 YES CHEF
By: Michael Killip, Chef, Entrepreneur, Restaurant Consultant and TV Personality |
Take a Bite Out of Life
Pictures are from Michael's Restaurant Risk is something that we all might think about, but few seldom act on. Living outside of one’s comfort zone can be exciting to some and anxiety-riddled for others. So, why take a risk? Adventure! Have you ever done something simply for the pure adventure of the task? Very often the unknown can be exciting, and because of this, many are driven to gamble on it. Push the envelope. Live on the edge. Think outside the box. Live every day like it’s your last. Take a bite out of life! Who lives life like that? I do! If nothing is ventured, nothing can be gained. If you don’t try, you’ll never know. I’ll be honest, every once in a while I think to myself how nice it would be to live the life of safe routine. But then I quickly re-think how boring it would all be if life was that predictable - made up of the “same old, same old” all the time. I said a few articles back that I was never the guy to wear a suit and tie, walking in the same door everyday like my father did for some 40 odd years. Each day for me is an adventure filled with many unknowns and taking me in many different directions throughout the day. I’m just that kind of guy. My cooking reflects this too! 
Everything I do tends to have some sort of twist, which then makes it unique. Not always liked or made to suit every individual taste but, that’s who I am, and that’s the gamble I take. With each new menu I change the “Twisted Crust” (which is our house pizza). This is a dish made to nibble on as a starter to your meal. Each crust is a very thin grilled cornmeal shell which we make here at the Twisted Fork which is topped with some sort of inviting garnish. Some time ago I played with a combination of flavours that I felt really worked!  My wife Laura was sceptical and very unsure of how it would be received by our patrons and advised against it. It might have been better to try something more generic and familiar. However, I stuck to my guns thinking that my pizza reflected me and was just twisted enough to work. So on the menu it went. Well, my gamble paid off and to this day it is truly a signature crust that people look for when they visit the restaurant.
By no means was this a life or death gamble on my part but it did add spice to the Twisted Fork experience and to the ongoing adventure of my culinary journey. Here is the recipe - Give your self a treat and let me know what you think of the simple risk I took some time ago on this little gamble of a pizza.
Twisted Crust 1. Knead the dough to develop the glutton and then roll 2oz. balls of dough into rounds the size of a dinner plate. 2. Grill each crust until it becomes dry and lightly browned. Garnish with the following then bake until the topping looks cooked and crispy. Enjoy! Twisted Crust Topping 1. Brush the crust with a liberal amount of olive oil, flavoured with roast garlic 2. Sprinkle with chili flakes and freshly chopped herbs 3. Top with a hardy julienne of sliced smoked ham, chunks of Gorgonzola cheese, thinly sliced prunes and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese. 4. Grill until the cheese is melted. Finally, don’t tell anyone what’s on it and let them try to guess!
Have fun! 
(Picture from Michael's Twisted Fork Restaurant)
ARCHIVES January Issue:
What's Your Plan?
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Life is Like a Turkey Sandwich - Includes Twisted Recipe! November Issue:
What do you want to be when you grow up? October Issue:
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Brain Food is Food for Thought August Issue:
Be True to You 
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