - pulse to a smooth paste:-
1/2 cup basil
2 cloves garlic
1  to 2 tbsp capers
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1tsp Dijon mustand
Salt & Pepper

Salad with basil & caper dressing


BBQ chicken breast