About

Hi, and welcome to my blog and the about page that took longer to write than any recipe.

This blog is more about YOU than me. After all, I already know how to cook everything here.

So, a little bit about me and then a lot about YOU and how YOU can benefit from the information on this recipe blog.

The Author

That would be me. Charlé Visser.

Laidback but passionate with a strong honest opinion on many things.

I am also the photographer, designer, webmaster, bank and dishwasher behind this blog. But, mainly I'm the chef. This part I'm good at and the one you are interested in! So take notice of that)

I started this blog as a way of documenting my recipes and to openly share what I've learned over the course of my professional cooking career.

I cook food people want to eat, document the recipes and then share these professional recipes with you. It's that simple.

Alongside all the joyful technical stuff I love about running a blog, I also own a catering company in Moscow, Russia and do consultancy for restaurants and food production companies.

My clients include everyone from royal families to popular artists, fashion houses and large corporations.

Apart from all that I mainly just appreciate a quiet life with as few problems as possible, simply cooked good quality food and wine to match.

Why this food blog is different

Firstly, before I started food blogging I was still a professional chef.

Working at the highest level for prestige companies and cooking for some of the most well-known people on this planet.

Not a teacher, lawyer, financial advisor or any of those popular food blogger professions that happen to also be able to flip a pancake.

Unlike a lot of food bloggers and chefs, I am also able to cook a wide range of foods. Instead of just being a one-trick pony I will provide you with variety. The spice of life.

Not because of some crazy talent but because I worked my arse off getting to this stage.

I sacrificed family and social life in order to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible and becoming a true expert in my field.

Most chefs on the same level will not be giving away their recipes and knowledge for free.

Instead, they hire agents to get TV work or book deals.

My approach, on the other hand, is more honest.

I develop recipes to a level I'm confident would be fitting to serve to a wide audience and most people can cook.

I even throw in a pinch of humour here and there.

So, why is this blog different again?

It's created by a true professional in the topic it covers. That's it.

Would you trust my opinion if this was a health or legal blog?

No, because, I'm a chef and not a lawyer or doctor.

Saying that.

There are a few food blogs run by non-chefs that really impress me and their creators are doing great jobs at something completely out of their comfort zone.

What's in it for you

You the readers are the most important part of this blog.

By supporting, reading, commenting, liking and sharing the recipes here, you enable me to share even more with you.

As this blog grows so will your confidence in the kitchen if you are a new cook.

Likewise, if you fancy yourself as a great cook. You will learn a thing or two that would make you even better at what you're good at already.

What you'll learn

• World cuisines - You will learn about a wide variety of world cuisines like Thai, Indian, Italian, South African, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Scandinavian, Mexican, and many more.
• Home and comfort - Simple home-style dishes like Mom's famous melt-in-the-mouth roasted leg of lamb, or my version of a Viking style stew.
• Basics - Bare basics like how to chop onions and herbs the correct way. How to cook fish, spinach and bok choy properly. How to cook rice and couscous so that it's fluffy and light. Soft boiling quail eggs or making perfectly crunchy and light salad croutons.
• Everyday recipes - Making simple everyday staples like easy no-knead pasta dough, creamy mashed potatoes like you would have in Michelin starred restaurants, and chimichurri sauce, the gourmands' mayo and ketchup.
• Bread and baking - Baking bread is something everyone should be able to do. You will learn about sourdough starter, how to make sourdough bread, and how to cook a lovely delicately thin crêpe from sourdough discard. Learn about other bread, as in this amazing Russian Borodinsky dark rye bread few people know about. Make classics like carrot cake the best you ever had or again a touch of Russian magic with this layered honey cake.
• Fermentation - A discipline all by itself. We will do basic Lacto fermentation like with this sriracha sauce. Learn about Asian ferments like kimchi and how to grow koji so you could make your own soy sauce and miso. We will even look at how to make homemade Vietnamese style fish sauce by using nothing else than whole fish and salt.
• Seasonal treats - With food, there are many more seasons than the four basics seasons. Many products only have a short life and then their season is done. Some products have a peak season like with this roasted young carrot salad and this summer chanterelle soup. Or this beautiful summer fruit salad with berries and melon. This cherry frangipane tart is best when made with cherries in the hight of season.
• BBQ and Braai - Same-same but different. My big love in life is a good South African braai. Here is an amazing slow-roasted pork belly you slowly cook on the fire. Plus a few good braai sides and salads. Cook this Ukrainian beetroot soup(borscht) on the fire next time. Or a fresh whole angelfish stuffed with Thai aromatics.

What you won't learn

• How to make stupid stuff - Like mini pancake cereal or rainbow sprinkle blondies. There are special websites and places for people that make and cook that kind of nonsense.
• Bad techniques and cowboy shortcuts - Here you will learn only the best techniques and how to use them properly. If there is a legitimate shortcut we will use it.
• How to cook stuff that looks great but tastes nasty - Professional restaurants are guilty of this. Some of the prettiest food taste the worst and some of the tastiest food is no Instagram stars. Much like people in fact.
• Tasteless health food just for the sake of it - If something tastes great and it happens to be vegan and gluten-free then that's great. Otherwise, this blog is for responsible omnivores. Saying that. I do include suggestions in each post on how you could tailor recipes to suit your dietary needs.

Personal coaching and advice