The other night I was faced with a cauliflower, a vegetable I'm deadlocked with in a love-hate relationship.
When my love affair with this rather bland kin to the cabbage began, we enjoyed an extended honeymoon phase when I was also learning to make curries, for which the cauliflower is well suited. But once I'd mastered curry, I was bored to tears by cauliflower.
But since I'm not the only palate to be pleased in my house, a cauliflower pops up in the shopping basket every so often.
Deciding what to do with ingredients on hand is a challenge for both chefs and home cooks. We don't always get what we want, but we have to make do with what we have.
Invention is a good thing at times like these and if luck (and skill) are with you, then a great dish makes it to the table.
But who among us never fails in the kitchen? That's how we learn and that's how we become better cooks.
The same is true for crafting and testing a recipe.
To cook the dreaded cauliflower, I decided to keep the flavor of a curry but add the texture of a gratin. And it almost worked.
I got the gratin down perfectly, but I missed the mark on the curry because I didn't have a key ingredient - coconut milk. I also would have been better off pureeing the vegetable for a silkier, smoother finished dish.
Everyone in my immediate family, but me, enjoyed the curried cauliflower gratin. I was too busy critiquing the lack of flavor and texture. I could take this as a success and move on, but the truth is I'd never serve this curried cauliflower gratin at a party or take it to a potluck as is.
I had to make it work to feel satisfied.
In my beginning writing classes, I usually teach students the technique of process by asking them to write a paper which details the steps of how to do something. Invariably, a few students will choose to write a paper based on a recipe.
It's a good thing we don't actually try to make and eat these recipes!
My beginning writers leave out key ingredients or steps, assuming their readers know what to do. There is a natural assumption that people have a basic level of understanding when it comes to cooking. However, we shouldn't assume too much because we don't know who will be recreating our recipe.
Anyone who cooks or bakes knows the disasters that can result with a poorly written recipe.
Writing a recipe is craft. Testing a recipe is essential.
The basics
- Always give estimated times for preparation and cooking.
- Always give temperatures necessary for baking, broiling, frying, etc.
- Provide a range of cooking times where appropriate, ie., Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean..
- Ingredients should be listed in order of use. All listed ingredients should be used.
- Ingredient amounts, types and preparation, ie. minced, grated, etc., should be specific.
- Don't abbreviate measurements.
- Technique should be written in concise, detailed steps in the proper order for preparation.
- Use common cook's measurements such as 1 cup, etc., and give exact pan sizes.
- Don't assume readers understand all cooking terms. Define terms like dredge or reduce.
- if you adapt a recipe from a cookbook or magazine, give credit to your source.
Depending on the complexity of your recipe, this process may take several executions before a final version is achieved. While this step may seem time-consuming, it is crucial to the process.
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