Your Path to Glory

[Stone]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding stuff, but did you go to cooking school with the expectation of being a food writer and not a chef? How does your cooking school experience influence the way you write about food? Do you think it gives you a point of view missing from other food writers?

[Amanda]

hi. i like your clip symbol. where did you get it?

i would say that it was definitely in my mind when i applied to cooking school because i applied to be an "editorial stagiaire" at lavarenne. editorial stagiaires worked directly with anne willan, the director of the school, on her cookbooks. i didn't have conventional classes. my training was to cook her meals, to develop, test and edit recipes. at the end of the program, i did take normal exams -- both written and practical.

there are many great food writers who haven't gone to cooking school. it's certainly not a requirement. for me, though, i think cooking in restaurants and going to lavarenne has helped in lots of ways. when i'm interviewing chefs, i know what to ask. chefs do so many things naturally that home cooks would never think of, and it's helpful to catch those details and ask them about them.

at the times, i do a fair amount of cooking stories. most recently, i did one on turducken. i couldn't have done that story if i were a novice cook. knowing the basics of roasting, stuffing and slow cooking made the process of mastering turducken much more efficient. i also write a lot of recipes here. we have a wine panel column every other week and i do the pairing recipe for it. if i hadn't worked for anne willan (i worked for her for two years), then i might not know how to write a proper recipe.

[Steve Klc]

I have to admit a bias here--Anne Willan's "Great Cooks and Their Recipes: From Taillevent to Escoffier" is my favorite book of hers--fantastic on so many levels and yet still unappreciated.

What's your favorite Willan book and why?

Which Willan books did you have a hand in behind the scenes?

And is there a favorite moment or anecdote you'd be willing to share from that first formative period spent with her?

[Amanda]

i really love her french regional cookbook. it's an early one, and may be out of print. it's filled with terrific recipes. unfortunately, the time i was there she was working on one of her least interesting books, which was about cooking meals in 15 minutes. my second year there, she did a book called "cooked to perfection", which is similar in design (and ambition) to lavarenne pratique, but i was less involved because i had, by then, begun writing my own book.

anne is very old school and i appreciated it. i think i needed that, coming from the states. no anecdotes are popping to mind at the moment, but i'll respond again if one does.

[Jaymes]

Ms. Hesser -

Whichever your "path to glory," I just want to say that I have really appreciated and enjoyed your responses and input here.

Sadly, I am not familiar with your column. I live in Austin, Tex, and do not receive the NYT (although I AM aware I could receive the Sunday New York Times at home).

From this (admittedly limited) eGullet exposure to you, your thoughts, ideas, and generosity of spirit (especially liked your answer as to how you respond to repeated food queries and suggestions at social gatherings), I've decided perhaps I SHOULD start receiving the "Sunday New York Times at home."

Thanks again. Very, very much.

[col klink]

Amanda, I'd just like to thank you for writing the turducken article. It inspired a friend of mine to demand that I smoke one and it was a lot of fun. I likened it to the meat version of a three-tiered cake. Here's a cross-section:

I took pictures throughout the whole process but I save you and everyone else the sight of the untrussed birds!

[Amanda]

jaymes, what a lovely note. there's definitely plenty in the sunday times to keep you busy reading all week, so it's worth the investment.

and col klink, thanks for the turducken photo. i just made one last weekend for a party. how did you smoke yours? and how long did it take?

[Stone]

hi. i like your clip symbol. where did you get it?

The clip art was courtesy of Ivan. I'm sure he could be cajoled into creating something appropriate for you.

Would you ever have thunk that your path to glory would lead through eGullet?

[col klink]

My turducken was for a party too, it made for a lot of interesting conversations in both the weeks before and after the party. I smoked all 19 pounds of it over alder for 5 hours at roughly 225. My smoker is a standard offset smoker. It's hard to see, but behind the turducken is a whole brisket that smoked for 13 hours:

I pulled the turducken off when the chicken hit 155 at which point, thanks to the brining, the turkey was only 165. I served it with a smoked goose and turkey gravy made from stock leftover from Thanksgiving. The next time I smoke a turducken, it will be with a stronger wood. Since the cavity is closed up, the turkey doesn't get as smokey as if it was unstuffed and you loose flavor that way. I'd at least use maple or if I can find some, mesquite or hickory. But those are tougher to find whole in Seattle!