My heart skipped a beat when I saw a Ratatouille Turnover in the display case
at Spring Mill Bread Company today. As a kid, I lived in France for six years
-- circa 1967 to 1973. While there, I became a student of ratatouille, which
some of you might know as the ultimate culmination of Renaissance arts and
sciences.
Exiting the store, with furtive glances both left and right, I bit into the
turnover with no small degree of apprehension, tinged with a soupcon of
Francophilic trepidation. Could Spring Mill Bread Company's ratatouille reside
within the orthodox conception of ratatouille? Or would the chef's
interpretation of ratatouille depart too far from conventional notions of
ratatouille, pushing their ratatouille unceremoniously into avant garde?
By the grace of Michelin Guides, I am pleased to report the ratatouille in the
Spring Mill Bread Company's Ratatouille Turnover would pass inspection in any
boulangerie/patisserie in France -- or within French territories. The eggplant
is cooked just right and the tomato flavor is not too overpowering. Just the
right ratio of zucchini, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. It's not too sweet and
it's not too oily. The texture would please both Jean Paul Sartre and Albert
Camus, and you know how difficult it can be to get those two to agree on
anything.
I'm giving the Spring Mill Bread Company Ratatouille Turnover a big two thumbs
up. Vivre la ratatouille. Vivre la France. En avant, Takoma Park. Le jour de
gloire est arrivé.
--
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@xxxxxxx
http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/briefbio.html ;
http://www.twitter.com/philshapiro ;
[ http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/stories.menu.html ;|
http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/stories.menu.html ] ;
He/Him/His
"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates
"Learning happens thru gentleness."
"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real
options." David Suzuki
