tissue is cut or damaged. They’re often
cooked in milk, whose proteins bind phenolic
compounds and can reduce astringency (as in
tea, p. 440). Phenolics can also cause a
toughening of cell walls, and cardoon fibers
are often remarkably resistant to softening.
Bringing them to a gradual boil in several
changes of water can help leach out phenolics
and soften them, though flavor is leached out
as well. Sometimes it’s necessary to peel the
reinforcing fibers from the cardoon stalk, or
cut it into thin cross sections to keep the
fibers relatively short and inconspicuous.
Fiddleheads Fiddleheads are the immature
leaf stalk and fronds of ferns, named for the
resemblance of their furled tips to the scroll
of a violin. Long a traditional springtime
delicacy, harvested as the fern fronds begin to
elongate and unroll but before they toughen,
fiddleheads are now cause for some caution. A
common species especially enjoyed in Japan