Mother Pucker

Whenever I come across a spectacular dish at a restaurant, I immediately want to run into the kitchen and kiss the chef right on the mouth before hurrying back to the table to faceplant myself into it. Like many cities around the country, the only place to have a restaurant meal since the pandemic has been in our own heads. I have a small file of memories that I play when I can't stand the sight of my own kitchen. Some owners have already said they won't be able to come back, and many more are gone and we, or they, just don't know it yet. The ones that are able to return won't look, feel or act the same for a very long time.

Any restaurant recipe now is a postcard from another time. A time when you could just make a reservation without thinking twice, or you could arrive wherever you were going and walk down a street where the lights were on and the doors were open. What restaurants have you missed the most over the last year? If you had the recipes, would you ever want to try and recreate any of those dishes in your own kitchen? If you're a massive foodie and love cooking, it can actually be very good practice to try and recreate restaurant meals at home. You'll learn a huge amount and will seriously improve your skills and tasting abilities. Not to mention you will be much more appreciative of the creativity that went into developing your favorite meals. But where to start? Without a straight recipe, it may seem daunting or even unimaginable, but with a few helpful tips, anything is possible.

Be Inquisitive. The first trick is to never be too afraid to ask. Get in touch with the restaurant or ask your waiter more about what it is you are eating. You'll find that many people are open to sharing their knowledge and will have a great conversation with you.

Be perceptive. Mentally pick apart your plate. What ingredients are there in front of you? What smells and flavors come from the sauces? What makes this particular meal so appealing to you? Take a picture so you can remember how the dish was assembled. If you constantly ask yourself questions, you may be able to figure out the culinary puzzle.

Take notes. Write down the title and description of the food. Label all of the ingredients if you can. You may think you'll remember but it would be a shame to let something slip through the cracks Herbs can be tricky ones to remember.

Look online. Search for similar recipes. If the restaurant is a chain, or the dish is a popular meal, you'll probably be able to uncover some great copycat recipes. You can then work on adding the twist to make it really stand out.

Experiment. Don't hold back; get in the kitchen! The only way you're going to make progress is if you get started and put in some elbow grease. Try multiple variations and taste at every stage along the way - that shouldn't be too hard now, should it?

Don't give up. If it doesn't work the first time? Try, try again. You've got this. Even if it doesn't turn out the way you imagine, as long as it's delicious, you've nailed it. Remember the chef probably didn't get it perfect the first time either.

Recipes can let us recapture certain tastes and moments to remember how a restaurant meal can enchant us. What's the only difference between us and a professional chef tossing food two feet in the air over a raging flame? Confidence. Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. And who knows, it may be your dish that I'm devouring the next time I want to run and kiss the chef.