Be A Recipe Detective

Before we get started this week, I need to let you know that today, Jan. 23, is a holiday! No, don't look on your calendar. Unless you've got a very elaborate one, this holiday won't be listed.

Today, my friends and loyal readers, is...

***Trumpet Fanfare***

NATIONAL PIE DAY!

That's right! This is a day devoted to the adoration and enjoyment of one of mankind's greatest culinary creations. Whether sweet or savory, open-topped or fully crusted, get out there and get yourself some pie today! Those of you, like me, who are dieting have my permission to "sin," solely in interest of observing the holiday.

For more information, head to The National Pie Council Web site.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled column.

How many times has this happened: You're in a restaurant, and something you eat is so good you would sell a kidney to find out how it's made.

Just last week, I was with a group at an Indian restaurant, and one of my fellow diners brought back from the buffet a wonderful dessert, full of light fruity flavors and a balanced sweetness that stopped just short of cloying. We all spent a few enjoyable minutes sampling bites and speculating as to ingredients, preparation and such. It's the sort of thing that usually gets me started rummaging in the pantry for tins and bottles of exotic ingredients I picked up to use "someday."

Over in the "Ask The Cook" column, I get questions every week about restaurant recipes. I'm wary of answering them, because having written many recipes myself, I know what it's like to have your hard work handed around for free. However, there's nothing stopping you, as an inquisitive and knowledgeable diner, from doing some simple culinary detective work on your own.

With enough cooking experience, you can learn to closely approximate most restaurant recipes without auctioning vital organs.

The first thing you likely notice about your meal is the aroma. Smart cooks know that smell is a large percentage of taste, and incorporate aromatics, herbs and spices noted for bright, distinctive bouquets, into their recipes.

If you have located a good spice shop, you can take a "sniff tour" of their wares and narrow down what spices might be producing the aroma. If you're still puzzled, try heating small amounts of spices for just a few seconds in a microwave or nonstick skillet over low heat to get the volatile oils working.

Pay attention to how the food is cooked, as well. Is it broiled? Grilled? Fried?

What about the sauce, if any? What is its base? Some sauces may be difficult to pin down, but bear in mind that, unless you're eating in a gourmet restaurant, the sauce is likely made in a large batch to be used over time, so it's not terribly complex or fragile.

Once you've got a general idea of the ingredients you need and the flavor you're looking for, it's time to experiment.

Don't spend a ton of money on the ingredients for your experiments, though. If you were eating lobster, try using frozen crawfish tails, which are available in just about every large grocery store freezer. In a pinch, you could even use chicken breast as a flavor template for any shellfish dish.

For beef, don't go blowing big bucks on beef tenderloin or filet. Use sirloin.

TAKE NOTES! If you don't write down what you use, and in what amount, you'll be heartbroken when you realize you've perfectly duplicated a recipe ... but you don't remember how you did it.

When tasting time comes, keep an open mind because this is where the magic comes in: even if you miss the mark and don't exactly duplicate the dish, the fact that your own tastes and preferences have influenced the choice of the ingredients and the formulation of the recipe will more than likely mean you've produced something you like, anyway!

Instead of coming up with something that's "just like such-and-such restaurant," if you missed your target you might just have created a new house favorite for your own "cafe."

Join me here every Friday for explorations of the nuts and bolts of cooking, food oddities and other items of general culinary interest. Drop me a line anytime!