From Eden’s apple to Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’herbe to the foodgasmic expressions of today’s TV chefs, food and sex are, well, intimately connected.
This issue is all about that lusty link, and where better to begin than with Hugh Hefner? Gourmet Live’s Kelly Senyei visited Hefner’s famous Playboy Mansion in West Los Angeles and talked to William Bloxsom-Carter, executive chef and food and beverage director of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. The chef’s formidable 24-hour food-service operation caters all of Playboy’s legendary parties and makes sure Hef has his favorite doughnut at exactly the same time each morning. Senyei gained rare access to the kitchen and came away with a slideshow of Playboy food porn (no bunny ears, though). Also included: the recipe for Hefner’s favorite lamb chop dinner.
Geoff Nicholson, whose Psycho-Gourmet Web site celebrates oral fixations, contributes a tongue-in-cheek take on the finer points of dining while naked, from inappropriate menu items (poached eggs) to where, exactly, to place one’s napkin. Meanwhile, Lexi Dwyer unveils the scientific evidence on anti-aphrodisiacs, a.k.a. what not to eat when you’re in the mood. Read this one before you plan your next romantic meal.
Where would deep-fried testicles (we’re talking cattle and poultry here) land on your list of culinary turnoffs or turn-ons? Eminent road-food authorities Jane and Michael Stern—generally associated with apple pie and other wholesome fare—didn’t shy away from a different sort of assignment: locating the tastiest testicle dishes in the land.
What foods and drinks say sexy to you? Tell us via Twitter or Facebook, drop us a line (gourmetlive@condenast.com), or post a comment on our blog. For more tasty bites, sign up for our weekly newsletter to get convenient access to our most-read blog posts, editors’ favorite recipes, and exclusive reader offers.
Passionately yours,
The editors of Gourmet Live