My love affair with cooking started way back in the 90’s. When I lived in London. But it took me a while. First I had to have my cooking nervous break down. Everything was different: the measurements, the terms (like Gas Mark 5), and the cuts of beef all had different names. My cakes exploded in the oven and I learned that I was an icemaker. Veggies had strange names too: courgettes, coriander, and aubergines (American spell check can’t even get it right) for a start. But I knew I had to learn or starve.
I set my mind to embrace metric measurements and my new country complete with tripe, sweetbreads and grouse. I learned what caster sugar should be used for and figured out the difference between clotted, double, single and whipping cream. With that knowledge stored in my larder (pantry) and the directions to Waitrose (the English version of Publix) in hand my love affair with cooking took off and it was a good time too.
London was on the cutting edge of a culinary revolution. Light sauces and fresh ingredients from a new breed of chef would soon replace glutinous gravy and over cooked beef. The influx of wonderful chefs like Raymond LeBlanc (Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons ) and the Roux brothers (Le Gavroche) who trained bad boy chefs Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White had started. Up popped homegrown talents like Alastair Little, Delia Smith (the English version of Martha Stewart) and Jamie Oliver. London was a steaming culinary hot pot.
I soon learned part of being a good cook is finding a good recipe some don’t work and others aren’t very good or too difficult. Know the limitations of your kitchen and keep in mind you probably don’t have a sous chef to prep and clean for you.
Through the years, and long since my cooking nervous breakdown, between countries, parties and picnics I developed a good repertoire of recipes that work, an extensive cook book collection and lots of memories.
I have brought that philosophy of keeping it simple and make sure it works to my monthly column in Pink Magazine. I’ve been writing a food column there for four years It’s all delicious, and now here’s the online version.
My family are my critics and guinea pigs. My kids my cheerleaders and with their encouragement www.notjusteggs.com was hatched, it’s an online cookbook for students and novice cooks or anyone who wants easy good recipes. You can click on the link to the left.
If you’re reading this? I’ll just say thanks for stopping by. Email me with any questions or suggestions you have. I would love to hear from you…and I promise…it’s all delicious!
Happy Cooking!
Sally