Taste



When things taste good to you, it is because of so many reasons. Just as we acquire a taste for something we did not like as a child, we move through and gain a taste for things that make sense to us. It is the unending adaptation of our senses.
Making sense of our health and why we want to consume certain things for our better wellness will actually make them taste better. And/Or... making sense of cheap crappy foods will make processed flavors more palatable. The point is the relevance of association to what taste good to you. What is important to you in life as you consume something and perceive it. Do you really enjoy it? Be open and be mindful... someone once said.

Ground Elder, seen here consuming the lower branches of a Rhododendron, is the most difficult weed in my yard. I've fought it out of the garden for the most part, but the struggle is unending.

One day recently while madly ripping at the stuff, I noticed that the smell of it was somewhat appetizing. I wondered is it was safe to eat and headed to the world wide internets. I learned that not only is it safe to eat, it's a member of the carrot family! If you compare the leaves from carrot tops to ground elder, then you'll see a the kinship.

Fantastic, I thought, now... I just need to make it taste good. A free and abundant leafy green veg (the best food type for your health)!
First try : Fava beans , ground elder, and ham cooked with butter on crusty baguette. Pretty good, but the elder wasn't really standing out. So I started thinking about giving it more of the spot light.

Since it does taste kinda like carrot greens (though less harsh and more sweet) it needs something to smooth it out and yet highlight it's pleasant zing. I've read that most people don't like it's taste on the first try. Another important point is to avoid it once it flowers. Unless you need a strong laxative.

Here is my second try:

Ground elder and avocado soup, braised artichoke, escarole, fried quail egg.

I was lucky with what I had around the house because this turned out good. I'm backin it. I should be making my own creme fraiche then I'd have a better garnish to the soup then just the barigoule oil.

These are images from a private chef event last weekend. The menu was 6 courses and mostly spring oriented with a few winter projects of mine respresented. Here's how it read:

vegetable bisque with coconut, red curry, brown butter shrimp

mache and arrugula salad with parmesan terrine, gold beet sauce

olive oil poached tuna with mint, red quinoa, and black hummus

NY strip cooked "parlet", spring vegetables, sunchoke puree, thyme shallot sauce

beet halwa, vanilla legere, crispy cashew cookie

chocolate hazelnut panna cotta with steamed hazelnut milk, espresso chocolate brownie, chocolate crunch bar and whipped cream

A few thoughts from the process:
When we had that stint of very warm weather, the soup course changed from miso based to Thai curry based. There's an element of drama when eating this soup as it turns from off-white in color to red (and gets more flavorful) gradually. The small spheres of potent red curry sauce melt into the hot soup as the eater stirs and siawdawdps.

Bagna Cauda is a dipping sauce made from mostly olive oil with anchovies, garlic, chile, herbs, etc. I wanted the flavors to bring more dynamic to the salad course... and in honor of the great Italian Parmesano Reggiano, why not use a classic Italian sauce. However, in a not so classic fashion, I emulsified it into salt roasted gold beet puree. This gave it a texture better suited for the dish, smooth and sweet instead of just oily. So in the end, it can not really be called Bagna Cauda, though that was the origin of my thinking.

I was really really happy with the tuna course. Why pair quinoa with hummus and tuna you ask? Well, I worked out a simple way to gently poach (or confit) the tuna in olive oil....without having sous vide equipment... while I was working at Marigold Kitchen in Philadelphia. The chef, Israeli influenced, made amazing hummus and used it in fine dish composition. I must have tried the too together cause it clicked. The red quinoa fit in because I thought it had a nutty-buttery taste.... like tahini... so.... add some small diced cuccumber for a fresh/crisp bite and there it is.

And I must mention the wines! Really great pairings! Thanks to Zach for his help. Here they are in relative order:

Soup course: Kunde Estate 2007 Viognier Sonoma valley

Salad course: August Cellars 2007 Pinot Gris Oregon

Tuna course: Jean Boillot 1998 Volnay 1er cru Les Chevrets

Steak course: 1986 Leoville Barton

First Dessert: Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos 1993

Chocolate: Coume Del Mas 200, "Quintessence" Banyuls