Gastrocissism & Self-Doubt

Is it right/acceptable to plan an entire meal around a dessert? -Saucyman

I have been posing that question to myself for the last 7 to 12 days. Professionally, I have planned menus around a type of wine, beer, specific ingredients, and when forced - attempted to match food to wedding themes. As a home host/cook, I have planned separate meals around the first asparagus of the spring, bourbon, a bounty of #10lbs. of chanterelle mushrooms - remembering a few meals. When I posed my dessert question to a colleague, he confessed to having planned a whole dinner around on a special sweet and sour pepper served as an appetizer – he counseled me that planning around a dessert is right and true – asking why am I even worried about this?

Dessert as a lynchpin to a meal isn’t the real issue. This is more about my choice of dessert than menu planning. Bread Pudding really limits dinner choices: Thai curries are verboten, noodles of any nationality are not a good match and non-pasta Italian is likewise off limits. Maybe, possibly one could go with rustic French – maybe. Mostly, Bread Pudding means regional US, specifically Southern cuisine. Of all the things I could want for my birthday, I really only want my all-time, hands-down, favorite dessert - Bread Pudding.

Confession: On the subject of Bread Pudding, I suffer from gastrocissism – being enamored with one’s own cooking. I don’t believe I am overly impressed with my own culinary skills nor do I think anything I cook is automatically better than what others create, make or craft in their kitchens. I like good food no matter who makes it, I always appreciate the efforts other’s put into cooking & hosting and even on the subject of my favorite dessert; I pretty much enjoy anything that dares to call itself Bread Pudding - I just like the one I make better than all the rest.

A combination of French bread and what can be generously called crappy bread: cellophaned – about a step above Wonder, all cakey and sweet, makes for a horrible sandwich but cooked in cream and eggs, where it dissolves creating a perfect texture, it is at its best. Layered in between the rows of bread are thinly sliced pears to add flavor and texture. And because it is good and goes well with the pears; a layer of cornbread pre-soaked in pear brandy. The whole thing is topped with vanilla/cinnamon streusel.

A pan of bread pudding could easily be my whole birthday meal, if it weren’t for other guests. So there will be grilled pork tenderloin stuffed with a combination of fresh figs and dried figs simmered in pear cider. The stuffed pork will share the plate with cornbread dressing and a fresh ‘gumbo’ of okra, tomatoes, corn, garlic and thyme. Throw in a bourbon cocktail and all that is left is to throw a candle in the bread pudding and sing a song of birthday.