Chopped Judge and owner and executive chef of Benchmarc Restaurants by Marc Murphy and Benchmarc Events by Marc Murphy, recently released a cookbook called Season with Authority Confident Home Cooking.
LIB: What inspired you to write a cookbook about seasoning?
Murphy: Seasoning with authority is the overall, riding theme, I find that people don’t season food enough or properly sometimes when they are cooking with it doesn’t make the food pop. I highlight the idea of seasoning, the book is a compilation of recipes I’ve been cooking my whole life and things that brought back memories during different periods of my life and different times of my life. The book is a way of looking back at my career where it started 20-25 years ago, it was fun to do this through recipes and a cookbook.
LIB: Have your experience overseas influenced the way you season and flavor your food?
Murphy: Absolutely, the beginning of everyone’s training is their palette and I was lucky enough to grow up in Europe, I had friends Italy and a mother and a grandmother that cooked really well. My taste buds were trained at a young age and it helped me out throughout my career.
LIB: Being a Chopped judge, what are some of the most common mistakes that are made related to seasoning?
Murphy: Sometimes the nerves get the best of them, they start trying to do something and then have to redirect and separate things go wrong. You better come up with an idea you know that you can actually do in 20 or 30 minutes and be able to complete it otherwise it is not going to work out. Sometimes seasoning is an issue, resting, making sure the meat has enough time to rest before you slice it, otherwise all the juices come out and it is a problem sometimes.
LIB: What are some of the different cooking techniques you are most proud of?
Murphy: I really wanted to write a cooking book people would use, I kept everything pretty simple, and wanted make sure people weren’t scared I didn’t want them to see too many steps or too many crazy ingredients. I wanted it to be accessible for people to cook out it, get a good grasp which each flavors are, and be able to put it on a table and have people enjoy good food sitting around the table, my ultimate goal.
LIB: Do you have a favorite salt, spice, or herbs you like to work with?
Murphy: If I only had to work with one I would choose a nice beautiful mix from the south of France, herbs de provence (some of the dried herbs typically used include bay leaf, thyme, fennel, rosemary, chervil, oregano, summer savory, tarragon, mint, and marjoram) I love herbs de provence, they are great for vinaigrettes, they are great for roasting chickens, marinated meats, all sorts of things.
Make sure you pick up Mark Murphy’s new cookbook Season with Authority.
