It's Been a Long Time Comin'

I've been a peruser of food blogs ever since my unexpected obsession with gourmet meats as a young adult fresh out of college with a minimal paying job. Since then, life has been a delicious adventure dabbled with increased interest in all things culinary. It began with the simple meats and seafood to the freshest organic gourmet meats and wild caught seafood, then the tossing out of college Ikea knives, pots, and pans only to be replaced by my loving Henkels, Calphalon, and Le Creusets. My bookshelves quickly filled with picturesque cookbooks by gastronomic giants and adventurers such as Anthony Bourdain, Masaharu Morimoto, Thomas Keller, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Eric Ripert. Cookbooks that I only open once at the bookstore, then file away for safekeeping from oil splatters and the myriad possibilities of food stains. My friends tend to think I'm a bit unorthodox in my ways-- never peeking at recipes or cookbooks and hoarding fine French reds and champagnes (as if the world was to come to an end) even though I don't drink.

Where did you learn to cook then?

My TV is permanently set on the Food Network (and Versus when the beau is home) so that when Top Chef and Iron Chef is on, I superglue myself to the couch and refuse to acknowledge the reality around me. My photographic memories of food plating from cookbooks and restaurants are singed into my right brain and I strive to re-create the nostalgic feeling of being at a nice restaurant for special occassions passed. My number one inspiration for cooking and plating, however, are the many food blogs (with their mouthwatering pictures) that I follow religiously.

I came across Food Network Challenge: Food Magicians last week where food stylists competed for best plating and presentation of food. I was so inspired by the amateur food stylist, Angela Yeung, winning the competition that I've been pining to be a food photographer and stylist for the past week. I've kept my food blog windows open on Firefox every moment I'm home so that I can motivate myself to change course in amateur photography from my constantly moving Jack Russell Terrier puppy to still life food.

With a craving for foie gras and fresh scallops yesterday, I decided to stop by Bristol Farms after work to pick up my ingredients to make my first food blog post. One sauce pan, 2 cast iron pans, a blender, 2 cooling plates, 1 peeler, 3 knives, 1 scissor, 2 spoons, 5 scallops, 4 slices of foie gras, 6 baby carrots, 1 fig and a couple sprigs of mache later, I proudly give you: Foie gras topped Magdalena Bay scallop on a garlic butter pea puree. Garnished with local organic black figs, baby carrots, and mache.

This blog will most likely be heavily salted with sabbaticals and lightly peppered with posts unless I get a dishwasher some time soon. There's so much cleaning to do in my kitchen for this small plate of food! I'm not quite sure whether or not I made those "botched scallops and foie gras" by accident or not, but my stomach is convinced that it was a purposeful mistake.

Happy Eating!

-Judy