Recipe is an "Idea"

Jacque Pepin describes it best in this video. Watch it! It's a small investment of time. [3:55]

"Have you ever had a dish turn out wrong no matter how closely you stick to the recipe? According to legendary chef Jacques Pépin, recipes describe a process that can never be duplicated exactly; what you need to understand is the “idea” behind the recipe, and use it as a point of departure."

Who is Jacque? One of the greatest! (at least in my opinion) He was on PBS in the early days with Julia Child.

But Tyrone, you just sent me a recipe for joining your family newsletter! Yes, I did. And will probably include more in future newsletters. People love recipes, and I love to cook and create. We can argue that there are no "original" recipes left and I am ok with that. But I want to give you a starting point in which to find a dish you love to make. A dish you will create yourself and change, tweak, and diversify to make it your own.

For years I never wrote down any recipes. I actually didn't care to do it. I cook from my head and often did the same thing Jacque talked about in this video, using a recipe as a starting point. But it helps to find good starting points. Some of the recipes I will share you may not care for, or, maybe something that is not part of your diet. And that's OK. I get it. I can't reasonably think that you would love everything I put out.

Do your own thing, create.
[For some excellent video on cooking, Jacque Pepin - Fast Food My Way]