La Cuisine

Training the palate is a very difficult thing to do in America where even our bread form the grocery is chocked full of sugar and preservatives. Since we were kids, most of us have been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Oreos and chips; and I am not so sure that we have grown out of these cravings. The key to obtaining a "refined" palate is not so much about eating expensive meals or going completely organic, whatever that means, it is about the ability to desire things that taste good in their simplest form. Working from that form and creating deliciousness without adding too much to the fundamental ingredient. The so-called art of cooking emerges from this idea that one can take something like a goose liver and make Fois Gras. Chocolate loses its rich, distinct flavor as more milk and sugar are added to it. Milk chocolate tastes good because we have trained our palate to enjoy the sugar and not what is hidden beneath the mounds of granules: the cacao bean. The beauty in a piece of 70-85% dark chocolate is the subtlety of flavors. The robust cacao zings the taste buds with its sharpness, then finishes with a smooth, delicate sweetness that lingers in the mouth, balancing perfectly the different notes like a melody with a good harmony. The harmony, in this case the sugar, must be subtle in order to enhance the performance. The variation in flavor is crucial just like in a good wine, producing a flavor that intrigues yet satisfies. The chocolate tells a story. A good way to check if something is truly good is if you can describe out loud the flavor.

Just as important as the food telling a story in your mouth is the process of preparation. We can fully enjoy the food when we are a part of the process. Whether it be growing the ingredients, preparing the actual meal or just partaking in the result. The complete joy derives from being a part of all three, but we can't expect always to get to do this.

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