I'm sure it will never happen BUT "wouldn't it be nice..."
This is my new idea and I'm very excited about it. I don' t know with who I'm going to undertake this challege but I'd like to make it a tradition for a long time.
The basic idea is: That every two weeks, we alternate cooking for eachother. So every other week there is one "chef" and one "diner." The catch is that the diner chooses the menu the week before. The other catch is that the chef gets to demand one "qualifier" or theme for the menu. FOR EXAMPLE, the menu must:
focus on the grill
use seasonal ingredients
be all-crockpot
be vegetarian
use less than 10 ingredients
be finger-food
be all stove-top
focus on foods that taste better as leftovers
include all the major rainbow colors
have a packet theme (i.e. "en papillote", in little souffle cups, or all in turnovers)
incorporate red wine into every dish
be inexpensive
focus on fried foods
be all-fondue
incorporate basil into every dish
have a rice theme
incorporate spice (heat) into every dish
be all-chilled or good at room temperature
focus on spanish foods
have a "loaf" theme
focus on dried foods
be fat-free
be twists on comfort foods
have a "red" theme
be all "on-a-stick"
be all salads
have a breakfast theme
have a rolled them
Oh, I could go on and on. All things food are so fun for me.
Any how, so, after the meal, the "diner" becomes the chef and chooses one qualifier
For example, I cook. We eat. The other person comes up with a qualifier while I clean up. They say "use all the colors of the rainbow in my menu." I now have three days to come up with a colorful menu:
Carrot and ginger soup
Purple peruvian potato and yellow pepper salad
Red curry with spinach on rice
Blueberry turnovers
They now have about a week and a half to formulate their recipes and go shopping.
We meet. They can ask for my help with any prep-work or as a third hand for stirring or transferring bowls or to set up the table or just for conversation or anything else that is not related to technique.
Then we eat. Now I have to come up with a qualifier while they clean up. I say "make everything in my menu rolled/wrapped." They have three days to come up with my rolling menu:
Leek, shiitake, and ham lettuce rolls
Swiss and asparagus chicken rolls (pounded chicken around bundles of asparagus and swiss"
Lemon mousse crepes
I now have a week and a half to decide what kind of lettuce I want to use for the rolls, how I want to cook the mushroom, how I want to incorporate the ham, whether I will blanch or roast the asparagus, what I will season the chicken with, and whether I want to make the mousse from scratch ahead of time or figure out a "semi-homemade" shortcut.
This is so fun! I could just keep going in my head except now I'm starving!
The basic idea is: That every two weeks, we alternate cooking for eachother. So every other week there is one "chef" and one "diner." The catch is that the diner chooses the menu the week before. The other catch is that the chef gets to demand one "qualifier" or theme for the menu. FOR EXAMPLE, the menu must:
focus on the grill
use seasonal ingredients
be all-crockpot
be vegetarian
use less than 10 ingredients
be finger-food
be all stove-top
focus on foods that taste better as leftovers
include all the major rainbow colors
have a packet theme (i.e. "en papillote", in little souffle cups, or all in turnovers)
incorporate red wine into every dish
be inexpensive
focus on fried foods
be all-fondue
incorporate basil into every dish
have a rice theme
incorporate spice (heat) into every dish
be all-chilled or good at room temperature
focus on spanish foods
have a "loaf" theme
focus on dried foods
be fat-free
be twists on comfort foods
have a "red" theme
be all "on-a-stick"
be all salads
have a breakfast theme
have a rolled them
Oh, I could go on and on. All things food are so fun for me.
Any how, so, after the meal, the "diner" becomes the chef and chooses one qualifier
For example, I cook. We eat. The other person comes up with a qualifier while I clean up. They say "use all the colors of the rainbow in my menu." I now have three days to come up with a colorful menu:
Carrot and ginger soup
Purple peruvian potato and yellow pepper salad
Red curry with spinach on rice
Blueberry turnovers
They now have about a week and a half to formulate their recipes and go shopping.
We meet. They can ask for my help with any prep-work or as a third hand for stirring or transferring bowls or to set up the table or just for conversation or anything else that is not related to technique.
Then we eat. Now I have to come up with a qualifier while they clean up. I say "make everything in my menu rolled/wrapped." They have three days to come up with my rolling menu:
Leek, shiitake, and ham lettuce rolls
Swiss and asparagus chicken rolls (pounded chicken around bundles of asparagus and swiss"
Lemon mousse crepes
I now have a week and a half to decide what kind of lettuce I want to use for the rolls, how I want to cook the mushroom, how I want to incorporate the ham, whether I will blanch or roast the asparagus, what I will season the chicken with, and whether I want to make the mousse from scratch ahead of time or figure out a "semi-homemade" shortcut.
This is so fun! I could just keep going in my head except now I'm starving!