This lush, chocolate pie is guaranteed to add some sweet heat to your Valentine's meal. Of its six ingredients, four of them are THOUGHT TO BE APHRODISIACAL:

Perhaps this should have been posted on Sal's new group site,
http://blogadate.blog.co.uk/2008/02/07/how_to_flirt~3693905

Chocolate, almonds, ginger and chile. Powers of attraction aside, this recipe for Chocolate Tantric Pie is unusual and delicious, and is as easy as pie to prepare.

SIMPLE SOLUTION: This is a sweet chocolate pie with the spicy bite of ginger and cayenne pepper. It's guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth, internally warm your belly, and give you that unmistakable tantric glow. There is very little work to creating this dessert. For a gluten-free version, omit the pie shell for a no-bake flourless torte. You can also pour the pie mixture into a baking dish, just cool before cutting into squares and serve like fudge.

INGREDIENTS
1½ cups organic half-and-half or whipping cream
3 cups semisweet organic chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped candied ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
9-inch pie crust

1. Over medium heat, bring half-and half or whipping cream to a simmer in a 1-quart saucepan, stirring to prevent scorching on the bottom.

2. Whisk as you slowly pour the chocolate chips into the cream and continue to stir until the chocolate has melted. Stir in half the almonds and half the ginger. Stir in cayenne if using.

3. Pour mixture into a pre-baked 9-inch pie shell. Sprinkle and remaining almonds and ginger on top. Cool until firm, slice, and serve.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Esalen Cookbook, by Charlie Cascio (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2006). and from the site, http://www.care2.com/greenliving/chocolate-tantric-pie-recipe.html

Jenray, bless her, gave me 1978, thanks a lot Jen.

I cast my mind back and can’t remember anything about that year, thinking more about it, I don’t remember anything much about that period 70/80s, ( it wasn’t because of the magic mushrooms, that was the 60s ), 1978, it’s a long time ago, the 50s, now that was a different matter, lots of stories from the 50s that I wouldn’t dare write on this blog.

O K, What is obvious? I had three sons all at school age, 13, 11 and 10, Sarah, my wife, is a housewife, and I am so pleased about that as we always planned that she would not work until our youngest left school, mine was the only wage coming in, so money was a bit tight, but I don’t remember missing out on anything.

My job, a five and a half day week, averaging about 60 hours per week, and “on call” at the rest of the time, as the manager of a delivery company, 30 vehicles, all sizes, any item to anywhere in the UK, at a moments notice. Transport was traditionally a very poorly paid job, but I loved the job.

It was the year of a big birthday, so lets look at the old photograph album, pictures of the “secret” 40th birthday party that Sarah arranged, family, some friends that were on a couple of committees that I was a member of, and fellas that I worked with, neighbours, three now moved away, two of the men now dead, and they were younger than me .

I notice J**** in one of my photos, he drove a 7.5 ton flat bed truck, loaded with a large item for London docks and with the cash for his fuel and overnight allowance, he left the depot one morning, it was about mid-night when I received a phone call from the police at Stranraer, they had discovered the truck, minus the driver, with a note attached to the steering wheel with my phone number, the note said, “Sorry Trevor”. Stranraer is where the ferry leaves to go to Ireland.

I was interested in politics, vice chairman of the local Conservative Party, again, going against the “flow” in Labour controlled Renfrewshire, Scotland, but I enjoyed the cheese and wine party’s. I was the candidate for the local area. I did not win, in fact I came third out of three candidates.

1978 was a year of good and bad, ups and downs, but isn’t that life?