Thus Spake the Recipe Book

Ok, now that I've got you to page through that recipe book of yours (no, it's NOT meant to be used as a doorstop), you may be surprised by what I'm going to tell you next... No, you don't need to sit down, I said surprised, not devastated. Drama queen. Now... where was I? Oh yes. The surprise. A recipe is a guideline, not set in stone. I'll wait while you breathe into a paper bag.
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Finished hyperventilating? Good. Then I'll continue :-) You heard me right. I said that a recipe can be considered a guideline rather than a directive from a higher power. You have "free will" and every right in the world to add or change or remove ingredients provided it doesn't undermine the recipe entirely... What do you mean "What do I mean"? Sigh... For example, you cannot leave the flour out of a cake unless it's a flourless cake... Oh dear, that's just going to confuse you. Forget about the flour and the cake. There IS NO CAKE. Here is a better example. You cannot do a roast chicken without chicken. You can however substitute the stuffing ingredients or change the glaze or even play with the vegetables, but you still need a chicken. Yes, unless you're making roast pork, in which case you need a pig. Oh dear - where did you think pork came from? Moving on...?

You should feel free to experiment with the recipes that you find interesting. Don't go crazy... pickled ginger may not be the best addition to a chocolate brownie, in the same way that tomato sauce isn't a great ice-cream topping. NO! Don't try it... yuck! If you find a recipe for a tarte tatin (a French upside down tart normally made with apples), but you don't eat apples, don't be afraid to substitute banana's or pears. No, you don't need to know French in order to cook. I'm sorry if I confused you... An example for this would be a change to one of my favourites. Yes, I'm actually going to tell you one of my favourite dishes to prepare, but I promise this is the first of many times you'll hear what I like to cook and bake.

One of my favourite things to cook or eat is braised steak (steak cooked in the oven in a rich brown gravy with plenty of onions)... There is no rule to say that that's all that goes into the dish, but we usually don't add anything. So - and here is the exciting part - tonight I added mixed stew vegetables to the dish before I stuck it in the oven and it was totally delicious!! I know... I'm living dangerously aren't I :-)

Ok - so here is my challenge to you. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! No, you don't need to ask your Mom if it's ok. No, I don't mean that you should build castles with it. Oh... you were kidding? You got me :-)

Until next time....