No weigh
A recent survey suggested that cooks reach their peak at the age of 55 by which age they can:
bake without weighing ingredients
make supper out of leftovers
rescue a meal that’s going wrong
That’s totally mistaken. No sensible cook would think of putting together a cake mixture without weighing the ingredients – it’s a recipe for disaster since baking depends on precision, not improvisation. Then, making supper out of leftovers – who says 20-year olds can’t do that? They might have a point about rescuing a meal that’s going wrong, but then again, a younger cook wouldn’t be stressed in the first place, so would probably grab a glass of wine and throw the mess in the bin!
These are chocolate and coffee eclairs. I’ve been making them since I was 25. They’re no better or worse today than they were then. I learned how to make choux pastry from my mother – a brilliant patissiere – and followed detailed instructions to make sure each step was correct. The result is crisp shells, a creamy filling, icing on the top and a professional drizzle of chocolate at the end.
So don’t wait till you’re 55 to feel that you’re a confident and competent cook. Just get started.
