Something’s Missing Here…But I Don’t Know What It Is

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

When I look at this picture and remember this meal, I remember that it was good but not very good.  No, there was something missing, but I am not sure what.  In this case, it needs one more component to make it memorable, extraordinary, whatever – I don’t know. 

I can remember certain dishes where the addition of a single ingredient increased the quality of the dish exponentially.  The best chefs do this instinctively.  At Vetri, I remember sugar snap pea flan with pecorino shavings.  At Southwark, I remember a goat cheesecake infused with lavender.  In my own cooking, though, I’ve needed help.  I grate nutmeg into grated, sauteed zucchini or sauteed spinach (thanks to the River Cafe Cookbook); add lemon zest to brussell sprouts and to a shrimp frittatta (thanks to Jamie Oliver); and include dried oregano in a marinade for grilled portobello mushrooms (thanks to Lynne Rossetto Kasper).  In each case, there was nothing overly elaborate in terms of presentation, ingredients or technique, but the combinations were extraordinary.  They may have been unexpected, but the surprise is not what is memorable: it’s how that one addition somehow managed to enhance the overall dish and each, individual ingredient as well. 

And so I return to the roasted beets and goat cheese.  What is it missing?  Aceto tradizionale?  Torn mint leaves?