Seven succulent wonders of the culinary world

To me, a perfectly prepared chocolate cake is at least as awe-inspiring as the Taj Mahal or the Colosseum. So I couldn't help but be amused at the hoopla surrounding the recent campaign to identify the New 7 Wonders of the World, which named both those structures. Why no similar drive to establish the major gastronomic marvels? I think they're just as extraordinary, and to prove my point I nominate the following Seven Wonders of the Culinary World.

The souffle

Few things in the cu-linary realm are more amazing than a cloud-like souffle puffing up majestically above therim of a dish. A typicalsouffle rises to an atonishing three times its original height, all due to the magic of beaten egg whites.

Puff pastry

Crisp, buttery, flaky puff pastry has been called the king of pastries, and rightly so. Amazingly, properly made puff pastry dough will produce close to a thousand paper-thin layers of goodness when baked. No other pastry is as elegant. No wonder it figures prominently in two of the most remarkable culinary inventions ever conceived, the Napoleon and Beef Wellington, and is the basis for that most sophisticated of bakery goods, the croissant.

Cheesecake

Nothing else is as sinful, sensuous or seductive as cheesecake. It really is phenomenal. As Dana Bovbjerg and Jeremy Iggers, authors of "The Joy of Cheesecake," put it, "Other confections may please, even delight the palate, but there is something special about cheesecake." They even go so far as to argue that humankind's quest to create the perfect cheesecake "may well be the most noble struggle of the race." I couldn't agree more.

Hollandaise sauce

This golden, velvety stuff can turn just about anything it cloaks into elegant fare, even brussels sprouts. Ruth Reichl calls it the most voluptuous of sauces, and you have only to ladle it on asparagus to see how right she is. And without Hollandaise there would be no eggs Benedict. That by itself qualifies it as a culinary wonder.

Cassoulet

A cassoulet is technically just a bean stew, but then a Lamborghini is technically just a car. Originally peasant fare, a proper cassoulet takes about three days to prepare and in the process ascends to greatness. Containing duck, lamb, pork, sausage and, ideally, goose fat, it is marvelously complex and as splendid as any dish I know.

Peking Duck

Nowadays called Beijing duck, this dish is one of the wonders of Chinese cooking. And the preparation of it is a wonder to behold. First the bird is specially fed and fattened. After being killed and plucked, air is pumped between its skin and body. Then it is gutted, blanched, coated with a syrup and purged with boiling water. Ultimately it is vertically roasted over burning fruitwood. The crisp and succulent result is every bit as incredible as the Great Wall itself.

Triple chocolate chip cookies contain dark, milk and white chocolate chips. (Fred Lynch)

The chocolate chip cookie

Perhaps the most momentous accidental discovery in culinary history, the chocolate chip cookie is a marvel of simplicity that still leaves me awed every time I eat one hot out of the oven. The combination of buttery brown sugar dough and chunks of chocolate is pure genius -- and truly one of the greatest of all culinary achievements.

Tom Harte's book, "Stirring Words," is available at local bookstores. A Harte Appetite airs Fridays 8:49 a.m. on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Contact Tom at semissourian.com or at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699.