Some innkeepers have asked why I don't post more recipes. They want more, they tell me.
After all, I cook every single day and certainly have loads of recipes under my belt. Why not share more?
But here's the thing. Every time I post a recipe, it means I have to cook the dish first, even if I've cooked it zillions of times before. Especially if I've cooked it zillions of times before.
Why? Because when I'm cooking in my own kitchen, I rarely follow a recipe, except for the one in my head.
Sure, I know how to cook lots of things, but telling someone else how to cook it? Well, that's a different creature altogether.
Because that means actually stopping to write down the exact amount of ingredients I'm using, exactly how long to cook it at what temperature, and then, testing the dish itself to make sure it's worthy before hitting that publish button.
And it means getting the Fabulous Frenchie to snap some photos at varying stages of preparation, while trying to keep him from eating said dish in the process. Ahem.
But it's necessary time.
I've always been with Julia on this one. Recipes, even time-honored recipes prepared frequently by the chef, must be kitchen-tested in order to be shared. There is just no way around that basic rule of recipe sharing, in my humble opinion.
That's because it has to be right. After all, someone's dinner party, some innkeeper's reputation, or some guest's special occasion could very well depend on me getting it right.
All that said, I have to admit that before today, I never considered the possibility of kitchen explosions. But really, publishing untested recipes would have to be rife with untold possibilities of tragedies. So why go there?
Here's my pledge to you, my dear friends: I will continue my tradition of testing each receipt before giving it my stamp of approval and sharing it with you.
And I'm especially happy to report that in forty years of cooking for others, I've yet to cause an explosion.
Oh no, please tell me I did not just jinx myself.
