compatibility

ever wondered what makes two ingredients pair well?  what is it about cinnamon and sugar that taste so good?  or beef and red wine?  or potatoes and butter?  (well ok, butter goes well with everything).

compatibility is not synonymous with similarity.  there needs to be a contrasting and balancing of flavors, textures, and colors.  if you combine a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of honey and spread it on a cracker, it wouldn't necessarily be bad.  the saltiness of the cracker might balance out the sweet.  but it certainly wouldn't be something to rave about.  but what if you spread a layer of goat cheese on a slice of pear, drizzled it with some honey, and topped it with a toasted walnut?  sweet from the pear and honey + tang and creaminess from the cheese + crunchy texture from the walnut = perfection.

people are like ingredients.  compatibility is not synonymous with similarity.  a worry-er mixed with another dose of anxiety = disaster.  what a worry-er really needs is a carefree outlook with a spoonful or two of humor.  a bit flighty and at times irresponsible?  a measure of "type-A" may be in order.  there's a reason why the saying "opposites attract" came into being.

so where am i going with all this?  well, nowhere really except to say that the weekend was a study of all things compatible, both flavors and people.  a good friend and i spent an entire day chatting about life and all our compatibilities (and incompatibilities) while cooking a simple but tasty dinner for friends.  while we discussed books, recipes, and a slew of "would you rather" questions (many dealing with the opposite gender), our dinner slowly but surely took shape.

on the menu:
waldorf salad
beef spare ribs with egg noodles
ratatouille

i'll post our recipes after they've been tweaked a bit but here are some pictures and commentary:

our ingredients

if you're braising meat (which is how we cooked the beef), it's important to sear your meat on all sides to add color and flavor and to lock in juices.  we seasoned our ribs and placed them in the oven on high heat before adding them to the dutch oven (le creuset! my heart flutters).  you can also sear the meat in the dutch oven rather than using the oven. 

basic kitchen rule: do not salt or pepper directly from the container.  spoon, scoop, or pinch from smaller bowls so you don't accidentally pour too much in the pot.

an entire bottle of red for the ribs.  beef + red wine = compatible

our ratatouille was inspired by remy.  we started with a bottom layer of roasted red and yellow bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic.

then came all the veggies which someone lovingly sliced and arranged.  guess who.

candied walnuts for our waldorf salad.  this is attempt #2.  we botched the first batch because we were too busy talking.

ta da! the sauce for the ribs could have been thicker, but it was delicious nonetheless.

kitchen aid + le creuset.  on loan from two friends.  (sigh of envy...)

good times.