Cupid's Bite - Aphrodisiac foods with the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and the MLCC

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting foods with ingredients that are considered aphrodisiacs.  Try these for Valentine's this week.  Almonds, Basil, Garlic, chocolate are a few ingredients that are on the list.  Bonnie Tulloch, Education Coordinator for the Assiniboine Park Conservatory,  presented the information on plants and programs at the Conservatory.  Stephanie Mills, Product Consultant for the MLCC, provided the beverage pairings.

1. Almond Tarator
Paired with Underraga T.H. Riesling - Chile  $20.02

9 oz Almonds
3 cloves garlic
sea salt
juice of one lemon
3 tbs champagne vinegar
1 tbs honey
4 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups good olive oil
3-5 oz lukewarm water
freshly ground black pepper

Pulse the almonds in a food processor.  Crush the garlic with salt and add to the almonds with lemon juice, vinegar, honey and egg yolk until smooth and creamy.  Drizzle in half of the oil, and alternate with the water.  Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until a thick, creamy mayonnaise.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use as a dip, mezze or cover a fish fillet and bake.

Enjoy!

2. Basic Pesto
Paired with Maso Canali Pino Grigio - Italy  $19.99

A basic Pesto recipe is so easy to adapt to many available herbs. I love Arugula Pesto as well. For Arugula, use some spinach in the mix to round out the flavour of any particularly peppery variety as well as a splash of lemon juice. For Basil Pesto, I like to use Sweet, Vietnamese, Purple, and many other varieties in the mix to make a complex flavour.

1/4 lb fresh basil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts (can use almonds)  Will use almonds
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1/3 cup good olive oil
salt and pepper (cheese is salty so use very little salt)

Blend together into a paste. Freeze for later use or toss in pasta, on grilled meats, etc.

3. Pesto on Escargot
Paired with Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay - Chile  $21.84 and Seduction Pinot Noir - New Zealand  $29.66 (Both very yummy!)

Spoon pesto onto escargot.  Place in 450�F oven.  Bake for 8-12 minutes.  Serve immediately.

4. Chocolate Creams
Paired with Warre's Otima 10 yearld Tawny Port  $24.76

6-7 oz dark Callebaut Chocolate
2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie (stainless steel bowl over pot of boiling water) with 1 tbs. Milk. Make the quantity of milk up to 2 cups and bring high heat. Beat 6 egg yolks with sugar until the mixture turns  white. Slowly add the chocolate flavoured milk, beating it in quickly. Divide the mixture between at least 6 ramekins placed in a baking dish that will be filled with simmering water (another bain-marie). Bake at 375� F for about 25 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the bain-marie and leave to cool before putting them in the refrigerator to set.

Ribs on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

On Saturday I had a distinct pleasure of presenting the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Ismaila Alfa.  Ribs are so easy to prepare and come in quite a variety of forms.  Try these with our wonderful Berkshire Pork, great beef, lamb or goat from Manitoba! Come in to Arkadash Bistro and Lounge for a taste.

Spanish Smoky Ribs

1 rack ribs (pork baby back, lamb, goat, beef short, etc)
3 tbs Dijon mustard
3 tbs honey
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
3 tbs butter
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs Bourbon or Whiskey (optional, but a good option)
pinch salt

Place ribs in baking dish and set oven to 350�F.  Cook remaining ingredients in a saucepan.  Cover ribs with sauce.  Cover baking dish with lid or foil.  Bake for a few hours, basting occasionally, until meat is tender and ready to fall off of the bone.  Serve and enjoy!



There are many variations on ribs possible.  Try with your favourite spice blend, marmalade and seasonings.  Ras el Hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, will soon be available at Arkadash Bistro and Lounge.  Cooking lessons now available at Arkadash Bistro and Lounge starting Monday, January 28th.  Book now to reserve your space.