February 14

St. Valentine's Day
 

St. Valentine Baptizing St Lucilla by Jacopo Bassano		The Horny God Pan

St. Valentine's Day should probably be spelled St. Valentines' Day since there are three different St. Valentines that were originally honored liturgically on February 14. They were three martyred men named Valentinus  who lived in the late third century during the reign of Emperor Claudius II.  One of them was a priest who was beheaded because be continued to marry soldiers after Claudius forbad such marriages because the emporer thought that married soldiers were not as effective as single soldiers. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor all of the Sts.Valentinus.

It was the practice of the early church to replace pagan feasts with religious feasts. St. Valentine's Day was chosen to replace the Feast of Lupercalia which was a fertility and mating feast.  It was also a feast to of the horny little god Pan who was a satyr with the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat. The medical term "satyriasis" comes from satyr and refers to male sexual addiction.

During Lupercalia, girls' names were written on slips of paper that were were placed in a box. The boys would draw the girls' names from the box and have bedding privileges for a year with the designated girl. When the Church replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day, they kept the name-in-the-box idea, but replaced the girls' names with saints' names. Boys and girls were supposed to pick a name from the box and emulate the life of the saint whose name was drawn. Games being what they are, the girls' names eventually got back in the box. The games, however, became more chivalrous and the boys gave presents to the girls whose names were drawn. Some of the girls returned favors for the presents, favors ranging from a peck on the cheek to a roll in the hay.

Here is a special Valentine's Day menu designed to celebrate the original licentious concept underlying this feast day. Each of the six courses includes ingredients that have an historical reputation as aphrodisiacs.
 

Valentine's Day Menu

Madame de Pompadour's Celery and Truffle Soup
Oysters with Champagne Sauce
Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Chestnuts and Garlic
Asparagus Soufflé
Dilled Tomatoes
Chocolate and Framboise Cheesecake
 

Madame de Pompadour's Celery and Truffle Soup
 

Truffles are an edible fungus related to the mushroom family. In contrast to mushrooms which grow above the ground, truffles grow two inches to four feet underground. They are usually rooted out by trained pigs, although dogs, goats, bear cubs, and Michael Moore are occasionally used. The black Perigord truffle from southwest France is considered the world's finest. The white truffle from the Alba region in northern Italy is usually ranked second. The white or Italian truffle has a peppery, garlicky taste compared to the more subtle, earthy taste of the Perigord truffle.

The truffle has been considered as a powerful aphrodisiac since the early days of Rome when the fungus was dedicated to Venus because they were supposed to restore sexual ardor and their musky scent was similar to a pheromone that makes male pigs alluring to sows. One Roman author likened the scent to that of unlaundered sheets in brothels.

Madame de Pompadour (December 29) had a bowl of her legendary celery and truffle soup each morning to counteract her frigidity. Whenever Louis XV's (February 15) powers started to limp, de Pompadour would personally prepare him a dish from her arsenal of truffle recipes, such as filets de sole, Pompadour in which filets of fish are smothered in cream and truffles.

*See Appendix A

Instructions

1. Add celery juice, wine, and glace de viande together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. While soup is heating, beat egg yolks in a bowl with a whisk. Slowly pour hot broth in a stream into yolks, beating yolks constantly. Return soup to saucepan. Add truffle slices, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, Do not let soup come back to a boil or it will curdle. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Oysters with Champagne Sauce
 

Oysters have maintained their legendary status as an aphrodisiac for more than two thousand years. Juvenal, the great Roman poet, wrote that "shameless and lascivious" women used oysters as an aphrodisiac.  Louis XIV (September 05) ate at least 100 as a prelude to an evening of passion. He had them raised in his own private park where the royal oyster beds were tended by a man called Hyacinth Ox. Casanova (April 02) usually ate 50 raw oysters for breakfast each morning and used than for "tongue games"  with  young women whose lips the oysters were sucked. English pimps would serve than to their prostitutes after a hard day on the streets.

Aateam of American and Italian researchers analyzed bivalve mollusks - a group of shellfish that includes oysters - and found they were rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones and reported their findings to 15,000 scientists in San Diego, California, at a March 2006 meeting of the American Chemical Society. According to one of the researchers, "I do think these mollusks are aphrodisiacs. If the male is having difficulties, they have to eat a lot of mussels or oysters. Spring, when the mollusks breed, is best. There is the highest concentration of these two amino acids then."  The oysters have to be eaten raw to be most effective, because cooking reduces the quantity of D-Asp and NMDA molecules.

Instructions
 

1. Open oysters and detach from shell. Save juices and lower half of shell.
2. Preheat oven to 350º F.  Line a baking pan with rock salt and place oyster shells on them. Bake shells only for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Add lemon zest, bacon  bits, and salt and pepper to taste. set aside.
4. Strain oyster liquid through cheesecloth into a saucepan. .Add oysters, Tabasco and champagne. Slowly bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Remove oysters with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water.
5. Boil poaching liquid down to 1 TB.
6. Beat egg yolk in a cup.
7. Whip cream to soft peaks.
8. Fold in egg yolks and reduced sauce. Pour in pan and slowly warm until sauce thickens.
9. Preheat broiler.
10. Divide spinach into shells. Place oyster over spinach and spoon sauce over oyster.
11. Broil for 1 minute or until sauce starts to brown. Remove and serve immediately on a bed of watercress.
     

Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Chestnuts and Garlic
 

Chestnuts are one of the oldest foods known. They were considered primarily peasant food in the West until Louis IX extended the official aigrun, or foods fit for cooking, to include chestnuts. However, in the East chestnuts have long been considered as an aphrodisiac and they are still included in popular love dishes such as braised chicken and chestnuts in the Shanghai and Peking cuisines.

Garlic has also had a long history as an aphrodisiac when taken internally and externally. Robert Henderson in Lewd Food reports that American Indians used to rub a  mixture of garlic and lard on their penises to achieve erection. The Japanese Ainu believed that garlic was the food of the gods and a life-procreating force.

Lamb's history as an aphrodisiac and rejuvenator is well demonstrated by the controversial rejuvenation treatments at the Clinique La Prairie in Lausanne, Switzerland where patients receive intramuscular injections of the crushed organs of lamb embryos.  Pope Pius XII, Gloria Swanson, Winston Churchill, and Charlie Chaplin are only a few of the celebrities, political and religious leaders that have tried the anti-aging treatments at the Swiss Spa. The treatment has achieved a cult following at the clinic, which is part five-star hotel and part medical clinic.  78-year-old David Dafinone, an annual visitor to Clinique La Prairie where he spends at least $20,000 for a week's "rejuvenation,"  told CNN  in May 1995 that he felt 40 years old, and put a lot of that down to the treatment. "Price is relative. So, if you get satisfaction for the money that you paid then it was worth it. And paying even double I would still come here. It is good," Dafinone said.

Lamb combined with chestnuts and garlic is the traditional "winter dish" in northern China where it is supposed to build up a man's sexual reserves that became depleted during the winter.

Instructions
 

1. Cut a small cross in the side of each chestnut. Place chestnuts in a saucepan. Cover with water and add 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the shells are soft enough to be removed. Drain and let cool.
2. Peal chestnuts, removing outer and inner peal. Return chestnuts to saucepan, add water to cover, add celery and 1/4 tsp more salt. Simmer covered for 30 minutes until tender. Drain, cool, and mince.
3. Sauté onions in butter in a skillet for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
4. In a large bowl, mix ground lamb, bacon, sautéed onions and garlic, zest, parsley, glace de viande, egg yolk, bread crumbs, and chestnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take a teaspoon of mixture and sauté it, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Preheat oven to 450º F.
6. Spread boned leg of lamb. Spread filling over surface. Roll up lamb like a cake roll. Tie string around rolled leg in several places to secure.
7. Roast for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350º F. Continue roasting for approximately 2 hours until meat thermometer reads 150º F for medium rare or 155º F for medium. Remove and let cool for 20 minutes before carving.

Serves 4
 

Asparagus Soufflé
 

The history of asparagusas an aphrodisiac can be traced to the Kama Sutra which recommends asparagus as an essential ingredient in the preparation of a special paste to provoke sexual vigor. The  1652 Culpeper's Complete Herbal Guide recommends asparagus roots boiled in wine to " stirruth up bodily lust in a man or woman". Sheikh Nefzawi, author of The Perfumed Garden, recommended asparagus as an ideal food for lovers. One of the big guns in Madame de Pompadour's culinary artillery of aphrodisiacs was asperges a la Pompadour in which the stalks are served in a lemon and egg-enriched Béchamel sauce.

The initial attraction of asparagus as an aphrodisiac was probably due to its phallic shape, which is why, at certain times in history, women were not allowed to eat it.  Asparagus is rich in vitamin E, a vitamin considered by some to stimulate production of sex hormones. The vegetable also contains aspergrine, a diuretic that affects the genitourinary tract. and  aspartic acid which neutralizes excess amounts of ammonia in the body which contributes to tiredness and sexual disinterest. 

There are two types of asparagus, green and white. The only basic difference between than is the way in which they are cultivated. White asparagus is planted eight to ten inches beneath the ground and is gathered when the bud breaks through the soil. The white is more tender than the green, but the green has a stronger taste.

1. Butter a 6-cup soufflé mold with 1 TB butter. Dust with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Turn mold over and tap out excess cheese.
2. Melt 2 TB butter in saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream.
4. Add asparagus to sauce. Cook 1 minute over low heat. Stir in egg yolks and cool 1 more minute. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper Allow  to cool slightly. Mixture should be warm but not hot.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold in 1/3 egg whites into asparagus mixture. Fold asparagus mixture into egg whites. Fold carefully until almost completely mixed. Pour into soufflé dish. (Dish can be refrigerated until ready to bake.)
6. Preheat oven to 375º F.
7. Reduce to 350º F immediately before placing soufflé in oven. Cook for 30-35 minutes until firm and golden.

Serves 4

Dilled Tomatoes
 

Tomatoes were originally cultivated by the Aztecs in Peru since at least 700 BC. The Aztecs brought tomato seeds up to the Yucatan in jars painted with erotic drawings referring to their aphrodisiacal powers The Mayans planted the seeds and called the fruit xtoamtl.  When the Conquistadors plundered the kingdoms of the Aztecs and Mayans, they brought the fruit and its seeds back to Europe relating the primitive superstitions of the fruit's aphrodisiacal properties.

In France people believed the tomato was an aphrodisiac and called it pomme d'amour, or "love apple." When Sir Walter Raleigh presented Elizabeth I her first tomato, he coyly pointed out that it was "an apple of love."  Columbus, who believed that he had located the original Garden of Eden in Venezuela, thought that tomatoes were the "forbidden fruit" of the Bible, a belief also held by the Puritans when they settled in the United States. That belief held on into the early part of the twentieth century when virgins were warned not to eat "love apples" because they would make them passionate. This is probably where the expression "hot tomato" came from in referring to an attractive woman of unanxious virtue.

The scientific name for tomatoes is  Lycopersicon esculentum.  Lycopersicon is Latin for "wolf peach," another common name for the tomato that hints at its perceived poisonous nature. because it is related to  the deadly nightshade. Thomas Jefferson, who ate tomatoes in Paris and sent some seeds home, knew the tomato was edible, but many of the less well-educated did not and believed tomatoes were poisonous.  In 1820, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson disproved that myth during a public demonstration on the courthouse steps in Salem, N.J..

 Botanically, the tomato is a fruit, even though the 1883 US Supreme Court decided the tomato was legally a vegetable. This court case was brought about because New Jersey importer John Nix refused to pay an import tariff on his tomatoes, arguing that technically they were fruits. While the Supreme Court justices agreed that botanically tomatoes were fruits, it was decided that commonly they were vegetables and therefore subject to the same tariff as other vegetables.

1. Combine all ingredients except tomatoes and dill in blend to make marinade. Mix well.
2. Chop dill fronds in 1 inch pieces. Layer tomato slices with dill in a bowl. Cover with marinade and refrigerate overnight.
3. Serve tomatoes on a bed of crisp lettuce with a side dish of the marinade from which the dill has been removed. Any remaining marinade can be retained as a salad dressing for later use.

Serves 4

Chocolate and Framboise Cheesecake
 

Cosmopolitan magazine once rated chocolate as one of the top ten aphrodisiacs. Chocolate's history as a sexual stimulant goes back to the Aztecs who drank chocolate as a homage to Xochiquetzal, their goddess of love. The Mayans used chocolate as barter in houses of prostitution.  Chocolate was restricted for the Mayan ruling class. Montezuma drank a golden goblet of a chocolate drink each rooming, convinced of its aphrodisiacal properties

Immediately after Cortez brought chocolate back to Spain, the clergy denounced it as "provocative of immorality." In 1624, Johan Franciscus Rauch, a professor in Vienna, condemned chocolate as an inflamer of passions and urged monks not to drink it as he wanted to ban it in the monasteries.  This presented a problem for the Franciscans whose missions in Mexico made significant profits by exporting chocolate to Spain where the Spanish clergy ruled that hot chocolate could be enjoyed during Lent. However, chocolate  became condemned in most other European countries where it became an "underground pleasure," somewhat akin to the use of marijuana a few hundred years later.

The Church's denunciation of chocolate merely served to popularize it. Madame du Barry (August 19), the last mistress of Louis XV, always served her lovers a cup of chocolate before they were let in to her bedroom, and Casanova (April 02), who drank his cioccolata at Cafe Florian in Venice, considered chocolate more stimulating than champagne and called it the "elixir of love". Chocolate was mixed with ambergris to create chocolate des affligem, the most popular aphrodisiac of the eighteenth century. The Marquis de Sade (December 02) used to mix chocolate with Spanish Fly and feed the bonbons to the prostitutes that he recruited for his notorious orgies. This led to the practice of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day on the theory that the recipient would become sexually aroused.

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a substance which is released naturally in the human body when one is in love. Other stimulants present in chocolate are dopamine and serotonin, which alleviate pain and encourage a good mood. Chocolate also contains theobromine, which is a mild, lasting stimulant with a mood improving effect. Its presence may be one of the causes for chocolate's mood-elevating effects, especially when one eats large amounts.
 

Special Equipment 9" springform cake pan

Instructions
 

Preheat oven to 350º F

1. Grease a springform cake pan with butter.
2. Combine crust ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Press crumb mixture into bottom and partially up sides of the  pan. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Then bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
4. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Increase oven heat to 400º F.
6. Cut cream cheese into small squares. Put cheese in food processor equipped with a blade. Add half of sugar, egg yolks and cognac. Process until smooth.
7. Add chocolate and process until thoroughly mixed.
8. Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding remaining sugar, a little at a time. Set aside.
9. Beat whipping cream until stiff, and pour over egg white mixture. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of mixture Sprinkle flour over top of cream cheese mixture. Add vanilla. Carefully fold until all ingredients are blended. Pour mixture into pan.
10. Cover bottom and sides of pan with several layers of heavy aluminum foil to make pan waterproof. Tie foil securely around pan. Place filled pan into a larger pan filled with water that reaches half way up the sides of the  filled springform cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º F and bake for one more hour. Torn off heat and leave cake in oven for 3 hours.
11. Serve with additional whipped cream on side.

Serves 10