1/2 teaspoon curry powder

  1 pinch ground cinnamon

  8 ounces natural yogurt or 2 tablespoons cream

  1 pinch sugar

  Salt to taste

  Preparation

  Sauté the apple in the butter. Add the stock, curry powder, and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes, then let cool. Add the yogurt and sugar. Place the mixture in a food processor and blend. Check the seasoning and add salt to taste. Serve well chilled.

  Vichyssoise

  Very popular in France, this cold potato soup has traveled around the world. It’s a country soup, substantial and simple, often served hot in winter. You must give it your personal touch with some herb or spice of your liking. Change it freely; it always turns out well.

  Ingredients

  1 medium leek (white only), minced

  1 large potato, peeled and cubed

  2 tablespoons grated onion

  1 rounded tablespoon butter

  2 cups Beef Stock, Chicken Stock, or Vegetable Stock

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1 pinch tarragon

  1 pinch garlic powder

  1/3 cup sour cream

  4 leaves fresh mint

  Preparation

  Sauté the leek, potato, and onion in the butter for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook over medium heat until the potato is soft, 10 or 15 minutes. Let cool, then place in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Season with salt, pepper, tarragon, and garlic powder. Add the sour cream, stirring carefully. Serve chilled, garnished with the mint leaves.

  Cucumber Breeze

  This is an original, cool, low-calorie soup, something not often seen in aphrodisiac cuisine. I think a soup like this must have refreshed the impetuous lovers of A Thousand and One Nights.

  Ingredients

  1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

  2 chives, chopped

  1 cup Vegetable Stock

  1 teaspoon honey

  Salt and green pepper to taste

  8 ounces low-fat yogurt

  1 sprig fresh dill

  2 sprigs fresh cilantro

  Preparation

  Thoroughly blend all the ingredients except the cilantro in a food processor. Serve very cold, garnished with the cilantro.

  Appetizers

  Amorous Games, Leaf by Leaf, Kiss by Kiss

  Whatever happened

  to the simple green salad of yore?

  It seems to have disappeared,

  blasted into the background by the fanfare

  of nouvelle cuisine. It has been

  dethroned by esoteric combinations

  like mango, octopus, and

  Chinese noodles dressed with

  Teriyaki sauce and Roquefort cheese.

  Embrace 1, egg tempera by George Tooker, 1979, Chameleon Books.

  Until only recently, the noble salad was a forthright composition of fresh lettuce leaves and a simon-pure dressing of oil and vinegar, salt, and in some cases pepper. And I mean pepper with no ceremony; none of this choreography with a foot-and-a-half-long implement that the waiter, with great flourishes, grates above the heads of the diners. That salad is the perfect accompaniment to all the substantial main courses in this book and some hearty soups; there is no need to complicate things with more sophisticated offerings. Nonetheless, in the following pages we suggest some appetizers that would serve as lunch for lovers who meet secretly at noon, for those who like a light supper before making love, or those virtuosos who want to exhibit their culinary skill with a more elaborate menu. If this is the case and you opt for variety, use very small portions. Stuffed, half-asleep lovers are no good for acrobatic feats.

  Havana-Style Prawns

  Ingredients

  1 whole grapefruit

  Segments of 1 grapefruit, membranes removed

  1 cup cooked medium prawns

  1 apple, cubed

  1 tablespoon chopped nuts

  2 tablespoons mixed minced cilantro, chervil, and mint

  FOR THE DRESSING

  2 tablespoons plain yogurt

  2 tablespoons lemon juice

  1 tablespoon honey

  1/4 teaspoon mustard

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  Freshly ground black pepper to taste

  Preparation

  Cut the whole grapefruit in half. Scoop out the fruit and discard (or use later); set aside the grapefruit halves. Combine the grapefruit segments, prawns, apple, nuts, and herbs. Fill the grapefruit halves with this salad and refrigerate. Just before serving, mix all the ingredients for the sauce except the pepper. Stir well and pour over the salad. As a final touch, add the pepper.

  Crab and Avocado Mousse

  Nearly all mousses—or molds—are made using the same basic recipe. All that changes is the ingredient or ingredients that give it flavor—here, shrimp and avocado. A mousse is a discreet way of easing into the preambles of eating or making love; it can be prepared in advance and is light on the stomach. Besides the elegance of the two-color scheme, this one can be made ahead, allowing you to welcome your lover without any last-minute uproar in the kitchen.

  Ingredients

  1 cup Béchamel Sauce

  1/2 cup mayonnaise

  3 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

  3 tablespoons boiling water

  3 tablespoons sherry

  1 cup cooked and shredded crabmeat

  1 teaspoon lemon juice

  1/4 teaspoon Salsa Picante

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped

  1 cup cream

  Lettuce and lemon slices for serving

  Preparation

  Mix the béchamel sauce with the mayonnaise. Dissolve the gelatin in boiling water and sherry. Strain, pour into the sauce, and stir well. Divide into 2 portions. Season the crabmeat with lemon juice, salsa picante, salt, and pepper, and add to 1 portion. Place the avocado in a food processor and blend with the cream, salt, and pepper. Add to the other portion.

  Lightly oil the sides and bottom of a mold. Spoon in the crab mousse and spread evenly in the mold with a spoon. Carefully pour the avocado mousse on top of the crab so that no air remains between them but they are not mixed together. Refrigerate for 2 hours, until set. Turn out of the mold and serve on lettuce with slices of lemon.

  Artichoke Whisper

  This is one of the few recipes for a mousse made without white sauce. It’s very light and original.

  Ingredients

  2 artichokes

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

  1/2 cup cream, or 1/2 cup evaporated—not condensed—milk

  Preparation

  Boil the artichokes for at least 30 minutes, until the leaves are easily detached. Rinse well and let cool. Remove the pulp from the leaves with a spoon, scrape the choke from the heart, and mash both. Season with salt and pepper.

  Dissolve the gelatin in a little boiling water.

  Beat the cream until stiff. If you use evaporated milk, it will have to be well chilled, nearly frozen, before beating.

  Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend for a few seconds, until creamy. Place in 2 individual oiled molds and refrigerate for 2 hours. Turn out of the mold and serve on a sauce of your choice (perhaps Homemade Mayonnaise; Tartar Sauce; French Dressing; Light Dressing; Three-Minute Marinade).

  Shrimp Cocktail

  For this salad to look its best you need sherbet goblets or, even better, the kind of crystal bowl that rests on a bed of crushed ice. Remember that aphrodisiacs also appeal to the eye.

  Ingredients

  1 avocado, peeled, seeded, crushed, and seasoned with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt, and pepper

  1 cup cooked shrimp

  1 medium apple, peeled and grated

  1/2 cup tomato sauce

  1 tablespoon oil

  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  1 teaspoon mustard

  Lemon slices or mint leaves for garnish

  Preparation

  Place the crushed avocado in sherbet goblets or crystal bowls. Add the shrimp. Combine the apple, tomato sauce, oil, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Cover the shrimp with this sauce. Garnish with a lemon slice or mint leaf.

  Seviche

  This Peruvian specialty, made of raw fish or shellfish marinated in lemon juice, has become famous and now travels the world under various names. All these ingredients are aphrodisiac; it’s light on the stomach but provides lots of energy. It is served cold and must sit at least six hours after preparation for the lemon to “cook” the fish. This recipe will make four to six small servings, but if you want a real aphrodisiac jolt, it will leave two very contented.

  Ingredients

  1 pound corbina or any firm white fish

  1/2 pound prawns or shrimp, peeled and cleaned

  2 medium onions, minced

  1 hot green pepper, seeded and cut in very thin slices

  1 cup lemon juice

  1/4 cup unsweetened orange juice (optional)

  Salt, pepper, and Tabasco to taste (optional)

  Lettuce for serving

  1 large sweet potato, cut in 6 slices

  Preparation

  Cut the fish into cubes, discarding the skin and veins. Wash the prawns or shrimp in salted water and dry. If they are fairly large, cut in pieces. Layer the fish, seafood, onions, and hot pepper in a glass or pottery bowl. Add the lemon and orange juices and a little salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, turning the mixture every hour so that all the fish will be bathed in the juices. Serve on lettuce with slices of cooked sweet potato. The spicy, tart taste of the seviche goes very well with the sweet potato.

  Odalisques’ Salad

  This dish is colorful, fresh, and novel.

  Ingredients

  1 large white onion, thinly sliced

  1 cup boiling water

  2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

  Salt, white pepper, and Tabasco to taste

  2 oranges, peeled and cut in thin slices

  4 tablespoons fresh orange juice

  1/2 tablespoon honey

  1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  4 black olives for garnish

  4 fresh mint leaves

  Preparation

  Soak the onion slices in the water with the vinegar, salt, and Tabasco for 10 minutes, then boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the onion on paper towels. Place slices of onion and orange on a serving plate. Cool in the refrigerator. Combine the orange juice, honey, Grand Marnier, and oil. Pour over the salad and garnish with the olives and mint leaves.

  Sierra Potatoes

  This appetizer is inspired by a dish from the high plateaus of Bolivia. It is as substantial as a full meal. For two discreet lovers you can make half the recipe, followed with soup and dessert.

  Ingredients

  2 cups cooked potatoes

  1/2 cup vegetable oil

  1/2 cup lemon juice

  2 tablespoons cream

  2 tablespoons grated onion

  1/2 teaspoon mustard

  2 hot green peppers, minced

  1 clove garlic, crushed

  Salt and pepper to taste

  2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

  Black olives

  3 ripe tomatoes, sliced

  Olive oil to dress salad

  1 tablespoon chopped thyme

  1 tablespoon chopped sage

  Preparation

  Mash the potatoes before they cool. Place the vegetable oil, lemon juice, cream, onion, mustard, green peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend. Pour over the potatoes and combine thoroughly. Place the mixture in an oiled mold, pat down, and chill.

  Before serving, turn the potato mixture onto a serving plate. Decorate the top with the hard-boiled eggs and olives. Surround with the sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt, olive oil, thyme, and sage.

  Greek Islands Salad

  Remember what we said about eggplant? In the Mediterranean it is thought to be aphrodisiac and was obligatory in the harems of Turkey, but in some places in Asia, men don’t eat it. Run your own test with this recipe.

  Ingredients

  2 medium eggplants

  1 tablespoon lemon juice

  Sea salt and black pepper to taste

  2 tablespoons minced parsley

  1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

  1 clove garlic, crushed

  1/2 pimiento, cut in thin strips

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  1 tablespoon grappa

  4 tablespoons tomato sauce

  4 tablespoons plain yogurt (optional)

  Preparation

  Cut the eggplants in four lengthwise segments. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Set aside for 1 hour at room temperature, then broil for 15 minutes. Sauté the mushrooms, crushed garlic, and pimiento in the oil. Add the tomato sauce and grappa, and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and pour the sauce over the eggplants. Serve cold with yogurt if desired.

  Bariloche

  Ingredients

  4 endives, torn lengthwise

  Segments of 1 grapefruit, membranes removed

  1 cooked chicken breast

  FOR THE DRESSING

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  1/4 cup cream cheese

  1/2 cup plain yogurt

  1 teaspoon honey

  1 tablespoon vodka

  2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

  1/4 teaspoon mustard

  Salt and pepper to taste

  1/2 pimiento

  Preparation

  Place the endives and grapefruit slices on a plate, forming a star. Cube the chicken breast and arrange it in the center. Place all the sauce ingredients except the pimiento in a food processor and blend. Pour on the salad and garnish with strips of pimiento.

  Pears Roquefort

  This salad should be prepared only moments before serving because pears will turn dark.

  Ingredients

  1 pear per person

  1 tablespoon honey

  Juice of 1/2 lemon

  Salt and white pepper

  Roquefort Sauce, cold

  1/2 cup ground nuts

  Preparation

  Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fibers, hollowing out the center. Dress the pears with the honey, lemon juice, and a very small amount of salt and pepper. Place the pears facedown on a round plate, forming a star. Pour the cold Roquefort sauce over them and garnish with a sprinkling of ground nuts.

  Spinach California

  Very fresh and original.

  Ingredients

  1 pound raw spinach, stems removed

  1/2 cup ricotta cheese

  1/2 cup pineapple chunks

  1/2 cup broken walnuts

  3 strips bacon

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

  1/2 teaspoon mustard

  Salt and white pepper to taste

  Preparation

  Wash and dry the spinach. Tear it into smaller pieces. Mix with the ricotta and pineapple chunks. Broil the walnuts and bacon until crisp. Crumble the bacon and add to the salad with the nuts. Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad just as you serve it.

  Creole

  Exotic and decorative, this salad is ideal for those warm summer evenings that invite love.

  Ingredients

  1 cup cooked saffron rice

  1 cup grated carrot

  1 teaspoon melted butter

  1 tablespoon raisins, soaked in rum

  1 tablespoon grated coconut

  2 tablespoons mayonnaise

  1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Several drops Tabasco

  Orange Whirl

  1 orange, peeled and divided into segments

  1 banana, sliced

  Preparation

  Combine the rice, carrot, butter, raisins, coconut, mayonnaise, cinnamon, and Tabasco. Oil a mold and press the mixture into it. Refrigerate for 1 hour and turn out onto a plate. Top with the orange whirl sauce and encircle with alternating orange sections and banana slices.

  Spring Shower

  This salad allows you to use your imagination and the leftovers in your refrigerator. The ingredients can be varied. It is equally delicious with fowl, cold meat, shrimp, and vegetables.

  Ingredients

  1/4 pound shredded smoked salmon

  1 head lettuce, finely chopped

  1 medium carrot, quartered and chopped

  1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

  1/2 cup new peas

  1 hard-boiled egg, quartered

  French Dressing

  Preparation

  Combine all the ingredients except the French dressing in a salad bowl. Add the French dressing shortly before serving.