Here’s some fat free flavorful and easy advice: Cook in parchment paper.
CAN I REALLY DO THAT CHEF? WON’T THE PAPER BURN?
Ha! I see. That is a concern….. if you use any paper other than parchment. The French have been doing it for centuries. It’s called en papillote. It doesn’t take much effort or time but your food comes out wonderful!
The story behind the blog
My friend Elaine brought some fresh snapper to a meeting at my house over the weekend. I served a group of 9 and still had a piece left over. So I cut up some onions, leeks, carrots, minced some garlic and after sprinkling a little sea salt and pepper on the fish, I loaded the top with veggies. A splash of white wine, a couple of sprigs of thyme? And it was time to fold over and roll up the edges of the parchment, and give the herbs and wine a chance to steam the fish (425 degrees 10 minutes). Can you say yum?
YUM CHEF!
Could it be any easier? Any healthier? Any faster?
I think not! The only thing you have to watch out for with fish is bones, but if you buy filets, you’re good to go!
And here’s the thing about cooking: We no longer live in a world where you have to buy cookbook after cookbook or go to the library if you need a recipe. Just log on and research recipes, and come up with ideas.
The difference between someone who knows how to take this idea from one recipe, that idea from another compared to someone who tries that and its a disaster is simply their palate. The more experience you get eating different kinds of foods and asking questions like: ‘what’s the spice in this dish’ or ‘how did they get the chicken into round strips’ or ‘what’s that flavor in this dish’…. simple, and not a ‘give me your recipe’, works every time.
Over time what happens is: You just know. You can put in front of me almost any dish and I can tell you what’s in it. Not only that, but when I go to recreate it, I have an instinct about how much of each element to put in. And that only comes with time.
And even if it takes you more than once to get it right, it is true that practice makes perfect. Did I tell you how many pizza’s I’ve made, how many egg rolls I created until I got the right combination, the right spices, the exact amounts to make it all exactly to my liking? And the good thing about cooking is you are the expert, because you know what you like. You just have to figure out how to get the right combinations to satisfy your palate! Everybody is different. I have a friend that made me stir fry over the weekend and it wasn’t to my taste. He loved it. Go figure! lol
So I say start today! You can be your own mystery solver. Any time you go out and enjoy what you’re eating, even if it’s just a veggie dish or a hamburger… not only would I ask “what’s in this” (the excuse that you are allergic to certain things and are just checking, is always a good one) but I would also ask the waiter to ask the chef what are her/his favorite spice combinations. Those are terrific questions to put you on your way to successful cooking!
As a matter of fact, that’s going to be a future blog. Maybe even a book! Great Chefs and their spices! Watch for it!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian