Now that our group has, collectively, cooked through the whole of Around My French Table, we’ve moved on to four weeks of celebratory posts, reflecting on our more than four-and-a-half years of cooking together.
This week, we were asked to:
Choose the recipe that might not have been your favorite or even something you enjoyed making or even something you were skeptical about but which taught you a technique or gave you an idea or provided a lesson of some kind.
In any long-term learning experience, there will be moments of doubt and skepticism. But, we push through to find out if that doubt was warranted and often, minds are changed. Personally, I’d rather be happy than right. Especially when that learning experience is happening in the kitchen.
There were many moments that I found myself feeling skeptical as we worked through Around My French Table and I think that’s a very good thing.
Sometimes, it was the instructions that took me aback. How could flattening puff pastry possibly be a good thing? Turns out, it’s a delicious thing.
Sometimes, it was my own abilities in the kitchen that gave me pause. Now I know I can stuff a pork loin, present a soufflé, and even spatchcock a hen.
At other times, it was a flavour combination that made me hesitate. Oranges and olives in a salad? Olives or nori in a cookie? Consider my palate improved.
What I’ve never doubted was how much I’d grow as a cook during this process, though if you’d asked me at the beginning if I’d grow as a person, I’d have scoffed. As I said, I’d rather be happy than right.
Find out which recipes quashed the skeptic in the hearts of the French Fridays crew, here: Celebration Week #2: The Never-Doubt-Dorie Moment
Win one of two copies of Jill Colonna’s beautiful Teatime in Paris!
One Wet Foot 
I remember when I was first shown the flattening-puff-pastry technique and how excited I was. Reading your post, I now see how odd it must have seemed when you first encountered it. So, so happy that you, like l, now love it – xoDorie
Teresa, so very nice to see that we agree on the “Puff Pastry rounds technique” – I actually named it my very favorite technique that I learned from Dorie´s book. Also so interesting to see that quite a few of the Doristas also share a distinct love of the Seaweed Sablés. A much loved sweet-savory cookie treat in our house as well.
Have a nice weekend and à la prochaine,
Andrea
I agree – the flavours and techniques seemed sometimes counterintuitive, but worked for me most of the time.
3 excellent examples!!! I need to make those seaweed sables—maybe when Bill is out of town 😉
Some of the flavor combinations we faced were definitely daunting! But sometimes not as much as the challenge of putting ourselves out there week after week. I’m happy I have grown along with you.
I shook my head “no” on all of these recipes and was pleasantly surprised. Great examples.
I like to be both 🙂
Taking the puff out of puff pastry definitely caused me some head scratching moments as well.
I definitely did not to expect this group to be such a growing experience. (Or that it would send me to the Pacific NW- or the Canadian SW; but I am ever so happy that it did).
I taught those seaweed sablés on Thursday night in a Parisian inspired cocktail party class and I could tell a few people were doubting me 😉 They all loved them though!
I’m so glad that this group has forced me to try recipes that I wouldn’t have trusted, or that I would have decided were too hard for me. It’s amazing what you can accomplish by carefully following instructions, isn’t it? These are all great examples of Dorie’s lessons that will stay with us.
Teresa, such great choices! I agree that this has been a wonderful “push” to try different ingredients, techniques and recipes in general. And I do agree. Better happy than right!!
“I’d rather be happy than right.” I love this sentence and it really sums up so many of these recipes for me because I was often wrong and very happy about it:-) The recipes which I would not have tried without this group were hands down the most rewarding in the book.
“My palate improved” lovely thought and I agree. I have learned so much by cooking with this group and it looks like I have more to learn. I have not made the recipes you have mentioned so I have more to do. Great post.
Hi Teresa, its been so fun following along with you on your Dorie experiences, and a huge Congratulations on your completion and accomplishment!
Fun choices for this week! It is fun to stretch and see the things we can accomplish!
Another good set of choices. I love those savory sables! I still marvel at the community that came out of this project. I certainly thought I’d grow as a cook, but I never thought I’d end the project with a new set of friends.