A BISQUE MEAL

 

"A dish belongs in a meal, and the cook has to plan the meal so that what goes with what makes gastronomic sense."                  (the Ms. Julia Child)

Gigandes beans long marinated in vinaigrette (and already cooked through tender; from Whole Foods) plus shaved raw brussels sprouts are the two main ingredients of the dish to make this Sunday (and thanks to another cook who'd mailed me some of her fantastic homemade vegan and gluten-free table crackers using sunflower and flax seeds) with this to enhance the ensemble food I was already thinking about makes total sense together and deliberately - a harmony of flavors given the base stock I have of tomato-broccoli (overcooked and liquefied and pressed down with a masher to tidbits chunks) - the key is thickness and smooth in texture of the soup that will be instantly rich (the beans will be mashed too in the process) leaving only the tendrils of the cabbage to delight you like strings.

I am a soup guy (I have written about it frequently here); there is something about the thermo-healing chest effect it does to my heart and health that's perfectly slurp-able hot straight from the edge of the bowl (oriental-style) that really makes me grateful to the universe I have this to eat (with my bisque, though, I will have it a little more formal with a silver spoon), and savor slow and dipping the crackers genteel. (This is a collaborative meal, and the invite to my table is vicarious in manner.)

My view of gastronomy is akin to the quantum concept of super-partner particles of matter paired up to create vibrational resonance (indulge me here, folks, a stretch, this reference is attributable to the current book I'm reading - Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe - I am steeped in its descriptive science, it helps the way I think by complement, as is with Ms. Child's. In other words, if a devout cook is to understand (or already had got it through his long practitionership in culinary) why things are the way they are, or why ingredients taste the way there are - in the most fundamental level - then his food will be beautiful and balanced, and presciently verified, as poetry is also his trade, so he will unify his food story and please the palette.