Oftentimes as a chef you get asked to write a recipe for something, maybe the newspaper or blog or in the case of tonight, a cookbook. No matter what the recipe may be for it always becomes an obscenely tedious task for me. I always remember back to my days at Daniel in the prep room. While my eyes were busy preparing the mise for that evening's service, one eye was always careful to watch one of the Chef's de Cuisine prepare the plates for one of Daniel' cookbooks or articles or whatever it may have been at the time. How absolutely perfect everything needed to be (and was). It was refreshing in the sense that there was no fake ketchup or shellac for shine, but daunting in the sense that there needed be such perfection. Watching him slice and sauce and plate was beautiful, a symphony and he was the conductor. That is how much thought went into the picture, now imagine the writing of the recipe.
When writing a recipe I don't write it for myself. I think of every person I know, the ones who cook very well and the ones who can't make toast. If I can orchestrate a recipe that both can follow I have done my job. Unfortunately, this takes drafting and testing...and another draft and another test...and hopefully just one more round...then I have a written recipe I can stand behind. What? Now you want a picture? You thought writing the recipe was tedious, now you want me to give you a picture of what I want you to see? It's going to be a long night...
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