Variations on a Theme, a Project

Last summer, Hubby and I got into watching some of Bon Appétit's videos on youtube, especially Gourmet Makes and It's Alive with Claire Saffitz and Brad Leone. ( I especially enjoyed the challenge Claire Saffitz faces of trying to make a real food version of popular junk foods in each new episode of Gourmet Makes, and her access to a test kitchen makes me really jealous!) Hidden amongst these were two videos, one of 3 of Bon Appétit's chefs making Eggs Benedict 3 different ways, and one of 3 of their chefs making Carbonara 3 ways. They called the 3 different variants the traditional, modern and experimental ways. I thought it was a neat concept but thought nothing more of it for a while.

 

And then, at some point in the autumn, I was talking to my sister, who also really enjoys cooking, and then later to a childhood friend of ours who also has a food blog, Hibiscuskook. Something about these two conversations got me thinking. Wouldn't it be fun to do something similar together to BA's "3 ways" videos? I put it to them, and they both said they were game, but with Christmas coming up and some personal things to wrap on each side we decided to wait until the new year.

 

The idea is to each cook our variations within a 24-hour window. Unfortunately, with time zone differences, a Little Bit and his schedule to take into account, and busy lives, it doesn't seem possible to cook the things simultaneously on a video call to really share the cooking experience, but sharing recipes and pictures within a 24-hour window feels like a pretty good second choice. We won't necessarily stick with BA's labels for the different variations, and may not necessarily assign labels each time, but rest assured that the variations will be unique to each of us! My friend makes a lot of vegan food these days, my sister likes playing around with traditional recipes, and you know me: traditional with a twist of experimentation. 

 

We aren't all in the same place anymore, as the winds of life have blown us around a bit, so we won't all get to taste each other's creations, but by chance two of the three of us are living relatively close together again (and that only since November), so we at least will get to try two of the three recipes. I am really excited about this new project and so happy that both my sister and my friend agreed to do this with me. For more info on my friend, the Hibiscus Kook, check out her blog here! Watch this space for our Variations on a Theme!