The Cool Cook

My love of good food began as a child living in the country where all the produce was fresh and every day was filled with the smell of baking or something good in the oven. At a very early age I learned the rudiments of cooking but it was in France that my culinary career really took off. From kitchen hand to second chef in one dizzy season, I found skills and an enjoyment that was to last me for the rest of my life and culminate in me taking over as head chef at the busy Pierre Victoire restaurant, a post I held until my retirement from professional cooking.

For me, the emphasis has aalways been on fresh produce and simplicity. But I also recognise the time constraints placed on modern families and so I have tried throughout my recipes to incorporate store-bought ingredients wherever it has been possible to do so without detracting too much from the original. There is much to be said for Delia Smith’s new/old book ‘How to Cheat at Cooking’!

I know that for many people cooking is a stressful thing that they would rather avoid. If you are one of those I hope to change your mind a little and take a great deal of the strain out of it for you. The stress is often caused by what I describe as the ‘tyranny of the recipies’ and if there is one thing I want to impress on you it is this: there is no right or wrong way to cook, there is only your way. If what you produce is fresh, tasty, appetizing and nutritious you have more than achieved your goal as a cook. Never let a recipe get in the way of your own creativity. Learn a few basic skills, which I will show you, and I promise you the world will become your culinary oyster.

The Cool Cook
Minnamurra, Australia. 2009