The best gourmet food can be defined as the exclusive food that is served in fine dining restaurants. Just as haute couture is the epitome of style in fashion, gourmet food is the epitome of fine dining. I must admit that I am somewhat of a food snob and like to try my hand at gourmet cooking at home. To prepare a gourmet meal at home is very challenging and for that you will require the freshest and the most exotic ingredients. One of the best gourmet chefs is chef Heston Blumenthal of Fat Duck restaurant in London, which is voted the best restaurant in the world. He creates the most delicious and gorgeous gourmet meals. Many people do not understand the concept of gourmet food and think of it is a way for fine dining restaurant to eke out money for a tasty dish. But the fact is, a gourmet meal is not just for your palette and for filling your tummy. It tantalizes all your five senses and makes your eating experience something out of the ordinary and unique. Gourmet Cooking For cooking gourmet dishes, you need the ingredients as well as knowledge about different cooking techniques. In addition to that you need to be bold and creative and think of new flavors and combination of flavors. You also should have a very good palette and great presentation skills. As a gourmet meal is all about pleasing the sense of taste, smell, sight and feel of a dish, a good presentation of the dish is crucial. Now to come to the ingredients, exotic ingredients like truffle, gold leaf, caviar, foie gras, anchovies, blue cheese, oysters, wild mushrooms, liver pate, smoked salmon and escargot are used. However do not make the mistake of thinking that simply putting all or some of these exotic things in your recipe is going to create a beautiful gourmet dish. Gourmet food is not limited by these ingredients alone. Using fresh and seasonal produce and cooking them in an innovative way is what gourmet food is all about. Gourmet appetizers, main course and gourmet desserts are created by using some of the most innovative and creative techniques in cooking. Nowadays fine dining restaurants even have gourmet burgers and gourmet pizza recipes that cater to people with refined tastes. Gourmet Recipes Here are two beautiful gourmet recipes that you can make at home. Enjoy these wholesome gourmet meal with your family and friends. Seafood Consomme with Tea Crusted Flathead, Poached Scampi and Vongole Ingredients

• Prawn stock
• 200g tuna, skinless, diced
• 200g skinless white fish, diced
• 10 egg whites
• 10 black flathead fillets, skin on, cut into small pieces
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 10 scampi, peeled
• 20 vongole, steamed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 pieces of daikon radish, cut into batons
• 2 tablespoons English afternoon tea, blended into a powder

Method In a food processor, process the chopped carrots and celery along with tuna and snapper. Slowly add in the egg whites and process until you get a smooth mixture. Next add this mixture to the prawn stock, which is cold but not chilled. Place this mixture into a saucepan and heat it over a low heat. Simmer this for about 5 minutes. After some time the vegetables and fish mixture will start to form a solid layer on top of the stock. Simmer this mixture for about 30 minutes and then strain through a muslin cloth placed in a colander over a stock pot. Your seafood consomme is ready. To make the scampi, firmly roll scampi in between a cling film, forming a small cylindrical shape like a sausage. Tie both the ends of the cling film, making sure that there are no tears on the cling film. Poach the scampi in boiling water for about 2 minutes and then remove from water. Remove the cling film and cut scampi into 3 equal pieces with a sharp knife. Next you need to poach daikon radish in a medium saucepan filled with boiling water. Poach daikon radish until it is a little tender but still crunchy in the middle. Remove cooked daikon radish from water and keep it warm in a plate. In a small plate, sprinkle the ground tea. Dip the black flathead fillet pieces in the ground tea, with its skin side down. In a large frying pan, heat some oil and add three to four pieces of the flathead fillet pieces with its skin side down. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until it is golden brown in color. Fry all the fish fillets in a similar way and transfer them to a plate. To serve this beautiful dish, you need a white serving plate which is a little shallow. First place some daikon radish in the plate and add a little drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil on it. Now place the 3 pieces of poached scampi and 2 vongole on the plate. Ladle some of the seafood consomme over the plate and then add 3 pieces of flathead fish fillet. Garnish with a few sprigs of chervil. Scallops with Champagne Sauce Ingredients

• 20 sea scallops
• 1 white onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup shiitake mushroom
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup Champagne
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon

Method In a non stick skillet, add olive oil and heat it over a medium flame. With the help of a kitchen towel, pat the scallops dry and then add them to the pan. Cook scallops for 3-4 minutes on each side until it is golden brown in color. Transfer scallops to a pan when done. Now add the shiitake mushrooms to the skillet along with the chopped onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes until all the water from the mushroom evaporates and the mushrooms are tender. Next add the champagne, Dijon mustard, salt and tarragon. When the sauce is reduced, remove skillet from pan and add the sour cream. Pour champagne sauce over the scallops and serve. List of a Few Gourmet Meals Gourmet food is all about cooking food in a way that is unexpected and whimsical. The end product should always taste great and of course the presentation has to be impeccable. Using food items like beetroot puree, cheviche of seafood, pumpkin puree, truffle reduction, prawn oil, melon and tomato consomme, you can create gourmet dishes that are visually stunning and flavorsome. Some other gourmet recipes are:

• Roasted Coral Trout with a Lemon Thyme Consomme
• Roasted Flathead with Carrot Custard and Caramel Crackle
• Slow Cooked Pigeon with Perigord Black Truffles
• Potato Gnocchi with Sautéed Prawns in a Burnt Butter Sauce
• Fruit Carnival with Sugar Tuile, Aerated Fruit Chocolate and Toffee Apple
• Roasted Pheasant Breast with a Quick Game Sauce, Beetroot and Tomato Puree, Potato and Truffle
• Chicken and Leek Cannelloni with Orange Fennel and Radicchio Salad
• Quail with port and Eshallot sauce, Carrot Puree and Macedoine Potatoes
• Braised Rabbit with Leeks, Parsnip and Caramelized Figs

This was all about gourmet dishes and gourmet cooking. There are even some low carb gourmet dishes that are ideal for people who love good food but are on a diet. There are some delicatessen that specialize in gourmet dishes and sell gourmet cookies and chocolates. You can purchase these for special occasions. The packaging and presentation is always classy and sophisticated and forms an integral part of gourmet dishes.