I have been thinking about this blog. I am quite content with the general posting (such as they are) but I think it lacks focus. Lots of people have cooking blogs, some are quite good, many a bit indifferent, most rather bland. I don’t do bland I do gourmet so I have made three decisions.
One – Carry on with what I am doing, that is odd recipes that interest me, observations about French/Loire food, restaurants, wine and life as the mood and opportunity takes me.
Two – I have as already stated in my Hello World entry a long time interest in wild foods, seasonality and traditional recipes. I will develop that theme further, looking a mushrooming, sausage making, preserving and all that.
Three – As I have gotten in to blogging I found and was much takenby a blog called French Laundry at Home, in which an American woman heroically cooked every recipe in the French Laundry cookbook and in the process produced an intriguing, fascinating and funny blog. Having completed this notable feat she is now working her way through the Alinea Cookbook at her new blog called Alinea at Home, brave and inspiring stuff.
It turns out that there is a little section of the blogosphere dedicated to this kind of thing, which has given rise to a film called Julie and Julia, a film I haven’t seen (soon to be corrected) based on the idea of a woman called Julie Powell cooking all the recipes in Julia Childs classic cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
So accepting that I like the idea, and that the idea is not original should the notion of doing something similar put me off…. Of course not! But what tome should I bestow my limited favours upon.
Well…
I have as ever been in a state of getting around to doing something with something, in this case with David Everitt-Matthais’s book Essence. David (hark at me I’m on first name terms already) is the chef proprietor of a Michelin two starred restaurant in Cheltenham called the Le Champignon Sauvage. He has a passion for wild food which he uses regularly in his cooking which has given him a cook’s reputation and an intriguing and appealing aspect to his food. The idea of this pushes all the right buttons for me, Wild Food and Posh Cooking got to give it a go. His cookbook Essence even has a foreword by Gordon Ramsay…but I’ll get back to you on whether that is a good or bad thing.
Essence Cookbook
So there we are then,
- Carry on with what I am doing.
- More wild food, preserving, mushrooming as availability and season allows.
- Posh up wild food in a cook along with David.
Its got to make this blog required reading.
I’m at home all next week, so I’ll have time to get stuck in, I’m thinking something with Elderflowers, maybe sausages hmmm can’t wait!!
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The elderflowers are waiting! We’ve loads this yr so some elder champs please (definately beats blue nun)
The elderflowers are waiting! We’ve loads this yr so some elder champs please (definately beats blue nun).
I like the variety from option 2, seasonal cooking i think has gone by the wayside in recent years as ingredients are always readily available at a price of course. Coping with seasonal gluts is a winner for me x