SC - Romantic Foods

[Mordonna22@aol.com]

> However, I dislike your disdainful attitude about
> cooks who follow recipes.  I follow recipes all the
> time.  I can pretty much look at a recipe and tell
> whether or not it is a good recipe or a flawed one.
> And, yes, I
> can create many dishes without using recipes too.
> When it comes to salads, or casseroules, I rarely use
> recipes, but with things I have never made before, I
> use a recipe the first time, so I can get an inkling
> as to what the original cook intended, before I start
> tinkering with it.

I believe that is actually what was meant. I don't think
there was any disdain for people who follow certain
recipes or even for those who follow some recipes
all of the time. I think it was more of a head-shaking
over some who don't even think about what they are
doing when they cook. I do the same thing you do when
first trying a recipe. I follow it to the letter and then make
changes later if they are needed. I think part of this is
that we are all artists and sometimes can't understand
when someone is afraid to "color out of the lines".

Now, referring to my earlier post about judging, I do look
for a bit of slavish instruction following when a food item
is presented in an A&S. This is because the person is
representing a period item and should give good reasons
why any changes are included. As an example I was
once talking with a cook who presented as part of an A&S
display a period squash soup. But the soup was made with
New World butternut squash instead of the more accurate
Italian winter squash or even zucchini as a substitute. The
presenter's explanation was that he knew it should be
something else but this tasted better. I could forgive this
for a feast (it was an excellent soup, btw) but not as an
example of a period dish.

Slavish adherence to a recipe without understanding the steps
is anathema to our creative souls. But I do agree that a recipe
should be followed as exactly as possible the first time.

> Mistress Huette Aliza von und zu Ahrens und
> Mechthildberg.

Thank you for posting, Mistress.

Yers,

Gunthar

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