Flavor Combinations That Work

Some flavors work together better than others. And, sometimes you hit the jackpot in bringing together flavors that are a big hit. I made a dish up in Ottawa for my daughter and son in-law that they raved about. Who would have thought that: Spiced Meat, Hummus, Sautéed Zucchini, Fried Eggs And Guacamole With Sweet Chili Sauce, …Would be declared the best dish I have ever made. While it was really good, I can think of several creations that I might pick for a last meal before being led to the electric chair.

The genesis of the dish came from a 6 am flight out of Memphis. I had brought along a few foodie magazines to browse during the flight. I have gotten into the habit of taking pictures of pictures in magazines with my cell phone to capture ideas. My goal was to come up with a dish that was relatively healthy/low carb, flavorful and easy to make. I saw two recipes, one for a Chili Crisp Sauce and another Spiced Lamb with Humus. The Chili sauce I made with red peppers from India that a neighbor had given my daughter. The sauce turned out to be so hot that it was inedible. The flavor was great for a second or two, but then the heat kicked in. The net result can be described in one word: PAIN! I substituted a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce that worked wonders. The other piece of inspiration came from a recipe for Spiced Lamb with Hummus. My daughter has a problem with eating lamb. It isn’t the flavor. It is either the thought of eating Little Bo-Peep’s friend or the fact that she is still scarred from our telling her that lamb was steak when she was a child. Either way, lamb isn’t an option for her and the ground turkey is a lot healthier.

I have been told that I have gotten pretty good at flavor combinations. For example, I know that you can put bacon with anything and people will like the dish. I haven’t always been good with flavor combinations. My first victim was my buddy Tom Julian who was my roommate after business school. TJ was famous for saying my cooking was “mishconbrul” which was Utica’s/Italian slang for wacky a combination. My father was famous for asking: “Can’t you cook anything without onion and garlic in it?”. They both were right. Somehow exposure to cuisines around the world and working with fantastic chefs has helped improve my ability to create a palatable dish. But when in doubt, add bacon and your victims will be happy.

The Hero dish is really a combination of 5 recipes and a bottle of sweet chili sauce.

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (Buy a bottle)

This dish works really well for a party of four. Served on a large platter where you can all serve yourselves family style. A benefit of this dish is that it isn’t formal and the Flavor Combinations Work Well Together.

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Walk Where Van Gogh Walked

Nothing inspires a menu more than great ingredients. There is no place to find better ingredients that a great farmers market. Vincent Van Gogh lived in St Remy de Provence. We went to St Remy to see the setting that inspired so many of our favorite paintings. While there, we happened on a farmer’s market that was truly inspirational.

Walking through the countryside where Vincent found inspiration for so many of his paintings, you can still see the same settings. The tour does a good job of setting the backgrounds of today, to the paintings of the late 19^thcentury. You can see the field that Vincent painted and the cafe that inspired Cafe Terrace at Night.

Move into the village of St Remy on the farmer’s market day and you can see all kinds beauty. I once got into trouble with my friend, chef Lucien Vendome, by saying he was an artist. We were waiting on our flight in Sao Paulo Brazil. He argued that calling him an artist was a misnomer. Van Gogh painted paintings that would be enjoyed for centuries. Chefs cook food. The food may be pretty to look at, but people eat it and it is gone. Our discussion went on for a while as our flight got delayed. The compromise was that great chefs are somewhere between artisans and artists. All I can say is that the beauty of the ingredients being sold that day in St Remy could make any cook look good.

The irony of this story is that Van Gogh was not a food person. He suffered from stomach troubles and was quoted as saying: “Perhaps you will not understand, but it is true that when I receive the money, my greatest appetite is not for food …” but the appetite for painting is even stronger.” So here he was in St Remy surrounded by fabulous ingredients, which he did not enjoy. This may also explain the reason he lived in St. Remy was as a patient at the local insane asylum. Fortunately, his doctors encouraged him to paint as therapy for his troubles.

Her Favorite White Devil

My friend Doris Hill passed away this week. Doris and I worked together at Kraft Food Ingredients where she was the Director of Human Resources. She was a good friend and a GIFTED LISTENER. Once after a particularly arduous business trip to Japan, I was in her office late one night complaining about the difficulty of doing business in Japan. I explained that the Japanese just don’t like us. Right off the plane from the US they give you a hard time. As you go through customs upon entry into Japan, there are 5 lanes for Japanese citizens and only one lane for everyone else. It so bad that they call us “Gaijin” which loosely translates into “White Devil”. Doris, an African American, chuckled and said: “Huh, that is the same thing we call you”.

Fast forward a few years when her mother passed away and I went to the viewing at her mothers church. Doris’s family members are pillars of the black community in Memphis and the church was packed with people from the community. Upon seeing me, Doris announces to the congregation with a smile in her voice:

Paul is here…My favorite white devil.

Even through the worst of times, Doris found ways to see the humor in life. Doris had struggles in her lifetime. Her husband was tragically murdered at an early age while they were on vacation in New Orleans. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Painfully, the trial of his murderer went on for years with the case being complicated by hurricane Katrina. Doris was a woman of powerful faith and that faith, enabled her to deal with all levels of challenges.

One of the most amazing accomplishments of Doris’s life was the creation of ESPN Academy of Memphis. The Education Scholarship Preparation Nurture academy gives needy children after school tutorial and support programs. She founded the academy in 2001 that has empowered children to achieve their maximum potential in school and in life. It is hard to think of something more beneficial than helping children meet their potential. Doris was a gift, and we can help keep her gift growing by contributing to her ESPN Academy.

DONATE TO THE ESPN ACADEMY

After Doris retired, we would get together for lunch every January. Health issues were always a challenge for her. She never complained. She never asked: why me? We always enjoyed a laugh together and unfailingly, she reminded me that I was:

HER FAVORITE WHITE DEVIL

Doris lives on in our memory and by the continuing impact her ESPN Academy has on the children of Memphis. We were all lucky to have her in our lives.