2 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:
Interesting. I used to do that a lot, until I realised that what I really wanted wasn't actually a dessert that tasted (for example) like a really intense pear, lemon or piece of chocolate (because I can get that by eating a properly ripened pear or a piece of good chocolate, and lemon on its own is not great), but rather one that tasted like a really good pear, lemon or chocolate dessert.
I get more pleasure out of harmonising these flavour elements with sugar, fat, starch, etc. now than going to great lengths to amplify them.
It might be because I (medically) have no sense of smell; I'm always looking for more intensity of flavour, perhaps to compensate. Lemon things never taste
lemony enough to me; if a recipe says 1 tablespoon of ginger, I want 9 tablespoons, etc.
Your instinct is probably the hallmark of a more nuanced cook; I just want more. MORE.
