Valentine's Day is fast approaching and one of the best ways to get a leg up in the romance department is to prepare your lover a delicious home cooked meal featuring one or more of the foods often rumored to have aphrodisiac properties. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and that is certainly true, but the ladies also go crazy for a guy with skills in the kitchen too. Why do you think so many chefs have gorgeous wives? If you aren't a gourmet chef already, there's no need to worry. Some of your favorite celebrity chefs have shared romantic recipes suitable for home cooks of any skill level.
Giada De Laurentis' Chocolate Honey Almond Tart
There is no food more associated with Valentine's Day than chocolate, but Food Network personality Giada De Laurentis ups the ante with two more aphrodisiac foods in this tart. Honey has long been associated with fertility and was once believed to be the nectar of Aphrodite. Similarly, almonds have long been associated with love, with the scent of the almond purported to "arouse feelings of passion" in women.
Hubert Keller's Oyster on Half-Shell Flavored with Citrus, Coriander Seed, and Olive Oil
In the culinary world, there are few who command the respect and awe of fellow chefs like Hubert Keller. Here, he takes on oysters, the food most associated with sexual prowess. Legendary lover Casanova was reported to eat 50 of them daily for breakfast. But there's some science in the legend. Oysters are a great source of Zinc, which promotes the production of testosterone.
Marcus Samuelsson's Avocado and Banana Smoothie
Bananas and avocado are not only a delicious pairing packed with essential nutrients, they also complement each other well in the aphrodisiac department. Bananas have often been listed as aphrodisiacs due to their phallic shape while the word avocado is derived from an Aztec word that translates as "testicle fruit." In fact, avocados were considered such potent aphrodisiacs that the Aztecs kept their virgin daughters locked up in the house during harvest season. With this recipe, Marcus Samuelsson offers a cool treat sure to heat things up on Valentine's Day.
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