Mother in law

[Kim WB]

Hello,

I particularly enjoyed the entry about the first time your then future mother in law cooked you dinner...Ginger duck.

( Which remains my favorite preparation of duck I have ever had, and one of the few labor intesive recipes that is worth every minute of planning. My husband still raves about that duck...in fact, I worked nearly as hard on the planning for a Christmas pheasant, and while he declared it wonderful, the line which now haunts me was next..." but its not as good as that duck!")

Do you find that your profession provides a bond with people you are meeting, or more of an intimidating factor? Have you ever been in a social situation where you did not reveal your profession, just to avoid yet another story about someones favoritie chili recipe?

Looking forward to reading your book.

[Amanda]

hi kim. what a nice note. thanks.

i love that duck, too. and i often make my mother-in-law's almond cake recipe from the same column. it gets better after a few days so when i'm having a dinner party, i get it done in advance and it takes the pressure off. (if you ever do it, though, the recipe that ran in the magazine suggested doing it in two 8-inch cake pans. it's better in a 9-inch springform -- i've corrected this in the book -- the middle sinks like a crater but don't worry, it's supposed to.)

talking about food socially is hard to avoid, but i enjoy it. i like hearing about people's cooking highs and lows, or when friends call up with cooking questions. i did once talk to someone about their chili recipe and they later invited me over to try it. it was the best chili i've had yet.

cheers, amanda