Monday Market Meal #4: Que-So Disappointing

I was so chuffed when I found these Medjool dates on a trip to La Boqueria with my flatmate/landlord Shane last Monday. It was the first time I'd seen the precious Medjool since arriving in Spain and I certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to buy some. I introduced my family to the pairing of Medjool dates and goat's cheese two years ago, inspired by a recipe from Peter Gordon's book "Salads: The New Main Course" and my dad has been addicted to the combination ever since. As soon as I laid eyes on these badboys I knew there was only one thing to pair them with, so I proceeded to drag Shane to the nearest cheese stall. The woman who sold me this stuff did her best to 'assure' me that this goat's cheese was made in Catalunya, but I saw past her feeble attempts to persuade me that the name 'Fleur des Monts" and the Tricoleur flag next to the cheese bore no relation whatsoever to the product's geographical origin.

To be honest I couldn't really care less either way and I certainly don't have anything against French food produce, but I was quite surprised that the saleswoman has yet to realise that dishonesty doesn't go far in the trade of buying and selling food. When it came to eating it, I suppose I kinda had it coming to me buying goat's cheese from someone willing to lie to me about its origin. The stuff was so appallingly soft that it started to run across the chopping board like a ripe brie as soon as I cut the the log open. This really disappointed me and of course completely ruined the combination of the two ingredients, because the reason they normally work well together is just as much about texture as it is about flavour. The rich, sweet stickiness of the date requires a firm, chalky creaminess to stand up to for the dish to work. On this occasion it just wasn't to be.

To conclude, I'll end this short post with another valuable lesson learnt. One of the most important things you learn when you work with food day in day out is this: The product is your God. It doesn't matter how elaborate or fancy the overall concept may be - start with a good quality, reliable product - and the right product for the job - and you're half way there already.