I want to use my last year here in France before I move to Amsterdam - as the backdrop for photos that will make their way into the cookbook I plan to write and have nearly completed before my big move.
I figure since my plan is to open a huiskamer, which translates literally into English from Dutch to living room, meaning a living room restaurant. I'm going to find the perfect apartment and then see what can and will happen and this will include offering cooking lessons and selling my own cookbook.
The first thing I did when I thought about writing a cookbook was I thought about it for a very long time. Like three years almost. Then after returning from Amsterdam with this idea in my head about opening a huiskamer in Amsterdam, I decided I mind's well just go the full shebang. I wrote down all the "cuisines" I can cook on a piece of paper.
Korean
French
American (general)
Southern (American)
Cajun
Tex-Mex
Mexican
Indian
Thai
Japanese
Chinese
Vietnamese
Filipino
Senegalese
Moroccan
English
Spanish
Italian
Greek
Lebanese
Argentinian
Brazilian
Chilean
Colombian
That's 24 different cuisines where I could cook at least a full three course meal of starter, entree, and dessert though the reality is I could cook any one of those cuisines for at least two weeks without repeating a single dish.
Now I'm damn proud of that. I am humble in many ways about my cooking skills. I still have a lot to learn. For example I can cook a lot of different Italian dishes, even lived in Italy for a year, and still have no idea how to properly serve an Italian meal. When do I serve what? What can be served when? I lack a few cooking techniques that I should really have like being able to consistently braise tougher meat cuts. I am always in the search of new knowledge when it comes to cooking.
Plus I always cook my ass off. Even if it's just for me, I cook. I take my time and do my best. And I love it. Even when I mess things up. I love that I made the effort.
Yet my deepest darkest kitchen secret is that I do not follow recipes. I learn to cook by watching people cook or by eating until I can figure out how to make something. I not only don't follow recipes, I actually can't. I can't write them out either, which doesn't bode well for a cookbook.
I've decided in order to get myself to the point where I can write a cookbook I am going to force myself to follow recipes. To the letter. Even when my instinct says no or yes, I will do whatever the recipe tells me to. Of course I'm not going to just use any old cookbooks. I'm starting with Ada Boni, who specialises in regional Italian cuisine and of course, Julia Child. I've had her two cookbooks on Mastering the Art of French cooking for years and only opened them to glance at recipes to remind me what I already knew how to cook.
My plan is to cook a three course dinner using recipes from Ada Boni's cookbook "Italian Regional Cooking" (I blogged about it here) and from Julia Child's legendary cookbook every week for a month. After that, I'm going to try tossing in one of their recipes in place of something I know how to cook.
Each month I'm going to chose two cookbooks and repeat this process and blog about what I learn, as well as post the recipes I've used along with pictures. I've started a recipe database to keep track of recipes I'll be using this entire time. Hopefully somewhere along the way of borrowing from better cooks, I'll become a better cook and create my own recipes and refine those that I already love and want to include in my cookbook.
I am going to start paying a lot more attention to cookbooks in general too. I don't want to spend time on my recipes only to screw the pooch on format, pictures, or other little details. Especially since I'm planning to use this cookbook as my debut into vanity publishing. Why not? I have a friend who took a pictures of a Thanksgiving dinner I made a few years back and made it look like a spread for Gourmet magazine. (How sad it is that Gourmet is now non plus.) Beautiful photos, great recipes, and a perfect location means I've got a year to write and photograph a cookbook.
I'm pretty excited and I'm sure Monsieur Redacteur's stomach and my friends are pretty excited about my new venture too!
I figure since my plan is to open a huiskamer, which translates literally into English from Dutch to living room, meaning a living room restaurant. I'm going to find the perfect apartment and then see what can and will happen and this will include offering cooking lessons and selling my own cookbook.
The first thing I did when I thought about writing a cookbook was I thought about it for a very long time. Like three years almost. Then after returning from Amsterdam with this idea in my head about opening a huiskamer in Amsterdam, I decided I mind's well just go the full shebang. I wrote down all the "cuisines" I can cook on a piece of paper.
Korean
French
American (general)
Southern (American)
Cajun
Tex-Mex
Mexican
Indian
Thai
Japanese
Chinese
Vietnamese
Filipino
Senegalese
Moroccan
English
Spanish
Italian
Greek
Lebanese
Argentinian
Brazilian
Chilean
Colombian
That's 24 different cuisines where I could cook at least a full three course meal of starter, entree, and dessert though the reality is I could cook any one of those cuisines for at least two weeks without repeating a single dish.
Now I'm damn proud of that. I am humble in many ways about my cooking skills. I still have a lot to learn. For example I can cook a lot of different Italian dishes, even lived in Italy for a year, and still have no idea how to properly serve an Italian meal. When do I serve what? What can be served when? I lack a few cooking techniques that I should really have like being able to consistently braise tougher meat cuts. I am always in the search of new knowledge when it comes to cooking.
Plus I always cook my ass off. Even if it's just for me, I cook. I take my time and do my best. And I love it. Even when I mess things up. I love that I made the effort.
Yet my deepest darkest kitchen secret is that I do not follow recipes. I learn to cook by watching people cook or by eating until I can figure out how to make something. I not only don't follow recipes, I actually can't. I can't write them out either, which doesn't bode well for a cookbook.
I've decided in order to get myself to the point where I can write a cookbook I am going to force myself to follow recipes. To the letter. Even when my instinct says no or yes, I will do whatever the recipe tells me to. Of course I'm not going to just use any old cookbooks. I'm starting with Ada Boni, who specialises in regional Italian cuisine and of course, Julia Child. I've had her two cookbooks on Mastering the Art of French cooking for years and only opened them to glance at recipes to remind me what I already knew how to cook.
My plan is to cook a three course dinner using recipes from Ada Boni's cookbook "Italian Regional Cooking" (I blogged about it here) and from Julia Child's legendary cookbook every week for a month. After that, I'm going to try tossing in one of their recipes in place of something I know how to cook.
Each month I'm going to chose two cookbooks and repeat this process and blog about what I learn, as well as post the recipes I've used along with pictures. I've started a recipe database to keep track of recipes I'll be using this entire time. Hopefully somewhere along the way of borrowing from better cooks, I'll become a better cook and create my own recipes and refine those that I already love and want to include in my cookbook.
I am going to start paying a lot more attention to cookbooks in general too. I don't want to spend time on my recipes only to screw the pooch on format, pictures, or other little details. Especially since I'm planning to use this cookbook as my debut into vanity publishing. Why not? I have a friend who took a pictures of a Thanksgiving dinner I made a few years back and made it look like a spread for Gourmet magazine. (How sad it is that Gourmet is now non plus.) Beautiful photos, great recipes, and a perfect location means I've got a year to write and photograph a cookbook.
I'm pretty excited and I'm sure Monsieur Redacteur's stomach and my friends are pretty excited about my new venture too!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment.