When speaking of oysters or chocolate, who doesn’t think of romance and lust? These two foods have been widely romanticized and advertised as highly stimulating aphrodisiacs.

Aphrodisiacs are substances or stimulus that arouse sexual excitement, though there is no clear scientific evidence that foods such as oysters or chocolate have a direct effect on our libido.

On the other hand, who can deny the decadent effects of these delicious delights? The following are two recipes celebrating these two succulent foods.

Oysters Cotija

Ingredients

• 12 oysters, shucked and on the half shell
• 2 slices bacon cut into 12 one inch pieces
• ½ cup unseasoned dry bread crumb
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground árbol chiles or paprika
• 1 ounce grated cotija, Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh shredded cilantro

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place shells with oysters on baking sheet and place one piece of bacon on each oyster.
3. Bake for 10 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
4. Combine bread crumbs, butter, garlic powder and ground chile in a bowl.
5. Spoon mixture over oysters, and then sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy the appetizers with stimulating company.

Le Bec-Fin Restaurant’s Signature Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 10 egg yolks
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 10 tablespoons high quality cocoa powder
• 7/8 cups pastry flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 10 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8″ cake pans.
2. Whip the egg yolks, 3/4 cups sugar, and 1 Tbsp water with mixer until thick and light.
3. The batter should form ribbons.
4. Sift the cocoa powder, pastry flour, and baking powder together, and then set aside.
5. Whip the egg whites, the cream of tartar, and the 6 Tbsp of sugar until the mixture is firm.
6. Then gently fold one half of the beaten egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture.
7. Fold in the dry ingredients before folding in the remaining egg white mixture.
8. Divide the batter amongst the three cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Rum Syrup: Bring 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil, and then remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup of dark rum before setting aside to cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Butter-Cream: Whisk 5 whole eggs and 3/4 cups of sugar over a double boiler until very warm. Remove from heat and mix gently until it is cool and light. Add 12 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate (warm, not hot) with a mixer on low speed. Add 9 ounces of soft unsalted butter and beat until light.

Cake Assemblage: Split each cake into 3 layers. Place one layer of each cake on a cardboard circle or cake platter, and moisten with rum syrup using a pastry brush. Top with chocolate butter-cream, spread out to the edges. Top with a second layer of sponge cake and repeat until all 3 layers are assembled. Coat the entire cake with butter-cream, and garnish with shaved chocolate. Enjoy the sinful sweetness.