Eat Yourself Sexy: 7 easy Recipes to Boost your Libido

100g pumpkin seeds
25g fresh basil, plus extra to serve
25g fresh mint, plus extra to serve
½ lemon
Whizz 75g of the pumpkin seeds, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, the leaves from the herbs and the juice of the lemon in a mini food processor. Taste and season. If it’s too thick, loosen with 1-2 tbsp water – it should have a drizzling consistency.

BEARNAISE SAUCE 300g butter
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 shallots, chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, plus 2 tbsp whole tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 free-range egg yolks
1 tsp lemon juice

Clarify the butter by melting it in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. When the butter is foaming, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand for a few minutes so that the white solids sink to the bottom of the pan. Sieve the butter through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
Pour the vinegar into a non-reactive saucepan. Add the shallots, chopped tarragon and salt, to taste. Heat gently over a medium heat until the volume of liquid has reduced by more than half. Strain and set aside until completely cooled.
Lightly beat egg yolks with one teaspoon of water. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the cooled vinegar, then add the lemon juice.
Pour the mixture into a bowl hovering over a pan of simmering water (do not allow base of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk constantly until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and has increased in volume.
Remove the bowl from the heat and slowly pour in the clarified butter in a steady stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Fold in the tarragon leaves and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

MY DELICIOUS FRITTATA – serves 1

3 eggs
Kale leaf roughly chopped
Feta as you like
Pinch z’atar and sumac
Salt and pepper
Yellow courgette ribbons
Butter and oil

Mix all the ingredients except the last 2. Heat the a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the small pan that can also go under the grill. Wait for the butter to bubble over a medium heat. Add the eggs and leave for 4 minutes to form a base. Then pop under a hot grill. Slide onto your plate and top with courgette ribbons and little dressing of choice.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND TORTE 

180g 90% chocolate
180g unsalted butter
200g almond meal
2 whole eggs, at room temperature
6 egg yolks, at room temperature
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 vanilla pod, split or teaspoon extract
200g caster sugar
15g caster sugar
60g 100% pure cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line the bottom of a springform tin with parchment. Break the chocolate into pieces and cut the butter into cubes. Put both of these into a heatproof bowl and set it over a pot of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Stir until nearly completely melted, then take off the hot water, stir until completely melted, and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, beat together the 2 eggs, 6 egg yolks, and the 200g sugar until combined. Add the ground almonds and cocoa and stir until combined. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod, add them to this mixture and stir together. Finally, add the melted chocolate mixture and stir until combined.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the salt and beat until soft peaks are formed. Add the 15g sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Fold it in gently into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Dust with extra cocoa powder. Keeps for a few days if you can resist.

SEVEN SPICE QUAIL WITH PERSIAN RICE, POMEGRANATE & CRISP ONIONS (adapted from a Thomasina Miers’s Recipe)- serves 4

12 quail’s legs
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with a little salt
1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

The seven spices
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground ginger

150ml vegetable oil
2 white onions, peeled and finely sliced

180g basmati rice, soaked for 1 hour
60g butter
A few pinches saffron threads, soaked in 1 tbsp boiling water

Greek-style yoghurt
Seeds from ½ pomegranate
1 big handful coriander leaves

Warm the seven spices in a pan, then put them in a mortar with the garlic, thyme and salt, and bash to a paste. Stir in three tablespoons of oil and the pomegranate molasses, rub all over the quail and marinate for at least four hours.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium hot pan and sweat the onions. Stir for 30-40 minutes, until evenly golden and crisp, taking care that they don’t burn. Transfer the onions to a plate lined with kitchen towel, to drain.

Bring a deep pan of salted water to a boil and cook the rice for about five minutes. Drain, and rinse in water. Melt the butter in a pan, and pour into a cup. Return the drained rice to the pan, stir in half the melted butter, then smooth the top of the rice. Pour over the remaining butter and saffron, cover with a clean tea towel, put on the lid and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked, with a golden crust on the bottom.

BBQ the quail legs with salt, drizzle over the remaining olive oil and grill for 8 minutes, until golden. Turn once during cooking.

To serve, put some rice (including those lovely crisp bits at the bottom) on each plate, top with a quail, a generous spoonful of crisp onions, a dollop of yoghurt, and a scattering of pomegranate seeds and coriander.

BLACKBERRY & RASPBERRY GIN 

75g raspberries
700ml gin
100g blackberries
75g sugar
Put the raspberries and blackberries in a sterilised jar with the sugar and gin. Seal close and leave for 3 months. Ready to drink with a nice tonic or champagne or eat the fruit.

BEETROOT SODA BREAD (adapted from an Anna Jones Recipe)

300g cooked beetroot, chopped
100ml buttermilk or plain yoghurt
200g white spelt flour
200g wholemeal spelt flour
50g mixed seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, flax as you like
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C. Put the beetroot and buttermilk in a food processor and puree until smooth
Put the flours, seeds, salt, bicarbonate of soda and pepper into a large bowl and mix well.
Pour the beetroot mixture into the flours and mix with a fork until well combined, then use your hands to bring the lot into a rough ball. Don’t knead it though, or it will make the finished loaf tough.
Scatter some flour over a baking sheet and put your ball of dough on top. Dust with a little more flour.
Cut a deep cross in the bread, then bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and risen. Remove from the oven and tap the bottom of the loaf. If you get a hollow sound, it’s perfect, so pop it on a wire rack to cool.