If You Really Want to Cook Like Me

It’s like meeting an accuser. Someone marches up to me at my restaurant or after a book signing and announces with an injured air: “You know, there’s something wrong with this recipe. I did everything it said to, and it didn’t taste anything like yours!”

I always try to do a little tactful detective work on the possible reasons for the disappointment, but in my head I already know what happened: She used Minute Rice for the rice. He used clam juice out of a jar for the fish stock. She used some stale dried herb mix for the chopped fresh herbs. And they Don’t know what they did!