Where I live I am totally spoiled when it comes to ingredient availability. We have beautiful produce, amazing Farmer's Markets, grocery stores that carry everything that you could ever need, and specialty food stores that stock the rest. You do not have to drive too far from here though to end up in a food dessert where produce is scarce, couscous is unheard of, and the butcher looks at you funny if you ask for ground lamb. The differences in food availability are vast and incredible.
The more I try to make recipes when I am on vacation, the more I realize that I have to offer alternatives to harder to find ingredients whenever possible. My meatloaf, for example, contains ground lamb, but if ground lamb is not available where you live, ground beef works just fine. My quiche calls for Gruyere cheese, but it is still pretty delish dish with regular Swiss. Sure, I think that these things taste better if you can find all of the ingredients, but...
It is important to me that the recipes that I offer are things that everyone can have the pleasure of making and eating, regardless of where they live and what is available to them.
I do have a few recipes with harder to find ingredients that have no alternatives, but wherever possible I will offer substitutions and tips so that the cookbook is as useful and usable as possible.
Sure, I may be spoiled, but that does not mean that I am going to act like a brat...
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