Top Chef

Today is the first time I got to see the Tribute portion of Top Chef. The task was to showcase something that got them to start cooking.Some succeeded, some failed. Many talked of their grandmothers, or mothers. One talked of his nanny and did well.

Both of my grandmothers were dead before I was a year old. One couldn’t cook anything, and Dad’s mother taught my mother some German recipes before she died. I remember rouladen, rolled beef around a carrot and pickle or something but it was always tough and I hated it, along with stew and rice pudding, and farina soup dumplings.

Now I braise meat in the winter, have tried my own latkes in the past month, make matzoh ball soup regularly searching for the seminal NYTimes recipe from the 1980’s. I’ve even made spaetzle.

Given that challenge I couldn’t say my grandmothers were my cooking muse. My mother wasn’t either. We were the Campbell’s Cream of Whatever Soup mix family until a family friend ordered a lifetime of Gourmet magazine.

I’m guessing the rest….. My mother didnt’ know what hit her. She was so intelligent and needed something she could do that would also help her husband in his new job and take care of her chldren, three of four were still at home, I was away at college.

One night she served us a lovely cheese quiche and a salad and asked Dad if he liked it. He said it was great, what’s for dinner? Whoops! In my culinary mind I think that was the beginning of the end.

My other muses were my Aunt and fellow educator who launched a catering business for the summer season when they were not teaching. Their rule for us as family was to taste, then ask what’s in it. Tonight I made a blue cheese butter to top my filets, and never would have thought of that if I hadn’t tasted their three cheese dip that included blue cheese that I wanted to hate.  I loved it.

Do I have cooking school and cookbook mentors? Yes. But before the age of ten I had these amazing women and the Betty Crocker Boys and Girls Cookbook.

Breakfast-wise, we begged Mom to buy those cinnamon, and orange, pastries in the frig section, so we could pop the canisters, frost and bake them. Our goal was breakfast in bed, but we never managed it, because she knew our plan and always got up to eat at the table.

Food brings up so many memories, especially during the holidays. Everything was closed here today. I had dinner planned but as usual hubby threw a monkey wrench into it by getting up early. I’d planned on two meals today.

So I must tell David Sax of the infamous “Save The Deli” that our local Asian place (no buffet) was open for lunch, sushi bar et al. 99% of businesses were closed today in our unique State. Cheers and happy holidays to all. Dee