My favorite brand of chicken stock contains MSG, a fact that has always made me feel slightly unnerved and ashamed. Not only is it unforgivably lazy to not make my own chicken broth, but I'm cheating on flavor by using one with MSG. And what if one of my guests has a reaction to the MSG, as some people do after eating cheap Chinese food? The horror! But a new book has changed the way I think about that broth. (It's Swanson's, by the way. Try it.)
David and Anna Kasabian's new book,
The Fifth Taste: Cooking with Umami
, doesn't claim that MSG should be your favorite new flavoring-but it does explain why we like it so much. The book is focused on explaining the concept of
umami
and giving readers a raft of recipes with which to familiarize themselves.
Uma-wha?
Umami
is a Japanese word used to describe what foodies are calling the fifth taste. Sweet, salty, sour and bitter are the first four, the small group of things that we actually taste with our tongues. Because taste and flavor are different, right? Flavor is the combination of taste and aromas that we sense through our noses. Here we're talking just about taste.
The taste
umami
is hard to describe, but most people use words like rich, meaty, savory, mouth-filling, brothy or satisfying. But more than just a sense of richness or savoriness,
umami
interacts with other flavors. According to the book,
"umami
extends the finish of savory foods, making them linger on the palate longer. It also alters our perception of other tastes, making salt saltier, sweet sweeter and bitter and sour less biting." Does that sound familiar? Sounds like what MSG is supposed to do, doesn't it? In fact, there is a relationship between the taste
umami
and the food additive MSG or monosodium glutamate.
Umami
was discovered by a curious chemist, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda. In 1907 he was a professor at Imperial Tokyo University when he identified glutamate, an amino acid, as the chemical ingredient responsible for the distinct yumminess of his soup. The soup's broth had been made with a kind of seaweed called
kombu
, from which the professor went on to extract MSG. Ikeda patented his discovery and almost instantly it became what the Kasabians refer to as
"umami
-maker-in-a-shaker."
Since then, researchers have discovered that
umami
is the taste of many amino acids, pieces of matter that are ready for our bodies to use as food. Foods that are aged (like country ham or blue cheese) tend to be
umami
, as are things that take a long time to make, like long-rising bread made from sourdough starter. Soy sauce, seaweed, salmon, shiitake mushrooms, organ meats and offal are all
umami
. As are eggs and peas.
Try this recipe and see if you can identify elements of sweet, salty and
umami
. Then go out and buy
The Fifth Taste
and learn how to bring this deeply satisfying taste into your kitchen every day.
Baked Eggs with Prosciutto, Peas and Mornay Sauce
Here is an excellent way to create an elegant and very
umami
brunch easily and quickly. Instead of prosciutto, try uncooked small shrimp or diced salmon. You could also use meat or poultry, but cook them before adding.
Serves 4 for brunch or lunch
1 (10 inch x 10 inch) sheet frozen puff pastry dough
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into ½-inch strips
2 tablespoons frozen baby peas, thawed
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup grated Gruyère cheese
3 chive spears, snipped into ½-inch pieces
1) Thaw the puff pastry dough according to manufacturer's instructions.
2) Set a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
3) Butter or apply cooking spray to the 4 corner cups of a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Place a small amount of water in the 2 empty cups.
4) Cut the dough into 4 equal squares (5 inches x 5 inches), using a sharp knife in a rocking motion through dough.
5) Lay one square centered over a buttered muffin cup. Lift the 4 points of the pastry dough and hold with one hand while you push the dough firmly into the bottom of the cavity with the other hand. Fold the sides where they overlap and arrange the points into peaks. Repeat with the remaining dough squares in the remaining buttered cavities.
6) Into each puff pastry cavity, place one quarter of the prosciutto, 6 to 8 peas, ½ teaspoon of the melted butter, and ½ teaspoon of the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Crack an egg into a small bowl, check for shells then pour the egg into one puff pastry-lined cavity. Drizzle ½ teaspoon melted butter over egg. Season egg with salt and pepper. Repeat for the remaining 3 eggs and puff pastry cavities.
7) Place in oven on the top rack. Bake until pastry has puffed and turned golden and egg whites are no longer translucent, 25 to 30 minutes.
8) During the last 15 minutes of baking, make the sauce: In a small saucepan set over high heat, combine the cold butter and the flour. Whisk together until butter is just melted and flour is blended in. Add the milk and whisk continuously, scraping all surfaces of the pan. Bring to a simmer, adjust heat and whisk for 1 minute, until thick enough to coat a spoon.
9) Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese. Whisk to blend fully. Adjust the seasoning.
10) Set the baked egg pastries on 4 warmed luncheon plates. Pour ¼ of the sauce over each, garnish with chives and serve.
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