Ina Garten has her party fare down pat. “Make some, assemble some, buy some.” In short, stop trying to do everything yourself. On the other hand, I watch Guy’s Big Bite and find myself out of breath. Is there nothing Chef Fieri can/will not do? As a fellow kitchen worker, I can’t help but admire his energy. Also, I keep thinking about the person who has to wash the pots, pans, and bowls he casually tosses into the sink. Here at home, that person is usually me.
Thankfully, the show ends and Unique Eats comes on. Today’s episode is about chocolate. I appreciate chocolate enough to know that I will never undertake making it myself, so I sit back and relax, even as I give out the occasional sigh witnessing the seemingly effortless creativity on display. Although I don’t know much about art, I dare say these are so, not because they are executed so beautifully, but because they speak more eloquently for themselves than their creators can ever put into words. I am reminded of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans when I see Valerie Confections’ take on after-dinner mints — perfect discs of dark chocolate that eschew the usual fondant filling over a single mint leaf perched delicately on top.
Fresh.
Elegant.
And so… assemblable.
Valerie Gordon takes each mint leaf and rubs it with egg white before it is dredged in sugar and left to dry for a few hours. Easy as pie, except for one thing: too much sugar on the mint overwhelms the chocolate. Or maybe mine isn’t dark enough (I’m using Meiji Black). Oh well. We work with what we have. On my next attempt, I limit the sugar to a mere sprinkle. The mint doesn’t set as firmly. So it goes.
In the end, however, I have to admit that the concept doesn’t work for me. That’s not saying anything against Ms. Gordon’s confection, which is why she is on global TV and I’m not even on the community channel. If you ever happen to see me serve dessert with mint in it, you can be damn sure it is from somebody else’s kitchen. I hear you, Ina.
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