http://www.seductionmeals.com/ en Copyright 2009 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:11:11 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Porcini Mushroom powder (D'artagnon), a bit of curry and water chestnuts. It all came together for an incredibly tasty recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Water Chestnuts. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.


Ingredients

• 2 heads cauliflower/ cut into 1" florets, about 10 cups
• 3 large garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 medium-large yellow onion, cut in half and quartered
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup of carrots, finely diced
• 1 cup of celery, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tsp porcini mushroom powder
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp sweet butter
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup coarsely diced water chestnuts (1 small can)
• fresh chives
• cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut cauliflower into 1" florets
3. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix together 4 cups of cauliflower, garlic, onion and 4 tbsp olive oil. Place on a tray and place in hot oven, roasting for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.
4. While this is roasting, place butter in a dutch oven or 4 quart kettle, heat medium high. Add carrots, celery, Porcini mushroom powder and curry, stirring to blend together.
5. Add chicken broth and water, stir.
6. Add roasted vegetables to the pot when ready (reserve 6 -8 cauliflower florets for garnish), and Simmer of medium heat for 30 minutes
7. Discard bay leaf and in a blender puree soup in batches until smooth, pouring pureed soup into a large bowl.
8. Transfer puree soup back into the kettle. Simmer over medium heat stir for a few minutes.
9. Add cream, salt and pepper to taste and stir until blended and warm, about 3 minutes.

Plating the dish

• Place soup in a serving bowl.
• Garnish with cauliflower florets, water chestnuts and snipped fresh chives. Top with a dash of cayenne pepper that runs the length of the bowl. Be careful not to be heavy handed with this pepper--its very hot!
  

]]> http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/11/roasted-cauliflower-soup-with.html http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/11/roasted-cauliflower-soup-with.html soup & chowder recipes vegetarian cauliflower recipes romantic meals seduction Meals soup vegetarian dishes water chestnuts Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:11:11 -0500 Vietnamese Splendor by Tastemaker and Trendsetter, Moshe Aeylon. Thank you Moshe for sharing your very special recipes; and what better way to end the series than with dessert. Talk about sweet temptation.

"I am getting old and lactose intolerant. So my choice of drug is GELATO, and in this case Sorbetto. And nobody comes as close to a street vendor in Italy like Ciao Bella. This dessert, using their UBER sensual new flavor Cabernet Blackberry, with fresh figs and almond slivers is very easy to describe. All you need is one word. ORGASMIC!"

No tricks here, all you need is the sorbet, figs, and almond slivers. Just scoop some sorbet in a bowl, add quartered figs and slivered almonds and wait for the sounds of pleasure to emerge.

]]> http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/blackberry-cabernet-sorbetto-w.html http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/blackberry-cabernet-sorbetto-w.html seduce me - your stories and recipes sweet temptations dessert figs gelato Moshe Aeylon recipes romantic meals seduction Meals sorbet Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:11:11 -0500 Vietnamese Splendor by Tastemaker and Trendsetter, Moshe Aeylon. 

"Sandwiches are my comfort food...each culture & cuisine has their own version, from hot dogs, to Panini's, I love them all.  I was surprised how delicious and sophisticated the Vietnamese version of this street food was. Pate? Who knew? Flavors dancing in my mouth...YUMM!"

Banh Mi Sandwich
A mix of French and Vietnamese cultures, Banh Mi are baguette sandwiches that are made with two main ingredients: the french influenced baguette and savory Vietnamese fillings that make up this deliciously unique sandwich. During the French colonization in IndoChina; France brought the bread and pate, and the Vietnamese added their culinary magic with unique flavors of thinly sliced pickled carrots and daikon, onions, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeño peppers and meat or tofu.  In the United States, this typical Vietnamese sandwich is known as the bánh mì thit and it is often made with broiled pork and goose liver pate.

Banh Mi Sandwich
Recipe and Photography by Moshe Aelyon
Adapted from a recipe by Andrea Nguyen

Ingredients

• 1 petite baguette roll or 7-inch section cut large baguette
• mayonnaise (preferably homemade if possible)
• Maggi seasoning or sauce soy
• Your choice of bold flavored meat or tofu sliced, room temperature (pork, chicken, pate, or any cold cut combo)
• 3-4 cucumber strips, seeded, pickling or English variety preferred
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3-4 thinly sliced jalapeño peppers
• Everyday daikon and carrot pickle (do chua)
  

Preparation

1. Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves.
2. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If preferred, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325ºF, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
3. Generously spread the inside with mayonnaise.
4. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce.
5. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you'll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.)
6. Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.

]]> http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/banh-mi-sandwich.html http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/banh-mi-sandwich.html International: Vietnamese seduce me - your stories and recipes banh mi sandwich French Moshe Aeylon recipes romantic meals for two Seduction Meals Vietanmese Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:11:11 -0500 Vietnamese Splendor by Tastemaker and Trendsetter, Moshe Aeylon. 

"I love pickles. Growing up in Istanbul, Turkey pickles were street food, part of the local culture. I remember buying pickle in a glass & drinking the garlic scented vinegar juice with a crushed red pepper kick. It was a ritual and a guilty pleasure; II used to be told I had to watch it otherwise I was going to end up with a stomach ulcer. This recipe is sweet and mild but awakens all the other partners that it is served with. Subtle but sexy."

Daikon and Carrot Pickled
Makes about 3 cups
Recipe by Moshe Aeylon
Adapted by a recipe of Andrea Nguyen 

"Perfect for preparing many Vietnamese dishes including Banh Mi sandwiches, this pickle (Do Chua) is used as a condiment. Try this daikon and carrot pickle recipe once and then tweak the recipe to your liking. Variations of the include adding tangy-sweet-pungent pickled shallots (cu kieu) to the mixture, as well as making heavier on the carrot side than the daikon side. I prefer to keep a higher ratio (say 2:1) of daikon to carrot as I like the mild bite of daikon radish. I like a tangy-sweet flavor whereas you can alter the ratio of sugar to vinegar to make the brine sweeter, and hence affect the pickle's flavor."

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 pound daikons, each no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar 

• 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar

• 1 cup lukewarm water

Directions

1. Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar.
2. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume.
3. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water.
4. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to a 1-quart jar for longer storage.

To make the brine

1. In a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour the brine over the vegetables to completely cover them.  Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating.
2. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Beyond that point, they get tired.

]]> http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/pickled-daikon-and-carrots.html http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/pickled-daikon-and-carrots.html International: Vietnamese seduce me - your stories and recipes French Vietnamese recipes moshe aeylon pickled daikon and carrots Seduction Meals Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:11:11 -0500 Vietnamese Splendor by Tastemaker and Trendsetter, Moshe Aeylon.

"This dish is soooo satisfying. The layers of flavors are robust and the applause will truly make you feel like an iron chef. Although super simple to prepare the results are restaurant quality. You can't have enough of this savory sauce over your simple canvas "white rice".

Chicken Stir-Fried with Lemongrass and Chile
Serves 4 to 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes
Recipe and Photo by Moshe Aeylon
Adapted from a recipe by Andrea Nguyen

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 pounds well-trimmed boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 or 2 Thai or Serrano chilies, finely chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¾ inch squares
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 or 4 sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, salt, sugar, curry powder, and fish sauce and turn several times to coat the chicken evenly. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and for up to 1 hour.
2. In a wok or large skillet heat the oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shallot, chile, and lemongrass and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
   
3. Add the chicken mixture and the bell pepper, quickly move them around to coat them with the aromatics, and then let the chicken cook, undisturbed, for about 1 minute, or until nicely seared. Using a spatula, flip the chicken pieces over and cook, undisturbed, for about 1 minute, or until nicely seared on the second side.
4. Add the coconut milk, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. As the coconut milk reduces, it will simmer vigorously. The chicken is done when the coconut milk is barely visible; it may have even begun to render some of its oil.
5. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with the cilantro, and serve immediately.

]]> http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/vietnamese-chicken-stirfry-wit.html http://www.seductionmeals.com/2009/10/vietnamese-chicken-stirfry-wit.html International: Vietnamese main dishes: poultry seduce me - your stories and recipes Chicken Moshe Aeylon Romantic Meals Seduction Meals stir-fry Thai Vietnamese recipes Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:11:11 -0500