I've just gotten finished reading "Think Like A Chef" by Chef Tom Colicchio. It's a very informative book. It has some personal tidbits, recipes, notes, and resources for the reader to use. Here's an excerpt from the book.
Introduction, page 25 "A word about techniques"
Cooking is a craft that begins with technique. Learning these techniques is a bit like learning a new language. If you'ver ever learned a foreign language, you know there's a point when you stop translating each word in your head, and can understand--first phrases, then sentences, and finally, the entire gist of the thing. Part of the process is learning the shorthand that is common to speakers of the same language and practically meaningless to everyone else.
Introduction, page 23 "So which comes first--the chef or the recipe?
Probably the number one question I'm asked on any given day is "How do you come up with your recipes?" The truth is, I don't. I don't sit down and "create" food combinations. In fact, the majority of food combinations "create" themselves. And I sure don't start sitting down. I start in the marketplace, walking. One any given day, I'll walk through the Union Square Greenmarket [although any well-stocked supermarket will do] and see what looks good. What's abundant? Above all, what are the seasons saying? For me, and I would guess most chefs, creating begins in the marketplace. What I see starts me thinking about flavors and textures, combinations and balance. Then I bring my purchase home and set to work applying the techniques I've learned over the years. Voilá! A recipe. Which leads me to: the best meal ever.
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