The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry- Fish in Fragrant Coconut Sauce

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry: Love, Laughter and Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School in Paris

By Kathleen Flinn

304 pages, Penguin Books, 2007

I have always known I could never cook professionally. I lack the drive and the discipline, not to mention the palate. More importantly, I have no wish to turn yet another hobby into a job, because jobs can turn into chores, and I have enough chores in my life. 

And yet… Who, among those of us who love to cook, hasn’t daydreamed about going to a culinary academy, of learning how to really do things properly, and eventually earning one’s living brightening people’s day thanks to bold flavours and luscious textures? Even though we’ve read Kitchen Confidential and know how tough cooking professionally is, we still hold on to that vision of the radiant, fulfilled culinary student, happily whisking meringue in her luminous kitchen.

Kathleen Flinn turned her daydreams into reality in 2005, when she lost her job and made the spontaneous decision to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. Predictably enough, reality turned out to be much harsher, but The Sharper Your Knife is ultimately more fond reminiscence than cautionary tale.

Flinn’s memoir focuses on this particularly tumultuous time in her life. The heart of the book centers around her experience at the school, but she also devotes ample space to her life in Paris and her budding relationship with the man who would become her husband. While these personal considerations might be of lesser interest to those who picked up the book in order to learn more about Le Cordon Bleu, they help set the tone for the memoir, which is not that of someone with professional culinary ambitions, but someone who loves to cook and is out to fulfill a personal dream.

As it turns out, Flinn is not alone. I was struck by the variety of students she encounters, from dilettantes merely looking to pass the time to ambitious future pros. With a few exceptions, the ambiance is described as remarkably convivial, with surprisingly few of the cutthroat characters we’ve come to expect from tales set in the professional kitchen. And while some of the chef instructors dole out some very tough criticism, no one gets plates thrown at their heads. A Gordon Ramsay show this is not.

Despite the book’s personal perspective, Flinn’s style can most accurately be described as journalistic. She is methodical in her narration, and inserts a lot of historical and culinary information into her writing. She is also adept at humorously highlighting her own misadventures, both in and out of the kitchen. What is perhaps most visibly absent from this book is the sensual aspect of the food Flinn learns to cook, any descriptions of flavour nuances and textures. While this may seem surprising for a book written by a food lover, it establishes The Sharper Your Knife as a cultural reflection, rather than a luxurious exploration of the senses.

Every chapter includes a recipe, many inspired from Flinn’s classes, others lifted from her friends and family. The fish recipe I chose was given to Flinn by a Brazilian classmate of hers. The combination of flavours is classic in its way, but complex and satisfying.

Fish in fragrant coconut sauce

Slightly adapted from The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

Serves 4

1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil

1 small shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger root

1 small red chili pepper, minced (seeded if necessary)

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp salt

350 ml (1 1/2 cup) diced tomatoes

400 ml (approx. 1.6 cups) coconut milk

4 fillets white fish (sea bass, cod, halibut)

Salt and pepper

Juice of one lemon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

250 ml (1 cup) diced pineapple

3 tbsp fresh cilantro, coarsely shredded

60 ml (1/4 cup) roasted peanuts

Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Sauté the shallot, garlic and ginger until tender, then throw in the chili pepper and cook for another minute. Add the curry, cumin, cardamom, and salt, and cook for another minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Season one side of the fish fillets with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and sear fish on one side for a minute. Flip the fillets and cook for another minute. Pour the sauce over the fish, cover and cook over low heat, until fish is cooked through. Add pineapple and heat through. Plate fish, spoon sauce over the fillets, and garnish with cilantro and roasted peanuts.

Serve with cooked basmati rice.