No Reservations just aired a show on technique. Good for them. I think a recipe should be more of a guide than a law. To know the mechanics of how and why things happen to food is the key to excelling in the kitchen. Rarely have I followed a recipe to the letter and had it hit the plate perfectly. There are too many small variables out there in the world conspiring against me. Size of a steak, volume of my teaspoon, granularity differences of salts, which way the wind is blowing. To see masters of their craft give me tips and suggestions is priceless. And, yes, they are talking just to me. My cooking spirit guide told me so.
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And, is it just me or is Keller’s kitchen prettier than most living rooms? Laura Ashley is probably watching this and blushing.
Some great tips on there, very basic stuff everyone should know.
Except for the Italian red sauce. His method to infuse the olive oil is creative and inventive (sort of, in a sense), but just because its cool doesn’t mean you should do it. Add the garlic, add the basil, add the crushed red pepper. When cooked properly, these ingredients will dissolve into nothingness, and you consume the entire herb, not just the flavoring. Through all my years of eating my grandmother’s, mother’s, and family’s sauce- I’ve never once found a whole garlic clove, a tiny piece of a garlic clove, or even a speck of a red pepper floating through the sauce. Give it time. Italian red sauce is as complex as a mole or a curry.