Name: Rosa Mayland
Blog: Rosa’s Yummy Yums
Location: Switzerland
If you had to blog about one ingredient every day, what would it be?
I guess I’d chose cheese because there are so many varieties around the world and it is a real delicacy that is extremely versatile, flavorful, refined, and can be savored just like a good wine. Being of Swiss and English origin, my love for cheese is in my blood. I have grown up feeding on that staple on a daily basis. At home it would have been unimaginable not to serve a platter of cheese for supper.
Is there a food you used to hate but now you love?
I wasn’t a very difficult kid, but I used to hate shrimp. Now I have no problem eating them. Believe it or not, I also used to dislike pastry cream and pastries such as Millefeuille because they contained this dreaded filling. Now I’m a very big fan of it and have no apprehension toward Eclairs, Cream Horns, Cream Puffs, or Tarte Tropézienne.
What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
If I have no time to cook, I’ll stir-fry some vegetables and serve them with soba noodles or canned chickpeas or beans, put together a quick pasta dish, whip up an omelet, assemble a seasonal salad, or make a meal out of leftovers. You’ll never find any convenience or industrial food at my place, no matter what.
What is the first meal you ever cooked?
I have been surrounded by great cooks (my mother and both my Swiss and English grandmothers), and born into a family that cherishes homemade food, so I’ve been exposed to some serious cooking and baking since a very tender age. As a child, I used to love watching my mother in the kitchen and always enjoyed fooling around with the pots and pans. But it was at about the age of 6 that I cooked my very first dish. I created an omelet (I named it “Omelette Du Chien” or “Dog’s Omelet”) that contained no less than ten or fifteen different ingredients (Gruyère cheese, tomato paste, cream, herbs, spices, etc.). I felt very inspired as a cook, even at such an early age. The result was a little less exalting, though. Even if the omelet was edible, I had problems finishing it as it was a far too rich in flavor and calories.
