Plenty of Agave

Is it patience or just poor memory?  When we returned from Aspen this year I was dancing atop the roast agave soap box.  Unfortunately, my one piece of agave only went so far.  I had hoped to get more agave and pursued the avenues through Del Maguey.  The long and short was that importing agave was not easy and the hoops a really tight fit to jump through.  In other words I might be able to get the agave if the stars were aligned.  (At this point I am fabricating, though Ron Cooper from Del Maguey used more flamboyant words to note the difficulties of importing agave, but that if I really wanted it he would go through the pain in the ass time consuming process to deal with bureaucratic BS)  I really did want the agave and told him so, and he mentioned the next time it was possible he would get me that agave.

And I waited.  I talked to friends about the upcoming arrival of agave.  I was the agave preacher.  Then time passed and I forgot.  Sure, I still noted the pieces of roast agave in our tequila vinegar, but I had no idea when the time would come that I had more agave.  Then I forgot.

Funny.  Just about the time when patience dies, hope dwindles and you finally forget, poof, you have waited long enough.  Two days ago I received an email from Ron Cooper saying he would have the agave for me, all he needed was a fedex number to get it here.  We took care of that and late yesterday a bounty of agave arrived at our door.  I ripped open the box and tore out a piece of agave, gnawing on the juicy fibrous plant.  As I stood chewing, my mind became occupied with more than  the flavor, texture and aromas I was enchanted with, but with a wellspring of ideas with which we can use this heavenly ingredient.

I took one piece of agave and began juicing it.  That is a messy task.  Yet, it yielded three distinct forms of roast agave: the fibers which we used to infuse soy sauce, a soft pulp which is steeping in cream, and the viscous roast agave juice.  These were just my first thoughts.  Now begins the process of fining through ideas and working towards applications and final dishes.