Afternoon Delight Blog
Posted on September 4, 2015 by Jackie DeKnock No comments
GOURMET LOVE
“Spreading love, one recipe at a time!”
The back-story that inspired the menu that inspired the recipes! Foodie and Love stories combining love, romance, and adventure (remember this is all fiction my friends)! Let me take my paintbrush, paint the scene and the mood to take you there…
Inspired Quote to love by: “Spontaneity is where the magic happens, anywhere, anytime…especially in the afternoon!” ~ I wrote this – moi, yours truly!
Love Dateline: Matinee Performance
Where: Anywhere
When: Around noon(ish)
Mood: Excitement, anticipation and a feeling of love
Emotion: Joy
Set The Stage
Afternoon Delight – a term coined to mean a love-making interlude during the lunch hour or in the afternoon. Apparently, the term dates back to around 130BC Ancient Egypt, who knew that it has been around forever? And to think, I thought that it came from the popular one-hit-wonder song ‘Afternoon Delight’ (with its suggestive wordplay) recorded in the 1970’s! I have one short fictional Afternoon Delight story to share. I met Rhett Butler at work, we both worked for an airline. He was charming, debonair and a gentleman, just as you would expect him to be (he swept me off my feet). We had very little time together due to his demanding work schedule and many other reasons (like fighting a war). We would steal away to be together when he wasn’t in the trenches. One day, in an effort to carve out a slice of time for our hearts to be together, we devised a plot to escape our daily plight over lunch. It was spontaneous, clandestine and exciting all rolled into one as we quietly stole away (no one ever the wiser). It was a magical moment in time, sharing true love as time stood still and the world continued on (we were in our own world/bubble of love). All I can say is that there’s nothing better than escaping your day for a brief interlude to find love with ‘your Rhett’ Butler to put a smile on your face and pour love into your heart. It was like drinking an elixir from the fountain of love, Scarlett would definitely have approved… Shhh don’t tell anyone…
The Hand-picked Starring Cast
When designing the ‘Afternoon Delight Menu’ I decided that the menu had to be ready-to-go and prepped well in advance (how’s that for foresight)! Really, who wants to be in the kitchen when your time is precious and you want to maximize every second! This round-the-world appetizer menu will take you both on a trip this afternoon! Everything is prepared in advance and served at room temperature (yep, we thought of everything didn’t we)! If you know the Afternoon Delight song, you’ll see that the words just may have inspired the recipe names. Pack your bags – here we go: we’ll start in Greece with “Gonna Find My Baby” Feta and Herb Phyllo Pastry Triangles, N’Awlins next for “Gonna Hold Her Tight” Creole Crab Cakes with Remoulade Mayonnaise Dipping Sauce, Mexico for “Thinkin’ of You’s Workin’ Up My Appetite” Roasted Chicken, Monterrey Jack Cheese, Jalapeno Pepper Tortilla Spirals, Canada’s West-coast for “Please Be Waiting For Me Baby When I Come Around” Spicy Smoked Salmon Corn Cakes with Crème Fraiche. And the grande finale is a taste of France with “Sky Rockets in Flight” Chocolate Pâté..
FOODIE DATELINE: Sultry
Where: Loire Valley, France (just south of Paris)
When: Winter 2005
Mood: Adventurous
Emotion: Joy
“Sky Rockets in Flight” Chocolate Pate.
As I planned the grand finale dessert for this Menu, I thought – OK – you should really end your Afternoon Delight with something that will rock your world that’s decadent and sultry. This Chocolate Pate instantly came to mind (you’ll see why once you taste it). It’s ‘the bomb’ when it comes to dessert, you can never go wrong with chocolate! I first tasted this chocolate dessert years ago when I was on a Gourmet Safari research trip to France’s Loire Valley. As you already know, I’m obsessed with collecting amazing recipes (and chocolate), so I had to share this one with you!
Here are the ‘Safari Notes’ from my Loire Valley experience, (which seems like a lifetime ago) where I first discovered this delectable dessert:
“Monique met us at the St Pierre des Corps (Tours railway station) and we had a wonderful drive through the stunning Loire River Valley countryside to the farmhouse B&B – our home away from home. The drive took only 30 minutes, but it felt like 30 seconds because there is so much to ‘take in’. The setting is perfect, right in the woods with a lot of space surrounding the beautiful home. The home is tastefully decorated and filled with antiques and furniture from many different periods. I admired Monique’s taste, which is woven through every unique room.
Monique has a special way of instantly making you feel at ease and welcome in her luxurious home. The meals were delicious – very simple French recipes with amazing flavours and results. Monique likes the idea of using simple straightforward recipes with ingredients that can be easily found once you return to your home. She has a true gift for making quick and easy dishes taste like a lot of time and effort went into making them. I really think that she is onto something and has the right formula. We thoroughly enjoyed our culinary experience; everything that I tasted left me wanting more. We savoured Roquefort cheese terrine, lamb (which is usually not my favourite, but in this case was delicious), a traditional green leaf salad, local cheeses and sausages, and to finish off we had a decadent chocolate pate with candied orange. What a gastronomic experience! We also sampled many Loire wines paired with our meals – what a perfect marriage. The Loire Valley is a great destination for those who appreciate great food, excellent wines and beautiful countryside.
The Chocolate Pate was so delectable that I had to make it as soon as I returned to my kitchen. I shared it with everyone and it left them wanting more…”
And now you get to enjoy a taste of the Loire right from your own home! Put your heart into making this dessert, love is one of the ingredients.
Wish you were here!
XO
PS Love your food, what comes from the heart touches the heart! Craving isn’t a ‘Bad Word,’ food IS sexy!
PSS I came up with this handy wallet-sized ‘Manly Ranking Scale’ – pull it out when you need it! It’s similar to the Richter Magnitude Scale that measures earthquakes (the idea came to me as I survived a major earthquake in Vegas years ago). I’ll grade each man of my life at the time of my Love Dateline story! Feel free to grade the man of your life, If he’s a +10 (and I hope he is), I’d say go for it!:
Go for broke and hope that he’s a ‘keeper’!
Some Music to Get you in the Mood!
Check out the complete “Afternoon Delight” menu