The insipid taste of failure

What a crazy week. For lots of reasons, there’s no way I can write up the spaetzle I wanted to write about today. So I am going to tell you about the salad that failed. Isn’t it pretty?

There was a potluck at the preschool – a pre-Thanksgiving dinner.  Our class was responsible for vegetables. I thought I was so clever for not bringing sweet potatoes. Or green beans. And, all the ingredients came from what I had in the refrigerator, so I was patting myself on the back because it came out looking so gorgeous and it was just what was on hand. The combination of sweet fennel and oranges, funky blue cheese and currants seemed unusual and sort of brilliant. I nearly called up my neighbor to have her taste it with me before I walked out the door (I wish I had done this!), positive this salad would get people talking.

Well, I can tell you, it didn’t. The blue cheese, a fancy Italian one called Rossini, was aggressively ripe and floral, overpowering the oranges. The shallots didn’t pull their weight at all. The currants, plumped in a champagne vinegar solution seemed like an afterthought. I really wanted toasted walnuts, but the pre-school is nut-free, so those were a no go. Sigh. Even the dressing was insipid.

I can’t believe I served that mess to all those nice people!

Back to square one.