"The Four Hour Chef" and My Cooking Challenge

"If you crossed Jason Bourne with Julia Child, you'd end up with Tim Ferriss."

            - Marco Canora, Chef-Partner of Hearth and Terroir

Can you imagine what that would be like? I got a great visual; Julia Child leaping buildings in a single bound, armed with a spatula and a rolling pin, ready to take on any vegetable that got in her way.  Or this; Jason Bourne wearing a camoflauge apron staring down the most difficult souffle and forcing it into submission. The quote above is taken directly from the cover of  The Four Hour Chef, and once you check it out, you'll totally get understand. This book, by author Timothy Ferriss, shows you how you can be a world class chef in 6 months or less. Is this even possible?  I love to cook, so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! 
Who is Tim Ferriss? He is the author of "The 4-hour Body" and "The 4-hour Workweek." His style is unique and probably not for everyone, but I'm sure intrigued by it. He's an attention grabber for sure.  You can learn more about Tim Ferriss by clicking this link.


As most of you know, I look at recipes as a template; a guide to get started and to personalize it with your own additions, substitutions and style. The way I see it is that almost anyone can follow recipe, but to truly make it your own, you must put your own spin/personality into it. For example, I dislike brussel sprouts. They've never done anything to me, but I still do not like them. However, my friend SheRie does something special (and adds pancetta), takes pride in her preparation, and her sprouts are amazing. Now I have her recipe too.

I have an artisan bread kit from Average Joe that I received recently. The bread is amazing by itself, however I want to make "Lori Bread" so I added garlic and parsley. Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows how much I love my garlic. Just this one addition took a simple bread mix and gave it my touch. It wasn't much to add, however it personalized it for me. This is one example of where my husbands term "Lorification" came from.


If you think this is your basic step-by-step cookbook, think again. To quote celebrity Guy Fieri, I also enjoy books of any type that are "off the hook!"  This is coming from a girl who used a book called "The Anti-Bride Wedding Planner" to plan my nuptials rather then something more traditional. Martha Stewart I am not.

My time is limited. Your time is limited. How many of us are running kids to sports, picking up groceries, cleaning house and trying to juggle many tasks? On top of that, dinner needs to be made. And now that the holidays are upon us, entertaining family and friends get thrown into the mix. I love cooking for guests and want to ensure that my meals are pleasing both in taste and in presentation. Food can stimulate all the senses.  A good roasted chicken, brussel sprouts and a pumpkin cake are popular, however I'm ready to take things to the next level. So here is my challenge: Can I be a top-notch chef in 6 months or less? Stay tuned and you'll find out.


"The Four Hour Chef" is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online book retailers.