Apple of many seeds

Sometimes the world is so in admiration of something, that it cannot get enough of it - over and over you encounter this one single item, as if there is nothing else noteworthy in this life. So, you trust the spirits, the vibes, the improbability accumulation and your coincidence detector, and enjoy what is offered to you.

Good choice!

That's how it felt to me last week, when I repeatedly encountered pomegranates in all forms and disguises.A worthy fruit to be detected, discovered, and deliciously combined with flavors, textures and colors.

So, what did I encounter? I'll focus on two only, to not overwhelm the worthy fruit-lover..

First, pomegranate icecream with chocolate chips. DARK chocolate, that is. I know people who cannot stand the combination of fruit & choc, but I really love it. Pomegranate is the perfect candidate for such a mix, because it brings a robust acidity into the marriage, paired with distinct fruitiness - together with the rich aroma of cocoa beans this adds up to something that does not allow not to be eaten up. Entirely. And still, you feel really okay afterwards!
Second: The next wonder of the pomegranate world I met was at "Jayne's gastropub" in San Diego. If you're in the area, check it out - it is a beautiful little restaurant, all european feeling, where me and my two german friends were debating which place in Germany (or France?) (or where?) this looked similar to. Beautiful tile floor (reminding me of my grandparents house), walls half dark wooden, half white, covered with large mirrors, a british flag and other treasures from across the sea.. the kitchen open, visible from the bar, with beautiful stainless steel gas stove in action - sip on your first glass of Cabernet and enjoy the skillful wrist movements of the chef that let the skillet merely wiggle, but every food in it jumps up & down, just like you inside. I'm like a big kid in a toystore in these kind of places.

Here is what I ate:
Oven Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Breast potato gnocchi, savoy cabbage, spinach, pearl onions, shitake & cremini mushrooms, pomegranate balsamic reduction
The picture I found is only similar, I was too focused during dinner to remember taking a picture.. my duck actually was medium rare, nice and red inside, grilled & almost crispy outside - the gnocchi and vegetable were tossed together, a really great combination, gnocchi, savoy cabbage & spinach? Man, so phantastic.. Savoy cabbage is pure magic anyway..
But the pomegranate sauce was really interesting - I'm not entirely convinced that there is something gained from adding balsamico to pomegranate, because they both hit the same spots, fruity, only lightly sweet, acidic.. but that is just me wondering - the result, along with the duck dipped in it, was beautiful and very tasty.

Let this be enough of my pomegranate encounters. Check out this site here to dive deeper.. enjoy & let me know how your encounters turned out!