If you tweak a recipe, is it legit to call it your own?
Yesterday a friend took me on a whopping 26 mile bike ride. I've never biked that far; I assumed distances of that magnitude were reserved for the "bright yellow suits." The ones who flail their hands as blinkers, screaming "on your right!" in overzealous tones (dude, I saw you) and sport flap caps after hours.
After some convincing, I decided to to throw caution to the pedals. After all, it was kind of a date and I didn't want to wimp-out. It wasn't the sexiest performance. I managed to unknowingly sport a suntan lotion mustache and I couldn't make it up a small hill to save my life, but it was a blast, and I did it.
To thank him for pushing me outside of the comforts of spin class, I offered to make a quick dinner. I'm one of those people who read recipes daily but doesn't directly follow them. They serve as "inspiration" until I tweak. I'm not sure if this strict recipe defiance is an ego thing (if I sub in chili oil and it rocks, am I creative?) or an irresponsible lack of attention to detail (I've never been good at following directions).
I had a hankering for shrimp on the barbie so went straight to Steve Raichlen's Barbecue Bible and decided that his recipe for "Honey Sesame Shrimp" would be my "muse." I didn't have sesame seeds, Thai sweet chili sauce, Chinese five-spice powder or garlic, but I didn't flinch as as it gave me an opportunity to keep up with my potentially self-righteous desire to make it mine.
The shrimp turned out amazing. When my friend asked if it was my specialty, I smiled and gave a safe, "sort of." I really wanted to take all the credit, but I couldn't in good faith. After sensing his slight disappointment at my lack of grilling ingenuity however, I wondered if I should have claimed it. What do you think? If you tweak a recipe, do you think you can call it your own?
Oh and here's the recipe.
My twist on Steve Raichlen's Honey Sesame shrimp (sans sesame & a few other ingredients)
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined)
3 tablespoons of chili oil
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
4 1/2 tablespoons of honey (this called for teaspoons but i pushed the envelope)
2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger
Directions
1. Rinse shrimp and blot dry
2. Combine oil, rice wine, soy sauce, honey and ginger.
3. Generously toss the shrimp in the marinade.
4. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hrs. (they advise marinating shrimp for 1/2 hr to an hour but a little more time can do wonders. Just remember that this means a little less time on the grill.
5. Skewer the shrimp and place directly on a hot grill - about 1-2 minutes per side.
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