- Read and understand the title of the recipe. For example, if the title is " braised leg of lamb with pomegranate jus and orange pesto" I first want to make sure that I am able to define all of the components of the title. Do I understand braising. Do I know what a jus is, etc.. Understanding the title of the recipe is the first step to a confident finish. Once i have the general understanding of the title then i will read the entire recipe before i begin.
- Mis en place. Do I have everything that I need to execute the recipe from start to finish? My pantry is stocked but I may not have oranges or pine nuts for the pesto. How frustrating to start a task and not have what you need. You can't build a wooden house when the plans say that you need nails and there's none in the tool box. Save yourself the trouble. Read. Then gather your mis en place (things in place) or start your shopping list.
- Light a candle. Once all the Mis En Place is all taken care of and you have read and understood the recipe, light a candle, sit down, have a glass of wine and plan your approach. I always light a candle before I start cooking. The tiny flickering flame somehow reminds me to slow down and respect the necessary ritual of cooking. A warm beacon in the heart of my kitchen that says "relax and do this your way". We must remember that though eating is crucial to our survival we should be able to express ourselves within this most basic of human needs. A recipe should only point the way, we must create our own path to the finish.
What have we learned? A recipe is a plan. Depending upon how creative you feel maybe a recipe is just a rough draft. Whatever your approach just remember that the more we cook off the page the sooner we will be picking up the pencil and creating our own modus operandi coquere.....no flavor left behind!
