Foreplay
Setting the scene:
Beetroot Hearts of Passion. “Sharing is caring” Wanda said as she presented her Hearts of Passion. These jewels of roasted beetroot were filled with soft seductive goat’s cheese, served with pearls of beetroot, tender asparagus, crunchy broccoli and decorated with deep purple Amaranth micro herbs.
Roqué served his lover some asparagus which she ate with sensuous pleasure – for both of them!
Wanda had made a necklace of edible flowers for Roqué to nibble at later – much later. The glow of the candles danced on their faces, they kissed savouring each other and as they shared the platter Roqué read Wanda ‘finding pleasure in little things’ by Suzan Polis Schultz, brushing their senses into a cascade of colour on a canvas to be depicted as love baby, love… In the background was Dave Brubeck playing gently, ‘I’m in the dancing mood’.
Hearts filled with Passion – I should say so!
Drinks match – Chilled schooner of Tio Pepe sherry from Majestic.co.uk
Solavia sherry schooners from Amazon.co.uk
Beetroot Hearts of Passion.
For 2 lovers
Get on with it…
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil & drop in 8 small sprigs of broccoli & 8 asparagus spears. Cook for 3-4 minutes until just al dente then lift the vegetables out with a slotted spoon & plunge them into cold water to stop any further cooking & retain their bright green colour.
Take 1 large beetroot, cooked & peeled & cut it into 4 x 2cm slices. Lay these out on thick kitchen paper & with a heart shaped cutter cut out your love hearts. Make a hole in the centre of each with an apple corer & fill each of the holes with 1 tsp soft goat’s cheese.
Pour a little olive oil on a baking tray with some chopped garlic. Add small torn pieces of stale bread & bake in a hot oven for 5 minutes until golden. Tip onto kitchen paper to drain.
Arrange the hearts on a large white plate then add the sprigs of broccoli, asparagus spears & 2-3 tsps of beautiful beetroot pearls. Drizzle with some fine aged balsamic vinegar, strew some deep purple Amaranth micro herbs all over & then pop a few crouton on top.
Amaranth micro herbs from finefoorspecialist.co.uk
Beetroot pearls from imaginativecuisine.com
Aged balsamic vinegar from finefoodspecialist.co.uk
Feed the desire
Beetroot Hearts of Passion. Prized by the Ancient Romans, beetroot was used medicinally as an aphrodisiac. It can help increase blood flow to those intimate areas, one of the mechanisms of Viagra, and also contains high amounts of boron which is considered essential to the production of sex hormones. In any event it’s a real sexy and lusty colour!
