Fall has finally arrived. As we say in Japan, fall is a season of appetite. All I can think of is good food such as chestnuts, pumpkins, foie gras, duck, warm fall spices, to just name few.
Anyway, my new dish: Pumpkin - Flavors of autumn.
As season changes, nature shows us its different face. Leaves are changing colors and starting to fall quietly onto ground, winds are getting cooler and colder, air is getting drier, and days are getting shorter.
I created a custard with pumpkin. In the process, I also steeped various fall spices such as cinnamon, clove, allspice, eucalyptus, bay leaf, and sassafras. Also, I added few drops of vanilla and grains of smoke powder to add more complexity to just an ordinary custard and as a result, I ended up with this creamy custard with aromas like a bold red wine, meaning as you eat it your olfactory would keep finding new aromas in every bite.
I like organized geometric shapes. Very simple, but modern and luxurious. However, I really like shapes and colors which nature creates for us. Trees, flowers, sky, rocks, etc. They give me so much inspirations in daily basis. My mission also on this dish was to integrate those two elements into one dish. Simplistic square as a base. Complex colors and shapes which remind you of nature such as soil, grass, fallen brown leaves, dew. I am not going to list all the things I put on top since that will be pretty long. Small bite, packed with fall flavors and colors. I like this dish a lot personally and I hope all you chefs and foodies as well.
This is my second fall dish of 2010.
