TAGLIATELLE OF WILD MUSHROOMS
Have you ever had a hobby that you are into but then drift away from due to life's constraints on your time and energy. Such is the case with me and cooking. Years ago I decided to really learn how to cook. You know, reading books about chefs and learning about techniques taught in cooking schools. I also started collecting high end cooking tools, knives, pots and pans. Then life got very busy, a move ensued, a down turn in the energy markets struck and the cooking hobby was put on the back burner (pun intended).
I find myself though now yearning for a return to my old hobby. I have noticed that with time my tastes have changed slightly. Previously, I was determined to cook ambitious dishes that displayed complexity. These dishes at the time presented as complex on the plate as well and I was typically happy that I was able to achieve and produce such a dish.
But with change comes a shift in taste and a greater appreciation for the sublime. I was recently in London dining at Jean Georges new outpost there in the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. While there I had the Mushroom Tagliatelle. It was a fantastic dish that bought with it an experience which called to mind a warm hearth with warm company. Great comfort food on a chilly and rainy fall evening. I loved the dish but noted that, while it requires high cooking skills to get it right, the dish presents as elegantly refined and not overdone. It was a creme based sauce but it didn't leave me feeling heavy.
In my return to my old hobby I tried making a version of this dish for Thanksgiving. It came out well but I have a ways to go before it achieves the texture and flavors of Jean Georges's version. But what strikes me is that my ambition is to increase my cooking skill level so that I can make a dish that presents as simple with divine flavors.
Another step in the evolution of my tastes toward elegant simplicity.
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