Born to be a chef ?

I have never heard of this one. Having a look. Not at all. There are eggplants in both but they certainly taste very different : the caponata is cooked with vinegar, capers and green olive, it probably tastes a lot bitter than the caviar.

@pgntwo I have never been in one of his restaurants, but I was a great fan of Kitchen Nightmares and the way he was bashing these poor restaurant owners. I am sure he is a top chef, but he is also a good comedian. I do not think that anyone is born to be a cook and own a restaurant anyway. I will have a look at the way he prepares it. I learned the recipe with my mother who was preparing it traditionally. There are easier methods, but I stick to my family recipe. I am impressed. He does it quite the same way than I do, and he is not born here. I do not put thyme, I think it would be a bit too "thyme flavored", and I add some basil and cumin, but it is the only differences. And he adds some lemon juice. He is really a good cook for a Scottish man.

@topffer I have looked up the aubergine caviar: even that brusquest of chefs, Gordon Ramsay, has a recipe for it. It sounds delicious!

@topffer I find "Master Chef" too artificial and when they did one for the children I found it un horror. Children should be showered with love and not with you have not done this or that even if they know if they know its not for real. Shouting never got anyone anywhere I know I have been there.

@lovinangelsinstead21 Well, sometimes you have to shout, and children will listen if it is something unusual. I have no children but I have noticed that with the children of my friends.

I am very bad when it comes to pastries. I know only how to do a few easy traditional cakes. Make me think that it is the right season for a cherry clafoutis. For Ramsay, I had fun watching his Kitchen nightmares on a cable tv channel and I regret that they stopped to produce it. We have a MasterChef in France, but I have never been very interested by this one. I watch times to times the equivalent of "Come dine with me", "Un dîner presque parfait" here, it is the kind of reality show where you realize how some people can be hypocrite and nasty just to win a stupid game.

It is a typical dish from Southern France. It can be eaten cold on a slice of bread, or served hot with a meat or a fish. I have learned to prepare it the traditional way, but it is not easy, and many people are buying it already made in their supermarket.

@topffer .....How interesting. I really need to get some international cuisine knowledge.

@celticeagle If you are interested by this recipe, @pgntwo has given a link to a video in his response where Gordon Ramsay prepares an eggplant caviar approximately the same way than I do.

I have seen some pictures of your dishes, and you are a very good cook and a very good pastry cook together

@topffer Thank you. It's in the genes of my family. One of my cousin is a good Chef.

True, and it has to be done at the right moment. I put coarse salt on the eggplants before cooking them in the oven, it does not give the same result than fine salt later.

@Inlemay Congratulations I can cook quite well, but I like to do it only when I receive people, and not when I am the only one to eat.

@topffer not everyone is born to be a chef, but some people can cook well - that is me, I can cook and bake well

Not that often, but it happens, and I just experienced it again. There is a lot of components in this recipe, I did not forgot any except the more basic ones.

@gilggg Who knows ? I think it is the first time I forget them in this recipe. Alzheimer?

@topffer Well I'm sure next time you wont forget it..lol

@topffer I think so, too

Great chefs have a talent like yours to divide the job to do between people in their kitchens. You would have no problem to be a chef in a large restaurant.

@topffer Extremist indeed! She sure changed your eating lifestyle (but for the better, right?). One cannot deny great taste though - we like what we like. Would we rather a restaurant be healthful or tasteful (preferably both of course!). My mother put so much salt in her cooking that my father thought all restaurants did not have enough salt in their foods !

If you are interested by this dish, pgn has given a link in his response to a video where Gordon Ramsay explains how to prepare it. He does approximately the same way than me. You can eat it cold on a slice of bread or hot with a meat, a fish... or whatever you want for your meal.

I am also single actually, and I do not like to cook when I am alone. I should have better gone to a restaurant.

@topffer I try to cook and keep myself busy. that works for me these days.

Lol, it was not that serious, but it also happened to me a few times.

You are better than myself. I like to cook when I receive people, but not when I am alone. I try to do as fast as possible, and it ends times to times by a disaster.

Normally you put some coarse salt and olive oil on the eggplants at the beginning and they cook slowly in the oven like that. Well, I added some fine salt.

Yup, major failure. I added fine salt, but it is not the same than when it is slowly cooked with coarse salt.

If my family was telling it every day, I would tell them to do the cook themselves and I would see how good they are. We can do a deal : if I do not forget a component I am not a too bad cook, but I am a very bad pastry cook and I let that to you.