mise-en-place

Keller writes extensively about being organized. The term in the kitchen is mise-en-place, French for "put in place." It means having everything at one's hands, prepared, ready to go. To carry the kitchen analogy, I am currently prepping for service. If I intend to do this project, this book and these authors justice, I have to get organized. Big time.

I was lucky enough to exchange emails with co-author Michael Ruhlman (one of the best out there) and Carol Blymire (of FL@H and Alinea at Home fame) about blogging in general and what a cook-the-book adventure is like. Carol was frank and honest and really put my head in the right place with what a project like this requires. But she also informed me of the extensive planning and preparation that goes into her work.

I am not rushing into the project. I will be taking the next couple of weeks to read the entire book, cover to cover. I want to get a feel for the flow of the book, how I want to organize the dishes, what I need to make in advance, etc. I then will put each recipe into a spreadsheet organized by season - for product availability - noting any special order ingredients - to schedule mail-order time into my planning. I hope to post at least once per week but I want to post composed dishes. If the book suggests a recipe pairing (as it frequently does), I will make the pair for one post.

I have already made a few items and they are great. I am getting more and more excited as I think about the great food I'm going to be eating throughout this project.

Until next time.

Next Post: The Rules of Engagement