Amy Finley has struck again. I really enjoy her recipes. She has a little bit of Alton Brown in her. She explains not only what she is doing, but why she’s doing it. I really don’t watch a cooking show to be entertained as much as learning a new idea or technique. I like to understand the concept of cooking or baking. Five people could use the same ingredients and recipe, but yet the dishes won’t all taste the same. They will be close, but someone who understands food science has an edge on all other cooks. Harold McGee wrote a wonderful book called “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen”. If you have been to culinary school, this is required reading.
Today’s episode featured an endive and roasted red beet salad with Chicken Piccard and roasted potatoes. A mocha terrine rounded out the meal for dessert. Amy pointed out that she offset the slight bitterness of the endive with the sweetness of the beets. She picked dishes that included some of the same seasonings to save time and as a theme for the restaurant style meal. Amy talked a lot about the aromas of the dishes. You use two of your senses to judge a dish before you ever taste it, your sense of sight and your sense of smell. If you walk into a home and you smell something that just doesn’t smell right and then you look at it thrown on a plate. You pretty much know that it isn’t going to taste good. Amy’s food looks very good, so we are assuming that it tastes good too. Last week, she bashed some potatoes and cooked them on top of the stove. This week, she roasted them in the oven. For dessert, she made a three layered ice cream dish.
I like Amy’s show and I wish her much luck with the remaining episodes.
[Gourmet+Next+Door]
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