Week 1 :: Dessert (Unexpected Sweetness)

I have been using soft unripened goat cheese and cherry tomatoes relatively frequently these days (as one must always use up what is still in the refrigerator) and decided to put them into what were supposed to be yesterday's rather savoury dishes. The butternut squash and chickpea paste, lacking the cumin with it was supposed to be made, was rendered even more sweet by the addition of a small pat of goat cheese. Luckily, the sharpness of the white cheddar and, somewhat surprisingly, the fresh bitterness of the alfalfa sprouts, mitigated the surprisingly overwhelming brightness of the amuse-bouches. The simple red sauce, much to my chagrin, was almost dessert-like. Usually I add in whatever half-opened bottle of red wine that is lying around, to cut the sweetness with some acidity, and I certainly failed to purchase the requisite garlic that adds bite to any pasta dish.

Then I moved on to the apple crumble.

The tartness of a Granny Smith apples is amplified a hundred-fold when baked, and in my reticence to use too much brown sugar in the streusel topping, I found myself rather shocked at the bitterness of what ought to be generally a rather succulently sweet dish.

The irony of this meal--a sort of saccharine deception--is not an unfamiliar theme in my life as of late. In the past few years, many of my confidantes and allies have betrayed my confidence despite their apparent sweetness and concern. But rather than wallowing in the misery of these moments (which, in spite of their briefness, seem to linger and simmer long after), I'm choosing instead to focus on the incredible kindnesses that have come my way.

In the past five months, I have had unexpected hearts open themselves up to me. I have encountered tenderness and graciousness as I made the difficult transition to a new university, found new friends to call my companions on my path towards health and happiness, and have constantly marveled at how my expectations have been transcended. Have I become an optimist? Not yet, certainly, but I am now more willing to accept and embrace the unexpected sweetness that emulsifies even the most dreary days with joy.