Thursday, July 31, 2008

Go Ahead, You Deserve It

Do the masses of home cooks and connoisseurs out there always go above and beyond to create the best dish possible? Certainly not. But I’ve come to a realization that it really feels most satisfying to do the most you can with your food. I was recently craving something fruity for dessert. I called out to Jeffrey my plans to eat fresh fruit instead regular dessert. We started to slice up this delicious mango nectarine I recently found at Safeway. He asks if I would like some whipped cream to go with it. I shake my head, thinking whipped cream will take too long and I don’t really need it, do I? Fortunately for me Jeffrey didn’t listen, quickly he convinced me it would only take a couple minutes in the KitchenAid and it would be well worth it.

He fires up the mixer as I sigh and continue on, slicing up this marvel of a nectarine, previously unknown to my tastebuds (If you’re lucky enough to get these wonderful fruits, only available mid-summer, be sure to try them). “Oooh Yummy…” I think as I taste little bits of the fruit, while nestling ripe raspberries around the nectarine slices. It was only a few short minutes and voila!...the whipped cream was done to a light, not stiff, perfection. Not only does it make your dessert look mouthwatering, but it tastes that much better.

Sure, sure...all you whipped cream lovers already know this. I’m not just talking about whipping cream and why that’s good. I’d like to use this forum to take a stand for doing what’s best in every culinary opportunity. Why not have the dab of fresh whipped cream on the fruit? We had the cream and we didn’t even have to whip it by hand. Jeffrey was able to make this statement by refusing to let my principle of “not to be a bother” stand in the way of his culinary honor. I’ve gradually begun to appreciate this and taken it as my own principle in my partnership in the kitchen with Jeffrey. Good food may take a couple extra steps, but always well-worth it. Furthermore, stretching the limits of what is easy versus what may seem “too much” keeps us fresh and on our toes. So why not just go ahead and make each dish the best you can, especially when you hand it over to someone you love?

Will you take a look at how simple and luscious this is…note that Jeffrey went the extra step to sprinkle on some powdered sugar for even more appeal. We keep it ready in a shaker so it’s an easy grab for the wow/yummy dessert factor.

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