WFDT 6/24/23

Friends,

The house is empty today. The morning was employed by Kirmmse's new translation of Kierkegaard's The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air. Elegant, beautiful and trenchant, if you have yet to read it, you must. Having such a work of art and transformation so readily available is a greater gift than a chef's table at the best restaurant in the world.

We still have several large tuna bellies in the fridge, I decided to start my meal with them. The first I topped with tobiko and masago. As most of you know, tobiko is the egg of the flying fish, a majestic and beautiful winged sea fish. If you have never been offshore and watched one launch from the blue to the blue so gracefully, it alone is worth a trip. Once on a trip on Uncle's Viking, I watched a blackfin chase a flying fish through the waves and air, all the while a 400 or so pound marlin, lit up like a neon light, tailed in close pursuit. The marlin eventually struck the tuna, rescuing the flying fish. Later that evening, I wrote an essay on how that ballet of death represented American fiscal policy that has shrunk the middle class.

The masago comes from capelin, a type of smelt. Even though the tobiko is more expensive, I prefer the sweeter flavor of the masago. The green and red toppings are tobiko. The orange is masago. I believe the natural state of both is a yellowish orange, but dye can be added to give these other colors.



The toro of a yellowfin is delightful, as it is not as fatty as a bluefin. Although I tried to keep the topping segregated, the colors faded together in a beautiful mix. The picture below does not capture well the effect noted in person -- it is that dream-like effect one may get when he thinks of the incandescent Christmas lights of the 1980s and earlier. That blurring of bright colors on a cold, dark December night produces such a warmth in my heart, the warmth of memories shared with loved ones. Those lights are as vivid as a smell, and the fish eggs mixed together produced a flashback of that dream.



The better of the two bellies came next. As you can see, this is a terrific combo of meat and fat. It is a big baseball day for LSU fans, and though I do not follow sports anymore, it is a day to be festive and show school spirit. It got me thinking -- why are masago and tobiko not more commonly used in cooking? They taste great, add stunning color, and people get excited to see them on a plate. They are relatively cheap ($15-30/lb) and less than an ounce can jazz up a dish.

I have never seared a toro, so I did so this evening. I was surprised how good it was. Most disappointing, though, was when I was walking to the table, I dropped my plate and the tuna and eggs fell to the ground. Not wanting to waste it, I salvaged the tuna and as many eggs as I could. However, the eggs made a mess. They do not come up easily and I have been trying to hide this mess for an hour now, but yet, I find these tiny eggs scattered throughout the kitchen, even in my shoes.





The sear came out great. I only used olive oil to sear the tuna in a stove pan. Perhaps 30 seconds at most on each side. I thin dripped some soy sauce on top. Nothing else, except the fish eggs, which, as you read, were few in number after my clumsiness.



It was time for a remise en bouche, and what better than a watermelon? Grandfather has an old friend from Washington Parish who brings him a watermelon every few weeks, in exchange for some of Grandfather's famous tomatoes. With a good country watermelon, each big slice into its flesh releases the smell of the soil. I can tell where some watermelons are grown just by that smell. And Washington Parish watermelons have a distinct smell of Earth with a just a ever so hinting back note of fresh manure. Rather than an insult, it is that hint of manure that gives the final product its bold flavor. We had one sitting on the ground for the last week, so I sliced it up.





In my 20s, I was very particular about how I cut my watermelon. Symmetry and perfection were so important to me in those years that I wasted half of the watermelon's fruit, all to produce cubes. If I found that I had cut a piece of watermelon that was not a cube with 1.5 inch sides, I discarded it. Thanks to some CBT, I have overcome that picadillo. Although I still probably cut it in a more precise fashion than the average person, my cubes now range anywhere from one to two inches per side. I also noticed how much a well cut watermelon piece can look like a slab of tuna.



Palate now cleansed, it was time to eat some succotash. Mother picked up a bushel of silver corn from Baldwin County, Alabama last week. It may be the best corn in America. I know that with Grandfather's tomatoes, it is the best succotash in America.



Speaking of Grandfather's tomatoes, it is finally time! I know how excited many of you will be, and perhaps he will drop some off to some of our friends here. This year has been a bumper crop, one of the best in memory. The flavor this year too is so wonderful. The liquid just drips out, that perfect amount of tart and acidity. When they are at their peak, as they are now, no salt, no oil, nothing is needed except the tomato. They are nearly perfect.







Grandfather also is growing some heirlooms this year, and they too are worth their weight in gold. We have about twenty pounds of them at the house now, and I am going through no less than five pounds each day I am here. Words are not worthy of their goodness.



Yours,
TulaneLSU


Friends, let us pray now:

God,
You formed this world,
Separating the seas from the soils,
Giving us every being that swims,
Every seed that bares fruit,
The very sustenance of our lives.
We give you thanks for this bounty,
This beautiful, bounteous gift of love.
May every morsel of food you give
Be cherished as a dear gift from you.
May our bodies and hearts grow strong
Through the grace of your gifts,
The greatest of these gifts,
Your Son's sacrificial love.
Help us prepare for the great banquet,
When we finally come to sit at your table,
Feasting in true and perfect communion
With You, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.