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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2014 18:03:13 GMT
How to know when you are cooking for guests, what proportion of spices, herbs, and other seasonings to use? (We usually don't follow recipes from cookbooks verbatim).
My husband have it it pretty "down pat" when we cook for ourselves.
But, I find it sometimes a dilemma when having a dinner party as to whether or not we went overboard with a certain ingredient,(garlic, pepper,and others.)
I once heard on a radio show from a chef whom I greatly admire, that he usually adds one clove of garlic for each guest he's serving.
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Post by lagatta on May 17, 2014 23:48:31 GMT
Well, you have to know your guests. I have several friends for whom two good-sized cloves would not be too much. But I know some people shudder at more than a hint.
I wouldn't use more than your chef recommends if I don't know all the guests and their preferences.
I do have friends who can't stand food that is at all hot and spicy (and it is not because of indigestion or a medical condition). Well, I just roll with it then and make the dish with aromatic but not hot herbs and spices, and have good spicy condiments for those who want some heat.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2014 18:41:10 GMT
My only "personal" mistake is sometimes to use salt after having forgotten that something is already salty -- like cod. It's usually even worse for me than for guests, because I tend to prefer less salt than most people.
I am most definitely guilty of using more garlic than most people would prefer, but it never stops anybody from eating the dish. It just shakes up their habits a bit and most of them seem to appreciate it, because people are so afraid of using strong herbs or spices that it is a real treat to finally have an explosion of flavour instead of the usual bland stuff. Anyway, many of my friends were partly attracted to my dinner events because of my interesting cuisine even more than by the conversation, so it would disappoint them if I did not cook surprising dishes. As for the other people, I can do without them unless they have a medical condition which I do not mind respecting.
Whenever my best friend eats at my place, he often wants to know what I have done to set his mouth on fire. Sometimes just black pepper, sometimes Cayenne, sometimes chili powder... He asks but then says that he absolutely loves it because I am the only person who makes things as spicy as he likes. (I make things even more spicy than usual when he is the only dinner guest.) Since he cooks few things of interest himself, he is at the mercy of the norm, which fears spicy food.
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