01/21/2011

Some of my own cooking Theory…

I’ve been cooking a good amount. I mean eating is a priority in my life but cooking is the means to the madness.
I haven’t been motivated to write, seeing as it’s just a medium to which I love to get my food out there, sometimes I just crave the visual satisfaction of pictures and the instant gratification of cooking and serving. I think that’s how I distinguish my true passion for food… a chef normally doesn’t have to explain the small lingering process it kind of comes together in a magical sense of who knows what’s going to happen. Or at least that’s the way I see it.

Sometimes it’s amazing, most of the time you can improve on some part of it… composition, plating, flavor, techniques there’s always something that can make it better. I love that. Though I believe I’m pretty hard on myself for a lot of things sometimes too much, there’s always that drive as a chef to be better to try new things, to create on a new level, as often as possible so that’s where I am right now.

My cooking is about perfecting the favorites, fixing the flourishes, and most of all creating a new experience each time. I used to think all the time about first dining or one night stand dining (a little cruder concept). I know that seems a bit strange but let me explain. I’m an experience junky. I love that first everything. The first time you try something, the first time you do it right, the first time you see something that changes your life, all those firsts are the feelings that I really love, remember, and dream about.

I think adventure in food is missing for lots of people. They eat the same things every day and their comfortable with those things so they just feel like why should you change something that already works. I can’t live like that. I mean I wouldn’t say that I’m not like that either. We all are but part of my process of cooking is about trying to really break you out of those routine habits and expecting that this time your turkey club is going to be a roast turkey dinner. No I don’t think people really think that but I hope you get what I’m saying

I think even if you change small things in the tried and true recipes you never know it could get better if not put it back to the way it was before. I believe that a lot of things should be left alone too all those sentimental foods that people associate with certain things which is what first dining/ one night stand dining encompasses. It’s the belief that dishes are what they are in that instant and some things aren’t duplicated again in your life you just remember them the way they are. I’ve eaten at places where this was just the case. I ordered something and it was so amazing that even if I had it again it was made the same way everything it still would never be that feeling of what it was. It all lends to the experience, the atmosphere, the moment, the company all those outside things are what I believe is a true dining experience. If I was in the company of the best chef in the world and there was no experience I wouldn’t have the best meal of my life. But I could be sitting on a curb eating a tuna melt with my best friend and it could be the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten. That’s why I’ve always loved food. I love the way it brings people together. I used to stand around a group of microwaves eating whatever my line cooks could put together in 3 minutes and we would have some of the best meals ever. They were just that the meals we had together, one night stands.

My theory of food is very long, ever growing, and I think about it all the time. Food is ever changing and that’s what I love about food in general. I’ll never be bored, never have to have the same things, I just need to look outside of my comfort zone like so many others and I can find instant inspiration in so many places. It’s really a beautiful thing.

Anyway…

Here’s some of my visual process and when the writing finally escapes me I’ll have the explanations and recipes hand written with all my love.

Worcestershire and dill shreaded chicken with herb and garlic wild rice topped with balsamic raw zucchini and oven roasted eggplant

Oven roasted Crushed black pepper and Thyme encrusted russet potatoes, with braised honey carrots and Balsamic, brown sugar, red chili rubbed tri tip.

Spiced asian black goma (sesame seed) boneless chicken legs pan fried in katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) served along side Roasted celery, scallion, shredded cabbage and red onion Oyster sauce Rice noodles