Baby Steps into Culinary Genius

Friday, February 7, 2014

Chicken Stewed in Chocolate Mole with Roasted Squash & Cabbage Slaw

I don’t think I’m getting ahead of myself here when I say I’ve officially caught the cooking bug. And this is not me bragging about how good I’ve gotten, because I’m pretty sure that, as of last night, I was still making such laughable mistakes as putting the squash in the oven to roast, only to remember thirty minutes later that I FORGOT TO TURN ON THE OVEN. Ina Garten I may never be.

Where was I going with this again? Ah, yes: baby steps.

This week, I tried my hand at what I’ve always assumed to be a very complicated sauce—the rich, chocolatey, Latin-y goodness that is Molé. Seeing as one of my very favorite food groups is Mexican (don’t tell me I’m wrong here), I had to give it a shot. My attempt was a mild success. Or, rather, an arguably too SPICY success since I was a little heavy-handed on the chipotle powder. The beauty of Garnish & Gather’s portions is that one can control the amount of spice (or fat) they want to add—the entire amount provided in the pack, or less, depending on preference. My preference happens to be ALL THE SPICE EVER, so that's what I defaulted to. Unfortunately, that didn’t sit quite as well with my dinner date’s taste buds. Oh well. That said, the dish was overall delightful for both of us and the honey-roasted winter squash played the perfect balance to my bravado in the spice department.

As for additional baby steps, I decided to invest in a few exciting kitchen accessories to enhance my Garnish & Gather experience. I figured some might be worth sharing with you guys:

AA. Good (like, really good) Ground Pepper

You know you’re harboring a newfound hobby when you find that you're spending part of your workday reading up on game-enhancing details like, say, different types of peppercorn. Really. I found my way into an article addressing what “peppercorn connoisseurs” (yes, that’s a thing) already know to be as the finest peppercorn out there: Tellicherry Peppercorns from the Malabar coast India. As a pepper fan in general, naturally, I had to pick some up at Cook’s Warehouse and, so far, I’m impressed. Both in myself for becoming closer to becoming a so-called pepper connoisseur, and in the pungent flavor these little buddies add to everything.

BB. Easy-Access Artisanal Salt

Yes, yes, I know the word “artisanal” is about as overplayed and meaningless as the obnoxious title of “foodie”, but hear me out when I say that Beautiful Briny Sea Salt has changed my world Sure, they’re pricier than normal sea salt, but they really are that special... and they're made locally here in Atlanta. Another bonus. I’ve given them as holiday gifts and the feedback is 100% amazing. They somehow taste even better when displayed in a ceramic salt dish from the adorable Honeycomb Studio, also local to Atlanta. I keep mine (the Santa Salt and the Magic Unicorn, as mystical and lovely as the names imply) by the stovetop for easy access. And also to say, “Hey friends, look at what a gourmet chef I am with these here fancy salts!”

CC. My Big, Beautiful Cutting Board

I seriously don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I couldn’t resist splurging on the biggest, priciest board that Cook's had to offer. (This bug is seriously taking over my brain.) Alas, I do not regret it. The dark walnut wood not only looks gorgeous as a centerpiece in my kitchen, but it makes for plenty of room when chopping such fresh, gorgeous G&G veggies. I plunked down for The Boos Board, but if you want one that is more custom and unique, you can peruse the ones we feature by independent makers (shameless plug here!) on Shoppe by Scoutmob.

What with this growing arsenal of culinary enhancements, I'd have to say this Garnish & Gather experience is really causing me to become quite the kitchen genius. Mostly. Okay, hopefully. Let's just go with... eventually.