Perfect Pairings

Friends of mine, Henry and Lorna, met through the food chat forum, eGullet. Dating now for 5 months, theirs is a fabulous story filled with romance, multiple border crossings, and forays with food.

This week, Henry and Lorna are writing a joint blog entry that has been a joy to read. I highly recommend you check it out: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=92274.

From their dinner Sunday night, Henry shared this beautiful story...

"The story of the Amuse Bouche is related to a speech I gave at a wedding comparing the bride and groom to foie gras and Sauternes:

'When I think of the bride and groom, two things immediately come to mind... goose liver and rotten grapes. (pause for laughter)

You see, the French take the fattened liver of a goose, and call it foie gras. To taste it is to know that it is one of the most extraordinary culinary experiences known to man.

The French also use grapes that have been infected with something called botrytis, also referred to as noble rot. What noble rot does is dehydrate the grape, greatly increasing its sugar to water ratio. So when that grape is pressed for juice, the liquid that comes out is immensely sweet and complex. The wine that is made from this juice is called Sauternes, and is one of the rarest, most expensive, and complex wines on Earth.

Now, the incredible thing about both foie gras and sauterenes is that each of these things can stand individually as a remarkable thing. They would never need anything to add to the greatness they've already achieved own their own....

However, if you take a bite of foie gras, and then a sip of Sauternes, something remarkable happens. They each bring something out of the other that you didn't know was there before. Creating a whole which is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. This is a phenomenon many chefs refer to as "a Perfect Pairing."

There are so few perfect pairings in this world that I feel honored and privileged to take part in another such perfect pairing.'

So that's the story of the Amuse Bouche."

As I've come to know Henry and Lorna (and I'm sure you'll see on their blog)...there's no doubt about it...Henry and Lorna are another perfect pairing.