Food for Love

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” goes the old saw, which I believe I first heard Wilma tell Betty on an episode of “The Flintstones.” Not exactly a paradigm for romance, but there is truth in cartoon shows. And I’ve done enough cooking for women to tell you it works both ways. Of course, we all know it’s not necessarily the literal heart of the matter we want to get to.

Happy Valentine’s Day, darling. Me, Tarzan. You, Jane. Now what’s for dinner?

Aphrodisiac cooking, anyone?

From Pliny the Elder to Casanova, food has long been hailed as the ultimate portal to venery, a lovely word that has undeservedly fallen into disuse. Oysters, rose petals, chocolate, chile peppers, licorice, star anise--there’s no shortage of ingredients reputed for centuries to stir ardor. Flesh of skink. Ground rhino horn. So, is there truth to any of this?

Nope. Not if you listen to the Food and Drug Administration, which in 1989 turned a cold shower on the idea of aphrodisiacs, thus dismissing 5,000 years of folklore. Still, given a choice between science and folklore, I always put my money on the latter. Anyone who’s old enough to have shared a toothbrush doesn’t need to be told that food and sensuality go hand and hand. In other words, get thee to the kitchen. “A plenteous meal produces voluptuous sensations,” said the Marquis de Sade, whose advice one takes at a certain peril, though this observation seems sound enough.

Looking for a chef’s point of view, I talked to Sam Marvin of Le Dome in West Hollywood. Does he believe in aphrodisiac food? “Absolutely!” he says, though he believes its power lies more in its sensual value than in its chemical properties. Marvin will be preparing, among other things, Erotic Chicken on Valentine’s Day at Le Dome. He has adapted the recipe from the book “Like Water for Chocolate,” given to him by a girlfriend while he was living in Mexico a few years ago. Talking to him you get the feeling that it must have brought him a bit of luck.

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Erotic Chicken

From chef Sam Marvin of Le Dome

Serves 2

EROTIC SAUCE

4 cups good-quality chicken stock

1/2 cup organic pesticide-free rose petals, lightly crushed

2 drops rose water

1 star anise

1/2 teaspoon crushed Lover’s Rose Tea

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine all of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, over medium heat and reduce by half. Strain into another saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup mixed wild mushrooms, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced white onion

1 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped sage

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups day-old white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 slices bread)

1 egg

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms until they start to turn golden brown and all moisture has evaporated. Remove them to a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and saute the onions and celery until tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Place in mixing bowl. Add the thyme, parsley, sage, garlic and bread cubes to the sauteed vegetables. Mix together until well-combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and stock. Pour over stuffing and combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the stuffing in a buttered 8-inch-square glass baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, until hot in the center. Let cool to room temperature before using to stuff the chickens.

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CORNISH HENS

2 Cornish hens, each weighing 13 to16 ounces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Reserved 2 cups sauce

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the hens and pat dry. Fill each cavity with the wild mushroom stuffing. Place the hens in a roasting pan. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour, until the temperature of the inner thigh reaches 165 degrees. Remove hens from the roasting pan, cover and keep warm.

Pour out fat from roasting pan and place pan on the stove top over medium heat. Add the reserved sauce and stir to loosen pan drippings. Cook for a few minutes, then strain sauce into another saucepan. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Just before serving, swirl in butter until melted.

To serve, place each hen on a plate. Drizzle with sauce and surround with rose petals.

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Resource Guide

Organic rose petals are available at Whole Foods markets. Lover’s Rose Tea is available at Elixir Tonics & Teas, West Hollywood, (310) 657-9310.

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Martin Booe last wrote for the magazine about beef stew.