What is Gourmet Food?

Ingredients

The basic rule for preparing good food is to choose the best and the freshest ingredients then cook them until they have the best taste, texture and color.

When we talk about gourmet food, we need to try to explain what we mean by gourmet food. We can find various definitions for gourmet food, but, perhaps, the best way to describe gourmet food is to say that it is food which is simple, tasty, smells wonderful looks great and uses the freshest and best ingredients available. This means using fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh meats and sea foods, fresh herbs and spices which are of excellent quality. If it is not possible to get the freshest ingredients, we may need to compromise and use freshly frozen meats and often dried herbs and spices, but we do need to look for the best quality possible. Creators of gourmet food concentrate on quality instead of quantity. They concentrate on cooking the food long enough to maximize the flavors either through a long or a short cooking process. Achieving the perfect or best taste possible when cooking a particular food requires experience and skill, as well as talent. Not everyone can be a gourmet cook, but everyone can try to constantly improve.

It probably is a bit more work to shop for fresh ingredients, and then go home to prepare them, but the taste you achieve is well worth the effort. When using fresh ingredients, check your recipe to see how much preparation time is involved and how many different ingredients are required. When you choose recipes which are simple and use only a few and simple ingredients, you will find that it is not nearly as much work as you expect. When you follow a recipe, make sure you have all the right ingredients and follow the instructions carefully. You cannot expect to achieve the desired flavor and appearance if you do not use the required ingredients and take shortcuts to cooking unless you are an experienced chef. You need to use good fresh butter and olive oils, good meat and fish stock or bouillon. If you do not have your own meat or fish stock, use stocks or bouillons which do not rely on salt for their seasoning and flavor. Good stock comes from poultry bones and meats, as well as lamb bones, fish bones and pieces, veal bones and ribs, and pork bones and ribs. It is important that you simmer the stock and use raw vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and pepper corns to enhance the flavors of a good, basic stock.

When you serve a good meal, your guests should not have to guess what they are eating; they should be able to identify and enjoy the flavors and tastes. It is, of course, not always possible to use fresh ingredients, so its quite alright to use a tin of tomatoes or tinned tomato. Some shortcuts, such as frozen short crust and puff pastries are a welcome aide, especially if you are not a practiced pastry chef. Some of the freezing procedures and packaging have greatly improved and do not necessarily detract from a good recipe when fresh items are not available or out of season.

Presentation

We enjoy food through our senses, primarily, taste, smell and sight. It is, therefore, important that the food is presented with flair and not just “bunged on the plate”. If you do not like to have all the washing up when using serving dishes, serve the food on the plates, but arrange the meal so that it looks appealing and interesting. Sometimes a few freshly chopped herbs can create wonders and add both color and taste to food. Putting some freshly chopped chives, parsley or coriander in the bowl before serving the soup in the bowl, gives that added flavor, looks good and smells great. Slicing a piece of meat and placing these slices on the plate rather than serving one whole piece, gives the meal a professional appearance and also makes the meat easier to cut and eat. Make sure the plates are hot when you serve the food, otherwise the tastiest meal can be a disappointment if the food is only warm.

Many delicacies are available at the delicatessen and, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, the simplest foods become a feast. There’s nothing more enjoyable than the air of excitement that precedes a good dinner party or good dinner no matter how small or how grand the occasion. And if you do not have time to create food to gourmet standards all the time, try to create a gourmet meal once in a while just for the change and for the pleasure of having met a challenge in creating the best meal possible.

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