Markers in cooking
When it comes to cooking, there is only one real rule, and that is that there are no rules!
By that I mean that everything is possible, everything can be combined, everything or almost everything can go with everything, but you have to like it, you have to find it good.
I have friends who regularly make brown sugar pasta, just the idea makes me jump up and down, but they love it, I respect that, tastes are not debatable!
That's why the dogmas, or the canons of cooking can be shaken up when you cook and at any time, in other words you make a recipe of this and you want to put that in it? But why not, nothing should stop you, if you like it.
By that I mean that everything is possible, everything can be combined, everything or almost everything can go with everything, but you have to like it, you have to find it good.
I have friends who regularly make brown sugar pasta, just the idea makes me jump up and down, but they love it, I respect that, tastes are not debatable!
That's why the dogmas, or the canons of cooking can be shaken up when you cook and at any time, in other words you make a recipe of this and you want to put that in it? But why not, nothing should stop you, if you like it.
9,297 5/5 (16 reviews)
Keywords for this post:CookingTasteMarkersEssentialLast modified on: July 3rd 2021
Markers in cooking
Of course, if you deviate from the basics of a typical recipe, it would be better not to call it by its original name, and especially not to publish it anywhere, as you might get a lot of flak if some guardians of the recipe in question spot you.
Basically, it's potatoes slices cooked in water, put in a gratin dish with a mix of onion, lardons and dry white wine, from Savoie if possible, cooked separately, the whole thing is topped with fresh cream and covered with half-reblochons before being put to gratinate.
A pure winter delight.
All this to tell you that we can, with a certain look, define what the cooks/pastry cooks call the markers of a recipe, that is to say the 2, 3 or 4 or more, indispensable tastes to deserve the name of the original recipe, even if it is completely revisited.
Let's go back to our tartiflette, its markers are: Potato, onion, lardon, Reblochon (or even cream?)
A sweet example, the Black forest cake: chocolate, cream, cherry, kirsch
Tarte tatin: apples, caramel, acidulous
Carbonnade: Beef, beer
Bœuf bourguignon: Beef, red wine, carrots
etc. etc.
You can see that it's sometimes quite simple to determine, sometimes a bit more tricky ( cassoulet?), but it allows you to target a recipe you want to revisit while keeping its tastes and therefore its spirit, and at the same time to allow yourself one or two liberties by changing 1 or 2 markers. I say 1 or 2, because beyond that you risk doing something completely different, which is not dramatic either, but it will probably not deserve the original name.
To sum up: The markers of a recipe, i.e. its essential basic tastes that characterize it, allow you to know if, when revisiting or adapting it, you are still in the spirit of it, or if you are doing something very different, which may not fit with the original name. But who cares if you like it...
Basically, it's potatoes slices cooked in water, put in a gratin dish with a mix of onion, lardons and dry white wine, from Savoie if possible, cooked separately, the whole thing is topped with fresh cream and covered with half-reblochons before being put to gratinate.
A pure winter delight.
All this to tell you that we can, with a certain look, define what the cooks/pastry cooks call the markers of a recipe, that is to say the 2, 3 or 4 or more, indispensable tastes to deserve the name of the original recipe, even if it is completely revisited.
Let's go back to our tartiflette, its markers are: Potato, onion, lardon, Reblochon (or even cream?)
A sweet example, the Black forest cake: chocolate, cream, cherry, kirsch
Tarte tatin: apples, caramel, acidulous
Carbonnade: Beef, beer
Bœuf bourguignon: Beef, red wine, carrots
etc. etc.
You can see that it's sometimes quite simple to determine, sometimes a bit more tricky ( cassoulet?), but it allows you to target a recipe you want to revisit while keeping its tastes and therefore its spirit, and at the same time to allow yourself one or two liberties by changing 1 or 2 markers. I say 1 or 2, because beyond that you risk doing something completely different, which is not dramatic either, but it will probably not deserve the original name.
To sum up: The markers of a recipe, i.e. its essential basic tastes that characterize it, allow you to know if, when revisiting or adapting it, you are still in the spirit of it, or if you are doing something very different, which may not fit with the original name. But who cares if you like it...
Lasts posts
Should potatoes be washed twice?
Let's say you have to make a recipe that includes potatoes, let's say sliced, you'll most likely proceed as follows: Peel the potatoes, wash them, slice them, wash them again, pat them dry and add them to your recipe. But there's a "but": depending on the recipe, the second washing may be a bad...May 19th 20251,837 15
Grilled bacon is much better in the oven
Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".April 25th 20251,8385
The thermometer is your friend
There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...April 10th 20252,1455
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20253,614
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20244,0655
Other pages you may also like
Perpetual stock
It's something you have probably have done yourself: cooked or pre-cooked vegetables before adding them to a recipe. This is almost always done the same way: peel the chosen vegetables (carrots, for example), cut them up, boil them in salted water (using a tablespoon or so of coarse salt per litre),...November 22th 201627 K5
The return of the vegetable grater
If you are of a certain age (say +50) you may have known, when you were a kid, something that your grandmother had in her kitchen set, the vegetable grater. A kind of mill, to be turned by hand, and which with cutting discs of different sizes, allowed to grate a lot of vegetables, carrots first...March 20th 202114 K4.6
The 3 kinds of meringue
Meringue – what could be simpler? Just beaten egg whites with sugar added. This makes a fairly stiff mixture which can then be cooked in a cool oven to create those lovely, light confections. But in the world of professional patisserie, meringue comes in three different kinds. Even if the...June 14th 201361 K4.5
The window-pane test in bread-making
The home bread-makers often ask themselves “Have I kneaded my dough long enough?” . A good question, as dough that is insufficiently kneaded will not rise properly or will fall flat when the top is slashed, which is very frustrating. To know when the dough is ready, one can rely on the length...June 16th 202191 K 23.9
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .February 7th 2017128 K 14.1
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.