My mom will willingly admit that she does not enjoy cooking. Never has, probably never will. At a young age I had to learn to fend for myself in the kitchen. There was no youtube to find instructional videos. We did not have cable, so no constant stream of cooking shows.
Most of my early food creations were trial and error.
While I mastered a great many things, by the time I went off to college I had become a very adventurous person in the kitchen. It was mainly for survival purposes. Unfortunately a rigorous class and work schedule put my experimentation on the back burner, and relegated me to the campus mess hall. It also relegated me to the almost obligatory freshman fifteen.
It was not until I started living off campus again that I reconnected with my love of cooking, and my quest for the one thing I had never quite perfected: the perfect omelet.
Too runny, too flat, too wrong. I would repeat the mantra to myself, "What would Julia Child do?"
Nope not that one. Oh, yes!
Dang straight they should. Sing it Julia. A blowtorch and a glass of wine, now that is what every woman should have.
So one evening I pulled out my wine glass and filled it was some New Glarus Raspberry Tart, put on a Snow Patrol CD and started experimenting. I am not ashamed to say I tried flipping them in the pan, a few ending up on the floor. Some just looked like a soggy mess. Trial and error.
Lots of errors.
But them, low and behold, one held. The outside was golden brown, but the inside was still light and fluffy. Egg beaters became my secret, easy to pour into the buttered pan. Slowly drawing in the sides for a half minute and then just waiting for it to rise so subtly. My own personal piece of omelet perfection.
Lowering the heat I put in the cheese, some cut tomato and cut turkey. Then flipped over half to make my crescent.
My moral to this abbreviated tale--if ever there was one--is that the experimentation is the excitement. I started with literally no guidance in the kitchen, and have found it to be one of my relaxing and creative outlets. The challenge is part of the process, and every time I conquer a technique or recipe that once eluded me, I am only more excited to try something more difficult.
Next up is finding a recipe that requires a blowtorch.
Most of my early food creations were trial and error.
While I mastered a great many things, by the time I went off to college I had become a very adventurous person in the kitchen. It was mainly for survival purposes. Unfortunately a rigorous class and work schedule put my experimentation on the back burner, and relegated me to the campus mess hall. It also relegated me to the almost obligatory freshman fifteen.
It was not until I started living off campus again that I reconnected with my love of cooking, and my quest for the one thing I had never quite perfected: the perfect omelet.
Too runny, too flat, too wrong. I would repeat the mantra to myself, "What would Julia Child do?"
"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."
Nope not that one. Oh, yes!
“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”
Dang straight they should. Sing it Julia. A blowtorch and a glass of wine, now that is what every woman should have.
So one evening I pulled out my wine glass and filled it was some New Glarus Raspberry Tart, put on a Snow Patrol CD and started experimenting. I am not ashamed to say I tried flipping them in the pan, a few ending up on the floor. Some just looked like a soggy mess. Trial and error.
Lots of errors.
But them, low and behold, one held. The outside was golden brown, but the inside was still light and fluffy. Egg beaters became my secret, easy to pour into the buttered pan. Slowly drawing in the sides for a half minute and then just waiting for it to rise so subtly. My own personal piece of omelet perfection.
Lowering the heat I put in the cheese, some cut tomato and cut turkey. Then flipped over half to make my crescent.
My moral to this abbreviated tale--if ever there was one--is that the experimentation is the excitement. I started with literally no guidance in the kitchen, and have found it to be one of my relaxing and creative outlets. The challenge is part of the process, and every time I conquer a technique or recipe that once eluded me, I am only more excited to try something more difficult.
Next up is finding a recipe that requires a blowtorch.
"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."
ReplyDeleteI simply love this statement!
lol @ flipping the pan, COOL! Actually it sounds like fun! The omlette photo looks incredible!!
ReplyDelete