About The Recipe

Professor: “One thing is to write down an existing recipe, but how do you create one from scratch?”

Alex: “Several years ago, a woman submitted a recipe to one of the leading food magazines and wrote: “Here is a recipe that my husband, the doctor, invented one weekend at our summer home.” The recipe was easily recognized by anyone with just a little classic cooking knowledge. I don’t know if the good doctor had cheated or actually did “invent” the dish without knowing that someone had already invented it centuries earlier.

In the past, working in classic French cuisine meant following the old masters’ recipes religiously—a classic example of staying inside the box. With the arrival of Nouvelle cuisine, many walls were broken down, allowing more freedom to think outside the box. This resulted in a boom in creating new recipes and adaptations of old ones. The most successful chefs were those who remembered where they came from and kept their feet on a solid foundation. Unfortunately, some young chefs with no background or foundation didn’t understand the idea behind Nouvelle cuisine, went overboard serving tiny portions, and gave Nouvelle cuisine a bad name. But it is such a great example of what happens when everyone is taught to follow the rules, and then one day, someone says: You don’t have to follow the rules anymore. Do what you think is the right way to do things. The result was a boom of creativity all over the world.”

Professor: “So, new recipes were created?”

Alex: “Yes, the old recipes were put aside, the food got a little lighter, and new recipes were created. Chefs also started to plate the food in the kitchen and got creative with plate presentations.”

Professor: “You are talking about top professional chefs. Today many of the celebrity chefs still put out a lot of cookbooks.”

Alex: “Yes, and most of them are very good. But hundreds of new cookbooks are published annually with an equal number of recipes. Not all of them are written by professional chefs. Amateurs, clubs, civic groups, and churches distribute hundreds of cookbooks yearly. Many of them are collections from members and meant as fundraisers. However, very few of these recipes are original. Most are old stand-byes, reworked standards, variations, or other adaptations. It wouldn’t surprise me if hundreds of Mac and Cheese recipes were published yearly. Truly original recipes are difficult to find. Opportunities do present themselves occasionally by way of new foods coming to the market, sometimes by crossbreeding, hybrids, or newly discovered foods from other parts of the world. Some are even being created in laboratories. New equipment and techniques demand new ways of doing things. Brand new ideas, seemingly coming from nowhere, are rare.”

Professor: “I don’t think creating recipes differs much from other creations. What do you think?”

Alex: “It has been claimed that all creative ideas are available to us. Like radio waves, they are being beamed down to us from above. However, they can’t penetrate our thoughts. Therefore, we must train ourselves to occasionally stop our thoughts, even if just for very short intervals at a time. I have never gotten an idea for a whole recipe. I often get ideas about trying to do something differently or new combinations. These ideas can come anytime while working in the kitchen or at 3 am while sleeping. When a creative idea does penetrate, the question is what to do with it. The idea must be interpreted, analyzed, and understood. First, I write it down quickly, then take it into the kitchen and work out the details.”

Professor: “Obviously, some people are more creative than others. Who is the most creative chef you have worked with?”

Alex: “I worked at a restaurant as a young cook when we got a new chef, and I was tasked to work with him. From the get-go, he was different than any other chefs I had worked with. He was quick, intense, and all business. We quickly learned he was an outstanding chef, and he knew his stuff. Every day the Executive Chef would designate one of the chefs to make the special. On the very first day, the new chef said he would do it and proceeded to make a special that was far above anything we had ever seen. From then on, it was full speed ahead; things changed and got reorganized, and we did new things every day. Those of us who worked directly with him quickly found out we had to be both physically and mentally at our best every day. We worked hard but loved every minute of it.”

Professor: “Did you ever discover why he was so creative?”

Alex: “He worked hard at it. He would read and study every night, and when he came to work, his head was full of ideas we would work on and experiment with.

Cooking was his whole life. One day he gave me a book and said, ‘Read this,’ it was Physiology of Taste by Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826). It was a little heavy for me at the time, but it also gave me a new perspective on working in a kitchen and told me a lot about him. He cared deeply about the food we prepared, but he also cared about the people he was working with. He was a different person than others I had previously worked with. He could be temperamental and had no patience for lazy and stupid people.”

Professor: “I think independent, curious, nonconformist problem solvers are probably more creative than others.”

Alex: “He was all that.”

Professor: “Give me a scenario where a chef needs creativity.”

Alex: “Let’s say a chef is working on a new menu and needs new ideas for an appetizer. Specifically, he needs a cold, non-seafood appetizer for the spring menu.”

Professor: “Psychologists think the creative process happens in stages.

          Gather information and new material.

Incubation. Thoroughly work on the material in your mind. Defined problems and seek solutions.

          Step away from the process.

          Evaluate the process and compare it to similar items.

          Share with others, have someone look at it, and get feedback.

          Shape and develop based on the feedback.”

Alex: “In my experience, most new recipes are developed by hard work, using all we have learned from our teachers and mentors about food and preparations. By standing on the shoulders of those who came before us, we can use our knowledge to create, rework, adjust, develop, and tinker with the recipes we work with daily. After all, the kitchen is a place of transformation. Everything brought into the kitchen is changed in some way. It is just a matter of how this is done and sometimes who is doing it.

The more a person knows about combinations and how all the ingredients work and react in different situations, the easier it is. For people who work with recipes every day, it is unavoidable not to vary a recipe to fit, not only to their style but also to adjust according to the variability of ingredients and equipment. The world is an ever-changing place, and often we must adjust our recipes to fit a new situation, diet, or a change in lifestyle or way of living.

Another thing is availability. Let me tell you about Chef Durand, Chef to General Napoleon. He found himself at the battlefield near Marengo in northern Italy in 1800. After the battle, Napoleon told Chef Durand to fix him supper. However, the supply wagon was left too far behind to reach. Durand sent men out to get whatever food they could find. But this was a battlefield, and two armies had already plundered everything from the local farms. They only found a saucepan, one chicken, six crayfish, four tomatoes, three eggs, a little oil, and a little garlic. Chef Durand also had some bread rations and Cognac from the General’s flask.

Cooking over an open flame, he worked with what he had. Napoleon liked the dish so much; he commanded Chef Durand to make it again after each battle. And Chicken Sauté Marengo was born.

Professor: “In the grocery stores, almost everything is always available. You can get asparagus in December and strawberries in January.”

Alex: “Many chefs have embraced the farm-to-table concept. It can be challenging and constantly changing depending on where in the country you are and the season. You might have an abundance of fresh figs one week and none the next. Chefs working directly with farms must be flexible, creative, and able to make quick decisions. Chefs are used to ordering what they need from large produce companies, where almost everything is available year-round. However, working with farmers means they can only get what is available, sometimes not even that. If they had been promised strawberries for tomorrow, but if it rained all last night, the farmers might not be able to get out and pick them.

Mystery basket competitions are popular everywhere. Each contestant gets a basket of food and must make a meal from the basket’s contents, often in a limited time. That, of course, forces the competitors to think on their feet and be creative.

Professor: “You used the word ‘develop’ earlier; what do you mean by that?”

Alex: “Let’s look at a scenario that plays out, in one form or another, in hundreds of restaurants every day: The Chef calls his team of cooks together to let them know he got some fresh Seabass for tonight’s special and the enthusiasm level went up a few notches.

Chef: “Any ideas?”

Cook Bob: “We should pan-sear it.”

Cook Matt: “Remember the lemon vodka drink the bartender made the other day? I have been thinking about making a beurre blanc with that and maybe adding some green peppercorns.

Chef: “Maybe also add a little lemon zest. Are you thinking whole or crushed green peppercorns?”

Cook Matt: “Crushed.”
Cook Lisa: “I could make my Mango Salsa to go with it.”

Chef: “I think it might be a little too spicy and overpowering for this dish but go ahead and make it but use only half the amount of jalapeno peppers.”

Cook Amy: We can serve it over herbed jasmine rice.”

Chef: “Sounds good, and then top it off with micro arugula. Let’s have one dish ready at 5 pm to make some last-minute adjustments and let the serves taste it.”

Hopefully, the chef had time to write it down, maybe even with notes on how it was received and how many were sold.

A lot of recipe developments are done in test kitchens. Many large operations, plus all the food magazines and TV shows, have test kitchens. Chefs, nutritionists, dietitians, and research chefs get together to brainstorm, bounce ideas around, test, and re-test whatever topic they are working on.”

Professor: “Interesting, but let me tell you what I did last week. I wanted to make a Chili and checked the internet. There are a lot of Chili recipes on the internet, all similar but slightly different. I picked out three, put the ingredient lists side by side, added the amount for each item, then divided them into three, and got a new fourth recipe.

          Ingredients           A       B       C       Total           New

          Servings              6       4       8       18               6

          Onion                  1       ½      2       3 ½             1

          Garlic                   3       2       4       9                 3

          Beef                     2       1       2       5                 1.6

And so on with all the ingredients, and then make a few adjustments.”

Alex: “I haven’t heard of anyone doing it like that, but I know all chefs will look at recipes to get ideas and maybe a little inspiration. Just like some musicians can hear notes in their head just by reading sheet music, some chefs can imagine taste and combinations by reading a recipe and might make mental notes before entering the kitchen.”

Professor: “I know you have traveled and worked in several kitchens.”

Alex: “Chefs are traditionally a traveling lot. Young chefs need to be exposed to as many cuisines as possible for the sole purpose of learning. At the same time, it is impossible to remember how, when, or where anything was learned. Often learning is done by repetition over long periods. The time comes when everything learned is put to good use, is pulled together, and we stand on our own feet. We create our style according to our preferences, temperament, and skill. It is a gradual process, from being the one asking all the questions and getting advice from the more experienced to be the one answering all the questions. Sometimes the questions come quickly, in hectic situations, and answers must sometimes be instantly creative. (Some chefs I know are most creative under pressure.)

At an inn where I worked as a young apprentice, there was a period when we went through several Executive Chefs, some of whom were very questionable. When I complained to one of the cooks about the high turnover, he told me: “Take only the best from each of them and make that your own, then someday you’ll be good.” Today I can’t even remember their names, let alone what I learned from whom, but it is one example of how we learn and gather information.

When the old masters created a new dish, it was a big thing. Chefs worldwide would memorize the recipe and try to recreate the masterpiece. You could visit a French restaurant in New York, London, Tokyo, and Madrid and get an almost identical meal. If one of Escoffier’s recipes called for peas, you would use peas, and if you couldn’t get them fresh, you would use frozen or canned, but you would use peas or not make that dish at all. Today, things move a little faster, and many creative chefs change their menus often and create many “specials” daily. Truly creative people work so quickly that by the time their work is published, they have already moved on to the next thing and could care less about their prior creations.

Professor: “At what time does a recipe belong to someone? If a chef takes a recipe and makes one or two changes, is it his?”

Alex: “He can call the ingredient list his and maybe the direction if they are simple. My question is: what if a chef gets the idea to take a piece of fish and cook it like taught by the first chef he worked with twenty years ago but uses a technique he learned from a second chef ten years ago and combines it with a sauce he got from a third chef five years ago? Then he uses a presentation he picked up from a fourth chef last year; is it now his? At what time can he call it his own?”

Professor: “That is a good question.”

Alex: “When a recipe is published, it can be difficult—perhaps impossible—to credit someone else for the creation. However, if the source is known, it should be acknowledged, and if a recipe comes from a published book, it can only be republished with permission. Keep in mind cookbooks and recipes are published to be used. The question of copyright becomes an issue only if a recipe is published.

Unfortunately, there have been cases where people blatantly stole the recipes of others and published them as their own. Respecting and properly crediting another’s creations and intellectual property is important. Even though a recipe by itself cannot be copyrighted, everything surrounding it can; published cookbooks are always copyrighted.”

Professor: “What do you mean by everything surrounding it?

Alex: “As I have said before, I am not a lawyer, but the way I understand it is that the ingredient list cannot be copyrighted, the directions are a gray area, but everything else, any writing, headnotes, photographs, and information on ingredients or history, is copyrightable.”

Professor: “What do you mean by a gray area?”

Alex: “One lawyer told me directions in a recipe are protected; another told me that if the directions are simple and common, they are not protected. So, to me, that is a gray area for lawyers to fight over.”

Professor: “If I want to create a recipe, what would you tell me?”

Alex: “Creating recipes can be fun, and I think creativity comes in many forms. Start with what you already know. There may be forgotten ideas from the past or items in your possession that can be explored further. It is often a matter of looking at what you already know and applying it from a different angle. Write everything down and make drawings if possible. Visit other kitchens, friends, family, and colleagues, and keep your eyes and ears open. Read, explore the internet, and watch food shows. Brainstorm. Get other people involved. To have other like-minded people in a group and bouncing ideas back and forth is the best and quickest way to create. Keep an open mind, and don’t let other people tell you what can and cannot be done. Be curious, experiment with the recipes, and adjust shape, form, and fine-tune them.

Another way to create is to focus on one or two items. Chefs entuned with the seasons will know what is in season now and what is coming into season shortly. Let’s use plums as an example and exclude desserts. Plums can be sliced and sautéed in butter or grilled and served with seafood, chicken, or pork. Many Chinese recipes include plums. How many savory dishes with plums can you think of?

Or maybe two ingredients. In the early fall, you have oysters and corn. How many dishes can you come up with using oysters and corn?

I once worked at a hotel that had a yearly Catfish festival. All the chefs and cooks were trying to create new catfish dishes. I must admit, not all of them were good, but some were.”

Professor: “I have been taking notes the last couple of days while we have been talking about writing and creating recipes, and I’ll try to summarize.

• Choose a dish or a theme. Decide on the type of dish or cuisine you want to create a recipe for, from appetizer to dessert or a specific cuisine like Greek or Chinese.
• Identify the main ingredients. Concentrate on the key ingredients you want to use for your recipe. Think about the flavors and textures you want to incorporate. If you are creating a pasta dish, you might also think of items to go with it.
• Determine cooking methods. Decide on the cooking techniques you want to use for your recipe. Will you be baking, grilling, or sauteing? This will help determine the steps and timing for each component.
• Experiment and adjustments. Start experimenting with different ingredient combinations, quantities, and cooking methods. Take notes on the measurements, cooking times, and any adjustments you make. Taste as you go to ensure the flavors are balanced.
• Document your recipe. Once you’ve finalized your recipe, document it clearly and organized. Include a list of ingredients with specific measurements, step-by-step instructions, and any special tips or variations. You may want to take photos along the way to illustrate the process.
• Test and refine. Prepare a recipe multiple times to ensure consistency and make necessary adjustments. Consider seeking feedback from friends or family to get their input and suggestions for improvement.
• Share and enjoy. Once you are satisfied with your recipe, please share it with others. You can publish it on a blog, share it with friends and family, or even submit it to recipe websites or competitions.”

Alex: “Creating recipes is a creative process, so don’t be afraid to experiment and adjust along the way. Remember: Give freely what you have received freely. Have fun and enjoy the journey of culinary creation!

And if someday you get a message from outer space to create a new dish, head for the kitchen and get busy, but don’t forget to enjoy the experience.”