If there’s a flavor for whom appreciation only arrives with age, that flavor would be bitterness.

That’s not to say that most people become bitter with age; I would certainly hope not. Rather, I’m speaking about the flavor profile – astringent, sharp, piercing…shocking, even. And yet, so many of life’s more adult (and particularly liquid) pleasures – a well-brewed cup of coffee, the tannic finish on a glass of feisty red, the quinine snap of tonic water – are built if not focused on this unusual sensation.

Every once in a while, it's good to have a challenge. Competition, by its nature, asks us to test our ability, to confront ourselves with tasks we otherwise might not have considered.

To this end, when Burning Pasta was selected to participate as part of a "battle" held by Foodie Fights, the online cooking competition website, who was I to back down? The rules were simple -- cook one dish. The only requirement? The dish had to include both cauliflower and raspberries.