SEASON
by
TO
TA S T E
Alex Mackay, author of Everybody, Everyday
Raymond Blanc taught me to taste and the lesson began on my first day in his kitchen at Le Manoir. My hero shook my
hand, laughed and began to explain that he’d put me (a Kiwi) on the cold section, to keep me as far as possible from the Aussie on the fish section. But he didn’t finish his explanation. Instead, his eyes leaped to my garnishes for his Provencal terrine. He grabbed a spoon. “Taste,” he said. “Every bit, mon grand.” He demonstrated. “The green beans need more pepper. Taste them. The tomatoes need some sugar. Taste, see for yourself. The fennel, too sweet. Balance it with lemon, taste. The herb dressing, mmm, good, very fresh, very clean.” RB said it so often that I’d hear “taste, taste” in my dreams. But tasting isn’t only for Le Manoir, the best of restaurants. It’s not just a ‘cheffy’ thing. Tasting is the easiest way to make a difference to everything that everybody cooks every day. You can start early, I’ve passed on “taste, taste” to my 3 and 6 year old sons who now say it to me when we cook together.
Taste, taste, taste If we taste our food as we prepare it, we can improve as we go. Think of it as a glorious game of “How can my dinner be more delicious?” When you add salt to your sauce, is it enough? Taste it again. Would it be nicer with spice? Sugar? What about acidity? When you roast a vegetable, cut off a bit and taste it. Is it undercooked? Is your boiled vegetable tender? Before you strain it, dip it in quickly cold water so you don’t burn your mouth and taste it. Taste a salad dressing with the tip of a leaf. Lick the sauce from spoons and spatulas. Just keep tasting. Taste takes you on adventures A recipe’s taste evolves as it cooks. When you try cooking my tomato compote, for example, your tomatoes may be watery. Simmer them to evaporate the water and leave as much flavour as possible. Taste. If the compote’s become too acidic, balance it with sugar. Then, to strengthen the taste, add salt, little by little, and taste between each addition. Now the compote becomes a chameleon that you can season to whatever taste you fancy. Salt doesn’t have to be followed by pepper, for a spicy bite, use chilli, curry or jerk spice. For smokiness, smoked paprika. A fresh burst? Use grated citrus zest or ginger. For sweetness, there are raisins and raz-el-hanout. And for a super salty treat, fried bacon bits with their cooking fat. Everybody Everyday has three sections: Adventures, Magic and Sorcery. Tasting takes you on an adventure, seasoning is a sort of magic, and the results can seem like sorcery. Take your smile into your kitchen, your curiosity and the tip of your tongue. Grab a spoon and turn good into magnificent, by tasting as you go.
EVERYBODY, EVERYDAY by Alex Mackay Bloomsbury £20.00
Want to see Alex Mackay live? Click here for his programme of Cookery Demonstrations