If you know me, or have followed any of my previous blogs, then the above statement probably feels quite familiar nestled comfortably among the many expressions of my culinary preference. I am known to most as a serious, bloodthirsty carnivore. A master of meat cookery with a passion for devouring any part of an animal that I think can be prepared in a delicious and exquisite way. Those who know me this way may find it to be quite a surprise that these days my diet has transitioned from animal protein based, to mostly vegan… And even more interesting (to me) is how this has affected the approach I take to cooking. This shift in perspective has had numerous positive effects within the realms of creativity and personal balance. It has not however, inspired me to compromise what it is that I enjoy about cooking or eating. I am not simply embracing a new set of rules! In actuality, if I have learned one thing from my peers and mentors in the world of cooking, it’s that there really are no rules when it comes to eating. (Cooking maybe) The result has been perhaps a little abstract, but after it has fulfilled the role to nourish and sustain, food becomes an expression of pleasure. It’s within that medium that RULES may be excused from the table.
ep·i·cu·re·an
[ep-i-kyoo-ree-uhn, -kyoor-ee-]
adjective 1. Fond of or adapted to luxury or indulgence in sensual pleasures; having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.
Toasted Curry Hummus, Ghost Pepper/ Badjak/Agave Braised Japanese Eggplant, Brussel, Semi-Oven-dried Heriloom Baby Tomatoes, Charred/Pickled Peppers, Oyster Mushroom, Blackberry, Olive, Avocado, Meyer Lemon, Basil, Dragon Fruit.
The picture posted above is an example of a dish that basically created itself in my kitchen one evening while I was trying to utilize some ingredients I had on hand at the time. In the past, this combination of items would have never ended up on a plate by my hand. I would have sooner driven myself crazy trying to create something original, yet delicious, while being haunted by the many ‘dos and don’ts’ of proper culinary technique. I would certainly have hit up Google to see if anyone else had combined at least a few of these items, and in what way, to give myself some direction. (I still do that all the time) My intentions that evening however were to prepare something vegan that would hold my interest on the same level that so many exotic omnivorous (heavily carnivorous) dishes had in the past. At that point I really just had to ask myself what it is that I really love about eating food. Setting aside the immensely profound level of human bonding that sharing food with people can create, I was focused entirely on what I thought was pleasurable on a sensory level. That was basically the foundation for how this “dish” took form.
My briefly formulated mental list of sensory demands went something like this. This list usually changes from hour to hour.
- Sharp, acidic, somewhat salty flavors
- Spicy (as in capsaicin in the millions range)
- Strong aromatic depth, Umami
- Variety of texture and temperature (Crunchy, Creamy, Warm, Cool on the same plate)
- Char or deep caramelization
From this point I stopped thinking too much about the concept of the composed plate and really just focused on one layer at a time. My only guide was to start from what I imagined the base of the plate to be and worked forward from there. Making sure each item I added to the mental image of the finished product would compliment the one before it. I treated each ingredient individually and modified it according to my taste. I started with the hummus which was blended with an olive oil infused with turmeric, cumin, mustard seed and coriander. This made sort of a foundation on the flat plate for the rest of the elements. Small dabs of Meyer lemon dressed, crushed avocado extended the base of the presentation. Gently planted into the humus were three thick rounds of Japanese eggplant that had been lightly fried and then braised in a sweet and spicy mixture of ginger stock, ghost peppers, sambal Badjak and Agave nectar. With their braising juices deeply reduced into a thick, hot glaze, these were the heart of the dish and by far the most densely flavored. Then it was pretty much like decorating from that point on. Lightly blanched, seared Brussel sprouts, sautéed oyster mushrooms, slowly roasted baby tomatoes and some small pieces of pickled peppers and olives from a grocery store olive bar were placed around the plate like little crunchy flavor bombs. The finishing touch came in the form of baby home-grown basil and some very ripe dragon fruit which, after being tossed with a tiny bit of salt, black pepper and vinegar almost took the form of a dressing. Oh… and a single blackberry.
Just typing that was confusing. Making it and eating it was not. It was fun to prepare and even more fun to eat. It was not a perfectly balanced, uniform plate of flavors which joined seamlessly from bite to bite. It was diverse from one mouthful to another and allowed the diner to experiment a little bit with different combinations. It was like a playground on a plate. It was delicious, but I am pretty sure that if I listed the description of this dish on a menu, nobody would order it. Well… Maybe if it was the vegan option.
I guess the bottom line here is that this type of cooking has nothing to do with whether the food happens to be vegan. I only bring it up because through my personal transition to basing less of my own cooking around animals, I was inspired to let go of even more rules in the kitchen. Allowing myself a little more freedom to play within a medium which seems to constantly be monitored and judged from all angles by culinary authorities of every kind.
“In all the world there are only two really great cuisines: the Chinese and the French.”
-James Beard, 1973
Understanding fundamental technique is the foundation for excellent cooking. This I believe to be true. But there are so many cultures and foundations on which to base your technique that in the end the only thing that matters to me is that the final result is pleasure.
Free yourself from yourself.
