Over the last few weeks, I’ve come across numerous instances where people have modified a recipe from our cookbook to suit their own preferences. Maybe they’ve added some vanilla extract to a recipe that didn’t call for it, or added bok choy to a stir fry dish for some extra greens, or spiced up our marinara sauce with the addition of some fennel seed. These are all great things!
Recipes are dynamic and constantly evolving. Sure, you can make them tried and true as a recipe specifies, but there’s nothing wrong with a little experimentation, ad libbing, or modification to make a recipe “yours” or to simply suit your own preferences. My Belgian grandmother was both famous and infamous for this – she seemingly couldn’t leave any recipe alone; she always had to leave her mark on it. She was a wonderful cook, and so most often the result was wonderful. But from time to time, her well-intentioned ways led a recipe seriously astray.
We, too, are big recipe modifiers. Of course, this happens naturally each time we take a “traditional” recipe and make our own gluten-free version. But it also happens in the course of making recipes from our own cookbook. Most often, this is the case when we get a craving for a certain dish, but don’t feel like running out to the store to get the requisite ingredients. Instead, we simply look in our pantry and our fridge, and “go with it” from there.
Today’s Friday Foto is a case in point. I was craving a blueberry pie. Kelli was craving a cheesecake. As you can see, we met in the middle on this one. We whipped up a batch of basic gluten-free cookies that became the crust. Kelli made our cheesecake. And then, using frozen blueberries from our freezer, we made a blueberry version of our cookbook’s raspberry sauce (dialing down the sugar accordingly, since the blueberries are sweeter than the raspberries). The result was a dessert that was at once familiar and different…all thanks to a little recipe modification.
– Pete
Thank you both so much for your cookbook. I just recently tested positive for gluten intolerance (saliva testing). The next day, I started looking for help online and found your cookbook on Amazon. It has been a godsend! Thanks so much for this great blog! I don’t feel so lonely now and discouraged, now that I have your cookbook. Julie in Wichita, KS
Hi Julie… Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re so glad to hear you like the cookbook and blog! Have a great weekend.
Cheers, Pete
I found your blog via my good friend, Shirley at GFE, and wanted to say congrats on the success of your book. It must be wonderful!
I agree with you completely about recipes being dynamic and, yes, living, breathing things. For me, they have a life of their own. 🙂 Beautiful photo – I love cheesecake and raspberry.
Hi Amy… Welcome to NGNP. I’m so glad you found us via Shirley! I’m going to refer your blog to a friend of mine – she’s both gluten-free and refined sugar free as part of an anti-inflammatory diet.
Cheers, Pete
That’s sweet that you two can compromise on a dessert recipe. If I am craving something, I’m usually addimit that that particular gf food is what I make. Haha! I love your cookbook and have fun playing around with the recipes. If no one played around with recipe revisions, we would be missing out on a lot of good food! Take care.
Hi Kilee… In this instance, the compromise worked well. But there are definitely times when I’m craving something specific, and nothing else will do! =)
Cheers, Pete
I love recipe modifications, and they often come about from not having a certain ingredient or wanting to use another ingredient. This cheesecake looks superb! Like you guys, I will bake cookies just to make a crust sometimes. And, on the rare occasion that I have a failed cookie or bar-type recipe, I stick the results in the freezer to become a cookie crust for later. Chopped nuts work great for these types of crusts, too. (Add a little butter/oil and perhaps some sugar, if needed, to make the consistency suitable.)
Shirley
Hi Shirley… Thanks for the tip about using chopped nuts (with maybe some oil and/or sugar) to make a crust. I haven’t tried that!
Cheers, Pete