Diane's Seduction Menu

This page is dedicated to Diane, with my thanks.

On June 8, 2001, Diane, the author of The Seduction Cookbook, generously sent this sumptuous menu with recipes! It's perfect for people on sugar-restricted diets, too.

Hello Fausta,
Here is a menu for you that is low-carb, no sugar, with all of the recipes straight from "The Seduction Cookbook:"

Pods of chile contain capsaicin, a fiery chemical that causes the brain to produce endorphins, igniting a sense of well being and enlivening these fruits of Aphrodite. This is a perfect finger food to feed your lover.

½ tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
16 medium sized shelled, deveined shrimp, tails intact
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced serrano chile
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves

1. Heat olive oil in sauté pan to a sizzle over a medium flame. Add garlic and sauté until soft, for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until pink on one side, about 2 minutes.

2. Turn shrimp, add ginger and serrano chile. Cook shrimp until pink throughout, about 3 additional minutes. Add lime juice, toss with shrimp, and remove from flame. Serve immediately on two plates, garnishing with cilantro.

A hot and spicy soup that will lead to a hot and spicy physical state.

½ tablespoon olive oil
1/8 cup chopped white onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander, toasted
1 12 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
1 12 ounce can chicken broth
Salt and coarse black pepper to taste
1 whole roasted red pepper, pureed
1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into strips

1. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil to a sizzle and sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add coriander, chickpeas, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cook over a medium flame for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree, in batches, in a food processor or blender.

2. Pour the chick pea soup into two serving bowls. Swirl red pepper puree into soup, and top each serving with ½ tablespoon basil. Serve immediately.

Aromatic cumin seeds have long been credited as an erotic stimulus, as celery root was a means for whetting the appetite for love in 18th century France. Enjoyed with succulent scallops and creamy leeks, your mate will lick the plate clean.

1 leek, cleaned, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
8 sea scallops, halved horizontally and patted dry
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons water
¼ cup heavy cream
1 small celery root bulb, about 10 ounces, peeled, washed and cut into large cubes
2 tablespoons chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss scallops with cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Heat ½ tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear scallops until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate with tongs and hold warm.

2. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet until hot but not smoking. Sauté leeks with salt to taste, stirring until golden. Add wine and water, then simmer, covered, until leeks soften, about 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened.

3. Place celery root in a stockpot and cover with salted water. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and continue to cook until celery root is easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and place in a blender cup. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper and puree until all chunks are removed and celery root is smooth.

4. Pool cream sauce with leeks on two plates and divide scallops, placing on top of sauce, between both plates. Serve with celery root puree.

12 large strawberries
3 ounces goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon nonfat milk
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar (hypoglycemics should omit the sugar, but might want to use 2 teaspoons non-sweetened pineapple juice instead of milk and lemon juice)

1. Rinse and dry strawberries. With a paring knife, remove the hull and inner meat of the berry, forming a cavity in the berry. Cut the meat of berry from the hull, and save the green stem and hull.

2. Mix stuffing ingredients until incorporated. With a small teaspoon, stuff the cheese filling into the cavity of the berry, and place the retained hull on top of the mixture. Serve cold.