Matija Balent , Photo by archive, Hotel Antunović

VALENTINE'S DAY

Afrodisiac recipe: Viagra on a plate

A few days earlier this chef, who has won the national champion title and gold chef title, had promoted his cookbook entitled "My scrapcook". He also introduced us to the basics of the menu in which he used the ingredients that are believed to stimulate libido and sexual desire. The love atmosphere in the restaurant has been enriched in the special Valentine's Day offer by the red hues of decorations and aromas of vanilla and musk.

The special love menu is dominated by oysters, nuts, honey, strong spices... For example, 'The dangerous intentions soup' is a chicken cream soup enhanced with pinoli nuts and Cayenne pepper, which gives it the necessary tough impetus for Valentine's Day. And fresh oysters are also reinforced by ginger sauce, lime, and, again, Cayenne pepper.

In 'The lovers' risotto' the Mediterranean herbs and truffles have been added, and a pork fillet 'Don Juan' is prepared with nuts, sage, honey and vanilla seeds. A sweet dessert "Viagra" is especially intriguing and chef Matija Balent selflessly shared its recipe is with us:

Sweet "Viagra"

Ingredients (for a couple):

2 pears, 1 dl of Riesling, 7.5 dag of sugar, 2 star anise, ¼ of vanilla sticks, a tea bag of orange and cinnamon tea, 7.5 dag of walnuts, 0.5 dl of milk, 0.5 dl of Blue Curacao, 1 dag of gelatin

Preparation:

First, cook the pears in white wine with a tea bag of orange and cinnamon tea, half amout of sugar, star anise and vanilla stick. Cook the pears until slightly tender and cool them along with the juice. While the pears are cooling, pour boiling milk, with half the amount of sugar added, over the walnuts. Once the pears are cool, we hollow them out and fill them with walnuts. We serve them in two deep plates, topped with the tea in which they have been cooked.

For Blue Curacao with gelatin we first dissolve the gelatin in cold water and, when it becomes tender, we put it in the hot Blue Curacao and stir until it has melted. Pour the prepared Blue Curacao with gelatin into a dish, with the depth of the liquid at a maximum of 1 cm, let it cool down and tighten. When the Blue Curacao becomes thickened, we cut it in the form of tablets of Viagra and put 5 pieces on a plate, around the pears.