Going Underground – Finishing up my new book on Pan Sauces

The deadline for my new book is just around the corner. EEK! So, I will be taking a break from posting and writing for a bit. I’ve been pretty negligent about posting a weekly sauce for a while now, but that’s because I have been cooking like a maniac. It’s tough to write about a single, weekly sauce when you have made and tweaked 20 variations over the past few days.

Writing a cookbook is a pretty great gig. It can be very fun. I get to peruse cookbooks, read lots of food websites and magazines, check out restaurant menus, and explore sources for new ingredients. For about a third of the process it is a very physical and social job; shopping, cooking, cleaning, serving friends and family, watching how testers handle ingredients and tools and sharing tips for success. But then things take a dramatic turn – the party ends. The work becomes cerebral and precise. My artistic, mechanical cooking skills are set aside and my keyboarding, organizational, and written communication skills get kicked into high gear. To do this well I need to be alone and avoid distractions.

Phase two has officially begun. I’ve had a pretty good time in the kitchen for the past several months. I’ve drafted a lot of text and formatted a ton of recipes. Now, it’s time to write, focus, edit, and pull everything together. To do this I am going to take a break from the social stuff and lock myself into a bunker for the rest of the summer. I’ll poke my head out now and then. I dearly hope to hear from you – please join me on Facebook in The Sauce Forum and share your successes and questions. And write to me! I would love to hear from you!

Wish me luck,

Susan