Hearts of Palm... the Moment Arrives

This was perhaps the course that Joy and I were most excited about. We had both read about it at length, and were so curious to experience it for ourselves.

So, when she tipped back the first pedestal, and I saw her eyes grow wide with amazement and watched her try not to talk with her mouth full, I didn't hestitate a moment longer, and let C and Jon deal with photography on their own dishes.

1. Vanilla pudding with birdseye chili. Blissfully sinful. What a way to start.
2. Fava been puree with Meyer lemon. Uh-oh. This is rich. Really rich. And filling. And... well, not nearly as flavorful as the vanilla.
3. Bulgur Salad. This was delicious and toothsome - a nice change from the other fillings. And so fresh-tasting. Why doesn't Whole Foods' taste this good?
4. Prune-filled with dehydrated Nicoise olive. Mmmmm... I love prunes and olives. Never had 'em together before. Great combination.
5. Pumpernickel & Truffle. So good, I could have gone home right then. It wasn't until much later that I tried to figure out HOW DO YOU MAKE A PUMPERNICKEL FILLING???

Seriously. All my research suggests that pumpernickel is truly a name for the bread only, yet this puree had an incredibly smooth texture. But it doesn't stop there -- the etymology of the name comes from the German verb "to break wind", seemingly on account of the bread's "reputed indigestiblity". 

Leave it to ChefG to serve us prunes in the same course to... ahem, improve our digestion?

Comments

[Tana]

Fatemeh, I am so very much enjoying your posts about Alinea. The photography and writing are just great. Thanks.