Here to learn, this is me!

[gaiaphil]

Hi everyone, I've been lurking around this forum for a while now and have finally joined up. So about me, well I've been cooking for over twenty years but have been vegan for the last eight. Yeah, thats right, vegan but don't worry, I'm all about the food and keep the ethics low key :-) You see I'm not a militant vegan nor am I one to fight my corner of offend others on their choices, I'm here to learn from everyone and everything. 

 

I think that a true foodie respects all ingredients, cooking techniques and cuisines, I've even gained inspiration from "Man Vs food" so yeah, that should show you how chilled I am even though I prefer to eat only plant based food. I love using spice, i make my own tofu and sometimes dabble with raw foods although I'll never be a raw foodist, now that is restricted!

 

My favorite cuisine is Indian, I love a good curry but I'm also just as happy with a bowl of soup. I'm not a big fan of bread and don't really have a sweet tooth, dessert very rarely makes an appearance on my table. Its probably worth mentioning that I run a small catering company, I've served up veggie options at festivals, small gatherings and private events. I also run a monthly supperclub.

 

Loves - spice, smoothies, tofu & tempeh, curries, Belgium beer, rice dishes, wholefoods, ripe fruit, organic local veg, kale chips, seaweed, dates, salads and seeds.

 

Hates - stodge, fake meats, tasteless supermarket produce. 

 

Getting there - durian, miso, cashew cheese, dessert.

 

I'm here to learn about other cuisines, Middle Eastern in particular and also new cooking techniques. I'd like to know what modernist techniques would lend themselves well to plant based ingredients and I'd like to increase my dessert repertoire.

 

Hope I haven't bored you........Phil.

[Smithy]

Welcome, Phil. It's nice to see that you've decided to stop lurking and start participating! Thanks for giving us some of your background and interests. You'll find a lot of good information about Modernist cuisine and techniques as well as desserts...there are a lot of us who are dessert enthusiasts, as I'm sure you know already. :-)

With specific regard to Modernist techniques and vegetables, my first thought is using the pressure cooker to get maillard reactions without overcooking the fruit or vegetable in question, so you can get the good complex flavors. There's a fair amount of discussion about the Modernist Cuisine Carrot Soup recipe, and you may be interested in this topic: Pressure Caramelized Banana recipe from Modernist Cuisine at Home

Jump on in and have fun!