My Dream of a Montgomery County Culinary Society

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- I want the finer things in life. Who doesn’t. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a big house on the lake. I’ve lived in a tent for over a year of my life, a motorhome for several more, and even in a German castle for a time. And truly, I only need a kitchen, home office, bathroom, bedroom, and small living area, which obviously is a remnant of my cozy RV living days. I’d love to live on the west side of the lake, but being a Disabled Veteran with a medical record that can stretch from Montgomery County to Dallas, I need quick access to I-45 to make it to the Emergency Room, so living off League Line Road is a wise choice for me. In the past decades I felt I was living on borrowed time, but I am in much better shape now, and as a precaution I’ve had ‘MED INFO →’ tattooed just above my right inside wrist just in case EMT’s find me incapacitated. Truly, I am just happy to be alive, and have the mental capacity to put a word salad together that some readers may find entertaining.

In Europe, in my early 20’s, I ate at fine restaurants with the company I kept. I had dinner at the American Embassy in Bonn, back before the Fall of The Wall. The problem was, my palate wasn’t trained. I didn’t really know what I was tasting, nor did I appreciate the flavors that were being expressed. In Paris, before going to the Moulin Rouge for a delightful evening, my company and I had a lovely dinner being bathed in the most beautiful sunset on a grand avenue. I remember it was the first time I ate escargot, and it was a little intimidating at first, but the garlic butter sauce was awesome, and made the dish. And even when it was just me and a few friends, we enjoyed ourselves. This little Italian place I frequented served the best calamari. Of course, all these places had paired wines. And again, still being young, I really wasn’t appreciating the significance of the moment, and unwisely looked at the most delicious meals as just sustenance, and not accounting for the memories of their tastes, aromas, nor the sensations, or feelings for consuming truly delicious table offerings.

I’ve tried my best to prepare dishes in my own kitchen that I consider restaurant quality, and sometimes I actually do impress myself. My nephew Frank, is my best familial critic. Being exposed to my dishes over the years, he is brutally honest. My rating is in the high 90’s with him, thankfully. The young man, 24, will never touch A.1. again after trying my pan sauces.

There is no doubt I love to cook. And not many pair fruits with steak. My favorite is peaches. I’ll slice the peach into thin wedges, and start them first under medium heat, along with a few tablespoons of unsalted butter, adding a small touch of sea salt, with a few dried chile peppers for a hint of heat. Then when the peach fond is well established, I’ll set aside the fruit, turn up the heat, and start the steak. And it depends on what I have on tap, whether it is a marinated flank steak or NY Strip. I’ll use the ‘finger test’ method making sure not to go past medium rare that much. To conclude, I’ll top the steak with some peaches, finish with a drizzle of pan sauce over the slices, and I’ll add a few small thin streaks of balsamic fig glaze as an added kicker. I even tried it with red onion for just the fond and pan sauce once, and it was outstanding as well.

With all that said, I had got to thinking a long while back about forming a small culinary society. I have some cookbooks of recipes that I’ve never tried. Recipes from Old English cookbooks like ‘The Forme of Cury,’ a.ka. Method of Cooking, from the kitchens of Richard II. A place where Westminster scribes wrote down recipes since the palace chef was illiterate. I had sent a notice to my neighborhood’s FB page, and did get a few responses, but that was years and years ago, and the spark of inspiration faded away.

Now that I have a bigger audience, I am willing to entertain the idea again, which was sparked by watching the 2023 French movie ‘The Taste of Things,’ starring Juliette Binoche. Now, I’ll never claim to be an Auguste Escoffier, whose army cooking experience gave him inspiration to ‘Henry Ford’ (assembly line) the kitchen with his ‘brigade de cuisine.’ Of course it brought order and efficiency to the task at hand; and organized a free flowing work environment.

I’d like to experiment with different cuisines like haute, and cook a single asparagus to perfection with exotic flavors and oils. Or take a scallop, and propel it to the next level. And not to mention try truffled chicken. Plus, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at the five mother sauces.

And that’s really just the beginning. There are so many cuisines out there that need exploration, and it needs someone other than established food writers to dash off 800 words about it. That’s where I come in. Of course, we’d need a wine expert for pairing concerns, and I have one in mind. We’d also need a trained expert in cuisine, someone who has the time to share their thoughts and talents. And some willing volunteers interested in cooking, all of us dedicated to enhancing the experience gastronomic.

So if you want to be a risk taker, join me. Let’s learn together. Please contact me if you are interested. I think it will be a noble adventure.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net