Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Cooking without a net...


It starts with an idea...
A classic dish...
A picture...
A memory...
An ingredient...

Then...something else happens...how do you round it out? What do you find at the market? What speaks to you?

I try hard not to go to the market with too much of a plan. That never works well for me. I have actually gathered all the ingredients for a dinner I planned ahead, only to wander around for an hour before putting everything back on the shelf and starting all over with a completely different meal.

Today, it was brussel sprouts and leeks.

That's where it began.

Brussel sprouts are my favorite vegetable and I had them on the brain thanks to The Leftoverist. I started to envision a dish with pan roasted salmon nestled in a bed of melted leeks and brussel sprouts with fingerling potatoes sliced into disks and arranged artfully around the plate with the leaves of the sprouts. Perhaps a mustard-horseradish cream sauce. Perfect...

Until I got to the market.

The salmon didn't look great, especially at over 15 bucks a pound. The only fingerlings available were Purple Peruvians, which are nice, but not for my purposes. Why did I even walk in the door with such expectations? I know better. That's not how I cook.

Some people, like my sister follow recipes. Follow them to a tee. Every detail, every step, every ingredient.

That just isn't me.

So, NY Strip steaks on sale...check. The horseradish goes into mashed potatoes...check. Stick with the melted leeks and sprouts...check. Still needs something...I've had a paprika onion confit idea swirling around lately...check.


Keep an open mind...you never know what may come of it.

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