Text 8453, 109 rader
Skriven 2006-12-05 06:02:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE DRUM
Ärende: Super Tasters 628
=========================
This message is equally to Dave and Sean, but I've got another
message to Sean in this packet ...

 DD> Your taster amazes me. As well as your ability to remember exactly
 DD> what  it was you tasted several hours later. I cannot pick out
 DD> subtle  differences in flavours to anywhere near the degree that I
 DD> have seen you  demonstrate. If you are not the superman of tasters
 DD> I'm not sure I want  to meet that person.     Bv)=

Reading this a second time, I must point out that what you are
describing is symptomatic of a good smeller, not necessarily
the same thing as a good taster.

 SD> Since I never replied to the original (I'm severely falling behind
 SD> here)...I can remember the first time I tasted chocolate.  It was
 SD> actually sickening sweet (milk chocolate still is, white chocolate even
 SD> more so,

Sean has too many taste buds, it sounds like. I apparently
have the normal number (but too many cones in my eyes, though). 

 but I prefer "dark" or semi-sweet chocolate, even baker's
 SD> chocolate on occasion).

This is interesting, because many supertasters are very wary
of bitter things, and goodness knows dark chocolate has a
large bitter component (I like it, but someone with extra
bitter-sensing taste buds would be driven nuts).

 As for my steak, it's the TEXTURE that gets
 SD> me.  If it's not fully done, it just feels weird in my mouth and I
 SD> cannot eat it (same reason why I can't eat tomatoes or apples in their
 SD> raw state).

Classic symptoms of the finicky eater. I have a bit of a higher
tolerance for textures than Sean, but I'd turn his statement
here around 180o - "If it's fully done, it feels weird under my
teeth and I cannot eat it"!

 I also do not like the taste of blood.  I can taste iron
 SD> very easily, so I don't like my steaks anything under medium well
 SD> usually prefer it well-done. 

I can taste iron pretty easily, too, but I love the taste of
blood, minimally processed anyway.

 SD> I can remember when I tasted a lot of things, years later.  Like the
 SD> first time I tried kim chee.  Wow. :P

I can't remember the first time I tried kim chee, but if I'd
written about it at the time, I'd have been able to reproduce
the sensations in my head. When I was 20 or 30 I could remember
every step of every hike I'd taken (dozens of them, for you
people sniggering in the background) and every notable taste
I'd ever put into my mouth. Now I need the crutch of written
notes.

SAVORY BREAD PUDDING
serves 8

8 oz sourdough bread, cut into 1" cubes
4 oz Swiss cheese, grated
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
3 Tb butter
4 oz mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
2 c roughly chopped fresh spinach
1 c chopped Swiss chard leaves
1 leek, white and light green parts only,
- rinsed well and very thinly sliced
1/3 c Swiss chard stems, diced
1 lg egg
3/4 c whole milk
3/4 c heavy cream
s&p

In a bowl, mix the bread, Swiss, and half of the Parmesan.

Saute mushrooms in butter 2 to 3 min. Transfer mushrooms
to the bowl with the bread and cheese. Add 1 Tb butter
to the skillet, and add the spinach and Swiss chard leaves.
Wilt about 2 min and transfer to the mixing bowl.

Bring a small pan of water to a boil, and add the leeks
and Swiss chard stems. Blanch for 1 min, remove from heat,
and drain well. Add to bread mixture.

Oven at 400 F. Rub the inside of an 8"-square baking pan
with the remaining 1 Tb butter.

In a medium bowl, beat egg just until blended.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk and cream.
Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. While whisking
vigorously, add about 1/2 c of the hot milk mixture to
the egg, then return the egg mixture to the pan, and whisk
until blended. Add milk mixture to the bowl of dry
ingredients, and stir. Transfer mixture to the baking pan,
pressing gently on surface. Bake pudding until set, about
15 min. Remove pan from oven. Preheat a broiler with a
rack about 6" from the heat. Unmold pudding onto a cookie
sheet or other flat pan. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan on
top of the pudding, and broil until golden, about 20 sec.
Serve hot.

:Adapted from Nougatine at Jean Georges
:NY Times 11/18/98
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