Follow the Directions July 15 2016
As a child, I was always told to follow the directions. This included everything from putting a toy together to making a pie. A recipe is sort of the culinary set of directions. You don’t always have to follow them, but if you are unsure about something they will lead you to the intended final product.
I’ve always loved to cook and as a teenager was always excited when my mother asked me to make dinner. That is until I heard, “The recipe is on the counter”. I was never one for recipes and always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen. That explains why I was not a pastry person at the beginning of my food career. In baking and pastry there is a lot of chemistry involved and you MUST follow the recipe. I was more mature when I entered the world of chocolate, where there are lots of directions to follow. If a batch of truffles didn’t turn out or the chocolate didn’t temper correctly, I always knew where I went wrong because I still attempted to stray from the recipe.
This week I have been putting together some new furniture and have realized again the importance of following the directions. Especially when I had to take everything apart and start over because something was turned the wrong way! The recipes you find in our recipe box are there for those of you who like to follow the directions. If you are feeling more adventurous, go ahead and stray from what we’ve written… add some ingredients, take some out. If you wind up with something delicious, I hope you’ll share so the rest of us can enjoy it too!
Have a great weekend either following the directions or straying a bit, whichever suits you!
Happy Friday,
Julie