help me with this recipie

[lukepiatt]

Here is a recipe for baked sea bass with proscuttio and apples and a honey wine glaze.

i would like some comments on this recipe - like how i could make it better and maybe some presentation ideas and what i could serve with it - thanks for any and all of your comments good or bad

[Suzanne F]

Looks very interesting. Whom do you expect to use this recipe? Home cooks? Line cooks? Whichever -- but especially for home cooks -- the ingredient list and directions need to be clearer.

- Is the fish filleted or skin-on? And wow, that's a big portion!

- How are the apples sliced -- cored rounds or sliced wedges? How thick? And can you suggest varieties that work best?

- Can you suggest some wines that would work?

- What do you mean by "presentation side?" (a line cook will know, home maybe not)

- Which now is the top of the fish, where the apple slices go?

- You mean proscuitto should be almost paper-thin, not "narrow," right?

- Is the glaze cooked down at all first, or used raw?

- How long to bake, and at what temperature? A lot of people have no idea how to tell when fish is done (including some line cooks I used to work with )

Betcha didn't know how hard it would be to write a recipe! And this is only the first cut.

[lukepiatt]

suzanne thanks for all the good advice-I've made a bunch of changes could u check them out

[fifi]

lukepiatt... I write up a lot of recipes for my kids, family and friends. I am the archivist for very old family recipes, new favorites, you name it. At this point in my career, I do a lot of supervision of technical writing and I have applied a lot of those principles to recipes. First rule is to REALLY know your audience. Suzanne has it right-on there. My audience runs the gamut from experienced cooks to absolute novices (think giving lessons on boiling water). Here are some rules I use...

Use an introductory paragraph. Include things such as where the recipe originated, its history. What it is used for? Any hints on using the recipe: Is it to be followed to the letter? Is it a basic starting point for innovation? Add some suggested innovations if applicable.

List ingredients in order of use. Include quantities as precisely as possible. If the ingredient is obscure, give some hints on how to find it. This is sometimes a challenge if you are starting from something that you (or a great-aunt) cooked with a "pinch of this, a bunch of that". What I do is cook the recipe, knowing from experience what is "right", and notice (or measure) what the quantities are.

Notice technique that you might take for granted and describe in detail. Aim for the clueless. Don't just say "chop". Say how big. Address geometry in relation to the ingredient... across grain, with grain, vertically, horizontally, whatever.

Give instructions in order and include the time required. Give hints as to what you can do simultaneously. (e.g. "While the shallots are sweating, chop the parsley." I am amazed at how many recipes ignore this.)

If you have places in the recipe that you can "stop here" and continue later or the next day even, be specific about that. "Stop points" are very helpful if planning a fairly complex meal.

Include number of servings for various uses: appetizer, main course, etc.

Include information on make ahead, freezing for later, how to store, etc.

Include notes on how to serve. With what? Suggest how the recipe might fit into a menu.

Yeah... It is more complicated than you thought.

[cew]

This is an interesting adjunct to the "how detailed should a recipe be?" thread. Here are a few comments from someone who has never gone to culinary school or worked in a professional kitchen and likes her recipes to be detailed, thank you very much!

1. -pan sear off presentation side until golden brown

What is the "off presentation side"? I have never heard this term. Does it mean the side you do not want to present?

2. -remove from pan and place on baking sheet

I assume with the presentation side up, so that means the golden brown side should be down? or up?

3. -baste fish and bake for 5-7 minutes ( basting a couple of times in oven)

The oven in my apartment is crap and never holds a consistent temperature. So, what should the fish look like when it is done? Should it still be translucent? Flake easily with a fork? Is the timing the same for both sea bass (or substitute sablefish) and halibut?

4. In general, I like both a visual cue (golden brown) and an estimate of how long it should take to get there (two to three minutes), so an instruction would read, pan sear over medium-high heat for two to three minutes, or until golden brown. This helps me figure out what end result I am aiming for. It also helps me cook at the right temperature. Words like "medium" and "medium high" really aren't very descriptive of temperature because the definitions are so subjective and different ranges/ovens vary widely.

5. On a substantive note, I like crispy fish skin and would probably do this recipe skin on if I were making it at home. Why do you recommend removing the skin? Is it just because a lot of restaurant customers don't like it?

I don't always follow recipes exactly, but I like to have a clear idea of what the author of the recipe intended, both in terms of the final result and the means of getting there.

[Jinmyo]

1.  -pan sear off presentation side until golden brown

What is the "off presentation side"?  I have never heard this term.  Does it mean the side you do not want to present?

2.  -remove from pan and place on baking sheet

I assume with the presentation side up, so that means the golden brown side should be down?  or up?

Not to butt in, but:

!. One tends to say "sear off" or such when that step is just one of several.

2. Must be presentation up.

3 and 4 I'll leave to Luke when he checks this.

Very nice, Luke. For my own tastes, no honey and I would alternate thinly sliced daikon with the apple.

[lukepiatt]

ok everyone i just want to say thanks for all the feed back its awsome. i guess ill take some time to introduce myself and my cooking beliefs before i continue to modify my recipe.

Names luke ( and no its not short for lucas), im 25 and have been in the culinary bussiness for 3 years. My love for food came from a home where food was always the main event at holidays or family gatherings. my mom is sicilian and a wonderful cook who i am in constant competition to be better than, though in baking she has me beat by a mile and always will. Any talent i have i probably owe to her.

My culinary career started 3 years ago when i started the culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu- dover nh. Myfirst job was half way thourgh the school year at a country club, where i think i learned more then i learned at school ( it was real life situation learning- like what to do when u spilt 3 gallons of clam chowder when are suppose to serve it in three hours.)

My second job was at a breakfast joint where we would have an hour waiting line all morning . This job taught me speed and cordanation. It also taught me that i didnt have to be making 20-30$ plates to be happy cooking. It was the quality of the food and making the custermer happy by giving him something cooked to perfection wether it was eggs or a fillet.

My third job was a step up to fine dinning at a fish cafe in portsmouth nh. this job broadend my horizon with- sauces, presentation, preping, cooking actual products, and of course speed- i was named the weed master for a while .Unfortanately my wife got accepted to Indiana state univ. for grad school so i found myself moving out to terre haute in. Let me tell u fine dining does not exist out here and that is where this recipe comes in.

I am now working at frogs bistro which i would describe as an american family dining restraunt. The only good thing i can say about working here is that im in charge of daily special, which gives me a chance to up the ante on the food. I basicly have a free range as long as i watch the food cost. What i try to do with my specials is give the dinner a chance to experience something that he or she has not had a chance to experience- something that is visually exciting and that also excites the palate. Do i create all my specials no i search the web and magizines and spend hours in book stores. Some recipies i follow to a tee but some i twist or change(like this creation, or the time i made tornado rossini and not being able to aford the foi gras or truffles served it with a duck moussiline and portabella mushrooms)

So am i a food authorithy, hell no just a young guy having fun cooking. this little recipe progect is turning out to be quite a learning project thanks everyone!!!!

Now Thomas Keller he is a food god!!!!