Cooking From the Heart

People cook for all sorts of reasons, for some it is a drudgery that must be endured, for me it is always from the heart.  I cook, not just because it is a way to express my love for others— though that is certainly one reason, but also because I love the alchemy of cooking. Alchemy is a concept from the early fourteenth century, by which people practicing chemistry (primarily monks) would attempt to turn base metals into gold. Over the years it has become a term often applied to the culinary magic performed by anyone who could transform ordinary ingredients into something wonderful.  

I am not alone in my belief that love is an important ingredient that you can taste. I think this isn’t quite as simple and straightforward as it seems.  Yes, pouring my love into those cookies may seem like it would make them taste even better, but there are plenty of lousy cooks who pour love into their recipes, and still the food is bad.  Perhaps that food would or could have tasted worse, but once it’s bad, who cares about the degree of awfulness?  Love for you is nice, but love of my ingredients is more important in the outcome of my dishes!

When I am thinking about a preparing something, especially for the first time, I really think about the most basic flavor of the main ingredient.  What is the predominant flavor; what will enhance that flavor; if it is indigenous to a particular region, how do they prepare it? How can I make sure that all the components I am about to mix will complement, and even love each other? How can I get at the heart of the food I am cooking? That to me is the true alchemy of cooking, and for people who are really great cooks, this is so intrinsic to them, and their approach to food, it isn’t even a conscious action, it all just magically falls together, and even their failures are epic and daring and wonderful!

As I’ve said many times great food doesn’t need to be overly complicated and complex to be wonderful. Some of the most breathtaking meals I have eaten have been remarkably simple. I am sure that whoever prepared them, be it a friend of mine, or a chef in a restaurant, treated those simple ingredients with care, respect and love, coaxing the very best and truest taste from each well chosen ingredient and application.  I am often complimented on my salads.  My salad dressing couldn’t be much simpler; some good olive oil, and either fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, or a favorite herb salt Herbamare.  I also don’t use much dressing; as a culinary student we were instructed frequently that once the salad was dressed and plated, there better not be any dressing left in the bowl, there should be just enough to coat the salad and no more.

My friend Lisa makes the most wonderful croque monsieur sandwiches!  They might be one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, and they are simple; you need good bread, good cheese, good ham, and good butter, but we’re talking about a sandwich here!  Not too much of anything, sometimes we Americans like to overload and overstuff a sandwich.  Lisa who lived in Paris for twenty years, says her secret (and she knows I’m sharing it) is buttering the top slice of bread.  I am salivating just thinking of them!

A meal prepared with the finest ingredients, and flawless technique will never be as good as that same meal with love added to the preparation.  Some chefs cook for their own satisfaction, and are slaves to their egos. Their food will always lack something, and that is the generosity and feeling imbued by the chef who cooks to please someone else—you, the diner. Cooking from the heart is what creates the alchemy of cooking.  It is the balance of technique and love.  I hope you have a Valentines’ Day filled with love and excellent food.