Food and sensuality have gone hand in hand for centuries. Whether it's warm seductive colours to appeal to the eye, smooth, silky textures that melt on the tongue, or irresistible smells to whet your appetite, the perfect romantic dish incorporates all of these to appeal to the senses, and sensuality, of your favourite man. Try these heart melters courtesy of original casanova Jean-Christophe Novelli

Start off with fresh Black Mission figs in a cool bowl of water as it is done in Italy and be sure to eat with your fingers! Enjoy this with a glass of ice cold champagne.

• Rocket, Avocado & Pine Nut Salad
• Half a dozen Oysters to share
• Ginger & Mustard Salmon on Wilted Spinach
• Macadamia Crusted Lamb Loin with Sweetcorn Risotto
• White Chocolate and Kirsch Mousse

Rocket, Avocado & Pine Nut Salad

200g washed wild rocket
1 ripe avocado
30gm pine nuts
20gm parmesan shavings
Olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh milled black pepper
1 passion fruit

Method

• Toast the pine nuts until golden brown.
• Cut the avocado into nice-sized cubes, not too small.
• Place all ingredients in a bowl together (reserve some parmesan for a topping).
• Mix gently together by hand, mix passion fruit with lemon juice oil (the dressing should be equal parts lemon juice oil and balsamic).
• Serve in small bowls with parmesan shavings on top.

Half a dozen Oysters to share

• Shuck oysters five minutes before needed.
• Detach the flesh from the shell and turn over, pour out the first water.
• Leave in shell and allow for second water to come up before serving.
• Add a teaspoon of half whipped double cream and a drop of tobasco on each oyster.
• Adjust tobasco to your own taste and sprinkle on some freshly chopped chives.

Ginger & Mustard Salmon on Wilted Spinach

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2x120g salmon fillets
100g leaf spinach

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 350F/175C.
• In a small bowl, blend olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard and ginger.
• Brush salmon fillets evenly with the olive oil mixture. Place in a medium baking dish. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Heat a pan with a touch of olive oil, drop in the spinach and wilt down so it's still a little crisp.
• Serve salmon on top of spinach, spoon over a little sauce.

Macadamia Crusted Lamb Loin with Sweetcorn Risotto

100g Macadamia nuts
50 g breadcrumbs
2 Eggs
1 x 7-bone rack of lamb
Honey
Dijon mustard
Fresh rosemary
1large tin sweetcorn
5g of star anise powder
100g Arborio rice
1 leek
Unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone
2litre chicken stock
Sea salt
Fresh milled black pepper
Have your butcher French trim the lamb.

Method

• Place the macadamia nuts in a food blender with a few sprigs of rosemary and the breadcrumbs add star anise powder and blitz. Add eggs and season.
• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Season the lamb and seal all around, in a pan of hot butter.
• Mix Dijon mustard with 1/3 acacia honey, spread the Dijon mustard over the flat side of the rack of lamb and push on the crumb to crust.
• Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
• To make the risotto, wash well and finely dice the leek, put in a pan with a generous helping of butter and the rice, slowly sweat (cook without colour) until rice is translucent.
• Add the chicken stock slowly, a ladle at a time, cooking between each ladle until all stock is cooked out. After about 20 minutes, allow to cool.
• Place half the tin of sweetcorn in a pan and cover with boiling water. Boil Sweetcorn for 10 minutes and blitz in food processor until smooth. Put the sweetcorn puree and rest of corn in the risotto with the mascarpone.
• Cut lamb, serve with sweetcorn risotto on the side.

Acidic butter
Make in advance, keep in the fridge and put into risotto at the last minute.

Lemon compound butter
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Cream the butter with the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the butter on a piece of waxed paper and shape into a cylinder about 3 x 1½ inches. Refrigerate.
• Slice 1cm thick disc and drop onto the risotto.

White Chocolate and Kirsch Mousse

80g white chocolate per person
100ml double cream - ice cold
30ml of kirsch (20ml for chocolate & 10ml for berries)
80g mascarpone
10ml of Amaretto
60g strawberries
40g raspberries
10g caster sugar
½ vanilla pod - sliced lengthways

Method

• Melt the white chocolate over a bain marie. Whisk in 80ml of the cold cream. Add the Kirsch and reserve to one side.
• Gently mix the mascarpone with some cream or water and the Amaretto. Place to one side.
• Sweat the strawberries and raspberries off in a hot pan with the vanilla bean and add the sugar to caramelise. Add the kirsch and flambe.
• Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Reserve to one side.
• Layer the mixtures into a glass starting with the mascarpone, followed by the fruit and then pour over the white chocolate mixture. Top with the mascarpone mixture (thinned with some more cream) and dust with some cocoa powder.
• They can be left to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.