Community Center Class: Flavors, Food Choices, and Menu Planning

[sharp_as_knives]

When everybody had gathered around the counter again, Hannibal nodded and began.

"Last week we covered the basic tastes. Of course, no food is simply one or another. Even foods that are mostly one particular taste will have differences. A lime and a lemon, for instance, are both mostly sour, but they don't taste the same.

"Quite a bit of that difference is down to smell; scent is a vital part to taste and cooking. But even apart from that, every food is a different combination of the basic tastes." He placed a number of dishes on the counter.

"Today we will focus on bitter tastes. Both because they seldom get much appreciation on their own," he nodded to Lucille if she was there, "and because they are first alphabetically." He indicated each of the dishes.

"Olives are naturally quite bitter. Once cured, traditionally in brine or salt, they maintain a bit of the salty flavor as well as their bitterness.

"Radiccio. Often served in Italy grilled in olive oil; grilling cuts its bitterness somewhat. You will also see it in salads to give them a bit of color. You wouldn't want a salad containing nothing else, but they can be quite a nice addition.

"Artichokes. You may often see the hearts marinated, but grilled or steamed they maintain a stronger - although not unpleasant - bitter taste, combined with a very slight sourness.

"Coffee. Bitter, but with a much more complex combination of flavors. It can be affected by the region of origin of the beans, how long they are roasted, and how they are brewed. It can be floral, or citrusy, or with notes of any number of flavors. We could do an entire class on just that, if we were so inclined." He smiled.

"And dark chocolate. This particular blend is eighty-five percent cacao. It has some sweet tones to it, although possibly not as much as you would expect." He looked at Mr. Peanutbutter assuming he's there. "I expect you will skip this one. I do attempt not to poison my students."

"So." He nodded them towards the foods. "Taste them, take note of the bitterness and how it interacts with the other flavors, and how each food's bitterness differs from the others. Ask questions if you have them. Then choose one of these, find a recipe, and make me something." He chuckled. "Again, feel free to ask questions."

Comments

Sign in

[sharp_as_knives]

Bitterly!

RE: Sign in

[myownface]

Sparkle

Re: Sign in

[crimson_sister]

Lucille Sharpe

Re: Sign in

[hollywoostar]

Mr. Peanutbutter

Re: Sign in

[candycrushlove]

Maria DeLuca

Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

Compare the bitternesses. Don't eat anything dangerous to you.

RE: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[myownface]

Was Sparkle making grabby hands for the coffee? Damn right he was. And he was going to try to melt some chocolate there too. You know, for maximum bitterness appreciation points.

He'd do something fancy and mocha based in a minute too, but first, caffeine.

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[crimson_sister]

"You are fond of coffee, then?" It wasn't really a question. Lucille gave him an amused smile.

RE: Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[myownface]

"If I could drain out all my blood and just replace it with coffee without, you know, dying? I so would," Sparkle chuckled. "It isn't sleep, but I'll take it."

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[crimson_sister]

"Choosing to sleep sounds less painful," Lucille pointed out. "I hope you ignored that sound advice for a reason."

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

"Still not enough sleep?" Hannibal asked, quietly so as not to out him.

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[myownface]

Sparkle glanced at Hannibal and kind of sucked in a little breath before trying a little smile on for size.

"Not enough sleep in the world," he admitted, softly. "I keep... kind of... wondering if I'm doing it wrong. How do you do sleep wrong? Sparkle has found a way."

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

"You're not doing it wrong, except for when you aren't doing it," Hannibal said. "Rather like breathing. Although in both, there are ways that are more effective than others. Have you tried the pink noise, as I suggested?"

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[crimson_sister]

Lucille tried the chocolate first. Its strong taste surprised her, but in a pleasant way. She reached for another piece.

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

"Have you had different sorts of chocolate before?" Hannibal asked her.

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[crimson_sister]

"I bought a box in the Sweet Shop a few weeks ago," Lucille said. "They were delicious, but a little different from these.

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded. "This is darker - it has more cacao and less milk and sugar - than most of what is eaten on its own, although you can also find this in bars."

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[hollywoostar]

Mr. Peanutbutter examined an artichoke, attempting to work out how one ate such a thing. It looked like a pine cone! Exciting!

Re: Listen to the lecture, taste the foods

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "Generally these are steamed or grilled. You cut off the barbs on the end of the leaves, pull them from the stem, and eat the pulp."

Make something!

[sharp_as_knives]

Choose one of the foods on the table, find a recipe, and make something with it.

Re: Make something!

[crimson_sister]

Having tried the chocolate and being familiar with coffee (even if she preferred tea), Lucille decided to make a salad. It was new enough to her, never having had these vegetables available at home. She cut everything in small pieces and mixed it.

Re: Make something!

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal nodded as he walked by. "I would advise tasting each ingredient first, and perhaps deciding which you would like larger pieces of."

After a moment, he added, "I should apologize for my behavior this weekend. I was much more suspicious at that age."

Re: Make something!

[crimson_sister]

"Oh!" Lucille said. "I wasn't even sure it was you at all. This island can be such a strange place." She glanced at Hannibal. "I hope it didn't bring back bad memories.

Talk to Hannibal

[sharp_as_knives]

He's here if you have questions.

OOC

[sharp_as_knives]

I want artichokes now.