I remember being given my first Larousse Gastronomique and being disappointed. It seemed like such a weighty tome it *had* to be the ultimate reference on cooking, didn't it? Sadly it was only on French food. It was also, despite being comprehensive, based in traditional food, obsessed by the premise that French was all there was and that the only way to do things was to do them as per the Larousse.
In some cases, they're right. But in many cases they're not. The world is shrinking, bringing us closer to cuisines and ingredients that as a child were no more than words in a travel brochure to me. Unattainable, impossibly distant and unlikely to ever feature in my cooking.
As much as I love and support the traditional shops, the tiny ones that still cure their own delicious bacon, who make breads and support local bakers, farmers and growers, who provide us with duck and goose eggs, we would be remiss if we did not recognise the part the supermarkets have played in shaping our plates.
Nobody has to wait for strawberries any more, bananas and avocados are daily fare all year round, the widest possible range of meats, dairy produce, fruit and veg possible is there, on our doorsteps, every single day at our command. Not just tinned or frozen, but fresh. Forty years ago the only way you were getting a dragon fruit was by getting on a plane and flying to where they grew. Nothing else would work. There were stories of people paying fortunes to hire planes to ship in impossible cargoes for special meals. It was the fare of the very, very rich and nobody else.
Now, if I want Australian fish for dinner, or New Zealand lamb, I walk into my local supermarket in Brighton and pick it off the shelf. A few Indonesian lichees for afters? Maybe some delicious Kulfi to go with that? How about veggies - Cavolo Nero or Pak Choi?
Chefs have noticed this and begun to mix and match, combining flavours into something new, known as fusion, where the rule book has gone out of the window. And still it's not enough. Enter the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Molecular Gastronomy stage right. Now we can take every possible flavour or texture and we can present it any way we like - spaghetti made from Champagne? A frothy foam of skate with caper flavoured pearls suspended in it? You name it, you can now do it, and it's all on the net to be discovered.
But I still have my Larousse on the shelf, and other books with it. Because no matter how we push the envelope of food and food preparation we still need to remember our roots. Fancy is fine when you feel like it, but if you want a good Bouillabaisse or Daube, pick up the Larousse, now battered and stained, but still turned to regularly.
This blog aims to resurrect good, fresh, French food in a traditional manner. It also aims to look at every day dishes and modern fusions. It will mean each month you'll get 4 step by step recipes, two classic French, one International and one which will be anything from Molecular Gastronomy to student cooking - a pot luck if you like, just for fun.
If there is a dish you would like to see done, please, let us know and I'm sure we'll add it to the blog.
Happy eating from Mr & Mrs FC.
