Fall's Mouthful of Cinnamon
Special to Seattlest by sous chef Ryan Tateishi, who can also be found at Canlis.
The following from a Decemberists song (yes, we're on Decemberists lately) got us thinking about fall:
When we arrive, sons and daughters
We’ll make our homes on the water
We’ll build our walls of aluminum
We’ll fill our mouths with cinnamon
"Apple Crisp with Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream" courtesy of Seattlest Flickr Pool member Culinary Fool
A lot of testing, tasting, and tweaking of dishes has to be done before the menu goes to print. Sometimes this translates to less than ideal substitutes being used as components of dish. For example, dried morels being used in place of fresh when planning a spring menu in late winter.
Fortunately, for those intending to put an apple-cinnamon dish on the fall menu, the Washington apple harvest begins in mid-August. Don’t confine apple-cinnamon pairings to dessert menus, though. One savory pairing that works well is apples, cinnamon, and foie gras. Unfortunately, just as the apple has historically symbolized sin, foie gras carries a stigma amongst a certain Seattle group.
The Northwest Animal Rights Network has been protesting the inclusion of foie gras on the menu at Lark every Friday at 7 p.m. for several months. Their website claims that "foie gras is an extremely cruel product produced by force-feeding ducks and geese."
In spite of their protests, however, foie gras sales have actually increased at Lark. The efforts of NARN may better be directed towards something bigger than foie gras. Foie gras consumption in this country is hardly mainstream. That it’s not a popular food probably makes it an easier target; however, individuals typically don’t respond well to threats on their dietary choices.
No apple-loving Seattleite would respond favorably to a locavore protesting the use of cinnamon because it wasn’t produced within 100 miles. So take it upon yourself to eat responsibly and look forward to the delights of fall.
