My younger son, Brett, is an executive chef with a prestigious restaurant group in Seattle, but for anyone who thinks I can gloat over passing on a talent in the kitchen, ponder the following fact:
Last week I was inspired by “Master Chef Junior.”
I mean seriously, have you seen these kids? “Signature dishes” of pan-seared salmon, roasted butternut squash, sautéed bok choy and a cauliflower puree. Some have to stand on a box to see over the counter, and they are cooking Scallop and Smoked Trout Fritters with Romesco sauce.
Meanwhile, I am opening a can of black-eyed peas and sending my husband to Moe’s for his supper.
I have been a Master Chef Junior fan for several seasons, and it has taught me many things. Not to hate Gordon Ramsay, for one. His softer side – and he has a big one – way overshadows his “Hell’s Kitchen” shtick on this show.
On the opening of Season 6, the girls vying for a top 12 spot were asked to cook a chicken breast with a side dish. Gordon got the ball rolling by showing them how he cooks a chicken breast.
Of course, he makes it look effortless. Season, sear, baste and Voila! – a golden brown, juicy but cooked-through chicken breast that made my mouth water – and I don’t even eat chicken.
It’s not like I’ve never cooked chicken. I was cutting up a whole chicken and frying it in an electric skillet when I was 12. Problem is, that’s the only way I know how to fry chicken: dredge it in a flour mixture, float it in hot oil and fry, fry, fry.
The next day, I was at Kroger, picking out a package of chicken breasts. After I revived my husband from his fainting spell when I told him I was going to cook dinner for him, I got to work making “the perfect chicken breast.”
Immediately I realized that I had bought a bone-in breast instead of the boneless that Gordon and the kids used, and it was huge. So much for the “12 minutes” cooking time. That also meant that I lost confidence in deciding if it was cooked all the way through and ended up cutting the breast to check, a huge mistake, of course.
But Neville raved about the chicken. I’m trying to think it was not because he knew there was a second, uncooked one still in the refrigerator and was hoping to skip Moe’s again later in the week. I did cook the second one, and he declared it “even better than the first.” He is a very kind man.
The show always makes me wish I could go back and spend more time in the kitchen with both my mother and with my children. Cooking is the ultimate bonding experience. It can accommodate many hands, it opens doors for conversation and reminiscing, and the product of the time spent makes people happy.
Now, what exactly is a romesco sauce?