I am not a cook. An eater, yes, but no chef.
My Mother is an educator, and also so happens to be the best cook I know. Put them together, and she has allowed me over the years to watch, ask, wonder, and take in her many forays in the kitchen, with watchful eyes and an internally developing cookbook of my own.
Mum rarely uses a recipe. She collects them, and stores them in many a scrapbook/notebook/cookbook/folder/some other highly organised system, but regularly refers to the recipes 'up here', she says, as she points to her head. This I find frustrating. I've no idea how to make a basic pasta sauce. Whip up some gravy. Create a soup's broth. Even a basic sponge, I would be headed straight for Google. Yet if I watch Mum, she can magically create any of these things, sans Google, and sans stress.
Come to a birthday party in our family, and you will be met with an array of dishes, fit for an army, and no doubt fit for Mat Preston's palette. The 'caterers' in my family will cook to every event's needs; you want high tea? You will get sandwiches, quiches, tarts, slices, and a cup of tea in the perfect china cup and saucer. You want a Christmas spread? You will feast on Turkey, cauliflower and brocolli with the famous cheese sauce, and even a yule log, if you're lucky. Just nibbles? Even then you'll probably fill up on a variety of dips, cheeses, breads, as well as some salmon-based delicious hors d'oeuvres.
What do I bring to the table on these occasions? Well, would Mars Bar Slice suffice?
I am an avid MasterChef fan. Every night I sit back and watch, eyes glued to a reality show of tears, triumphs, and tasty delights. But then I think; if they can do it, can't I? I am very good at eating. If consuming carbohydrates was an Olympic sport, then there would be no need for other competitors. I'd win every event. However, I realise that my appreciation of food must not be reaching its full potential. If I struggle to make the most basic recipes, how can I admire what's involved in the most elaborate recipes?
And so begins my experiment. I'm going to cook.
Just so we're all clear, Everest is not my aim. No, there will be no croquembouche attempts, nor fancy menu items that I can't pronounce. I'm starting small. Just a few basic things, that to me, seem somewhat daunting at this early stage.
And I've decided to blog about it.
Bon appetit!
