Some Sweet Thoughts on Sugar
Chefs work with a wide variety of different sugars and syrups. A small bit of sweetness in a savory dish can bring balance just as well as salt or acid do to sweet dishes. Sometimes this can be accomplished via onion, carrot or tomato in a rich sauce, or via tree fruits, berries or wine in an aromatic one. Sweetness is a part of the flavor balancing equation. Sugar is energy dense. It stores well. It is the second fastest “macro” metabolized by our bodies. Like the fastest (alcohol), we associate its taste with peak ripeness since it expresses itself in fruit through juiciness which elicits immediate opportunity modes within our survival brain. ...