Wednesday 20 April 2011

The Concept

As a student, I have currently scaled back on the luxuries that come with a monthly pay cheque by forgoing meals out for most of the month, and cooking at home with a newly self-imposed budget. But trying to figure out a medium between eating at home and continuing to host dinner parties (for I am a serial entertainer, and a very good one at that) has been a challenge given how expensive fresh produce and meat is in the city, so a couple of weeks ago friends and I came up with an easy formula to solve my culinary conundrum: the 4/40 concept. The premise: feed 4 for under $40.00, whilst still producing a 3 course meal (or more). It makes for some creative cooking and painstaking shopping, but it is great training for the pocket and palette, and it allows me to continue cooking for friends and family.

The only caveat is that I have a well-stocked pantry and kitchen, which affords me the versatility to cook more elaborate meals than my paltry budget might permit. This is the price that we must pay to serve simple but sophisticated food. One must never compromise standards quality, and keep in mind that it is a prerequisite for any serious crook to have a well-stocked kitchen. If not, then you can forget about entertaining because it's going to cost you...

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