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lwaverman@globeandmail.com

I've spent years creating the most accessible recipes that I could for home cooks. Then I discovered Twitter and had a brand new challenge: How to boil a recipe so far down to its key elements that all it takes is 140 characters.

Twitter is the hottest new tool of the foodie world. Famous tweeters such as Mark Bittman, Ruth Reichl, Martha Stewart and Jamie Oliver already have huge followings.

There are thousands of foodies posting micro restaurant reviews and menu favourites, swapping tips and sharing intimate eating experiences. Practical questions like "Where do I buy wild leeks?" share space with quirkier posts like "What would you never buy at the grocery store, even at gunpoint?"

Which got me thinking: Why not tweet recipes?

Call it Twitter cuisine, the perfect solution for these absurdly time-pressed times.

In England, the Guardian recently challenged some of the country's top chefs to create compressed instructions for starters or mains.

And while some dishes simply have too many ingredients to be Twitterized, most, when reduced to their bare bones, really can be that simple.

Twitter recipes are also a creative challenge for home cooks. This is shorthand, after all: They're super basic, but require a little kitchen knowledge and an implicit understanding of how a dish should look and how to tell when it's ready.

On the plus side, they allow the freedom to experiment and test your skills. Think of them as a structure to build on, adding other ingredients such as herbs and spices or using the same techniques with other components.

In the past two weeks, I've tweeted five recipes through my Twitter feed. Three of them - sweet potato soup, barbecued flank steak and rhubarb confit - are included here, along with 11 new ones. A glossary of abbreviations is also featured above. All temperatures are in Fahrenheit.

Now back to trying to reduce Thai red curry to 140 characters

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Twitter recipe shorthand

C = cup

T = tablespoon

t = teaspoon

ch = chopped

S&P = salt and pepper

parm = Parmesan cheese

w cream = whipping cream

v oil = vegetable oil

o oil = olive oil

evo = extra virgin olive oil

Other short forms, such as those for fruits and vegetables, are self-evident - e.g., sweet pot for sweet potato.

L.W.

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MAINS

Roasted Salmon: 1T maple syrup, 1

T Dijon mustard, 1T cracked pepper,

2T o oil, 2T ch parsley. Brush on 4 salmon fillets. Roast 450 12 min.

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BBQ Steak: 2T Dijon must, 1T soy, 1t ch garlic, 1T ch fresh rosemary, S&P. Spread on flank or flat iron steak. Marinate. Grill 4 min/side.

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Carbonara: 12 oz spaghetti cooked. Mix with 6 slices ch fried pancetta, 3 eggs, ¼C evo, 1C grated parm, S&P. Garnish ch parsley.

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Curry Chicken Thighs: 2T Indian curry paste, 2T v oil, 2t ginger, 2t garlic. Brush over chkn thighs. Roast 425 for 20 to 25 min.

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MacNCheese: 1 pkg penne cooked. Add ½C w cream, 1½C milk, 3C mixed grated cheddar, parm, goat. S&P. Cover/bake 350 20min. Uncover 20min.

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APPETIZERS

Sweet Pot Soup: 2 ch sweet pot, 1 ch onion,

2 ch carrots, 1T Indian curry paste, 4C chkn stock, ½C coconut milk. Simmer 30 min. Puree.

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Green Pea Soup: Fry 2 ch leeks until soft. Simmer leeks, 1 pkg frozen peas, 3C chkn stock 10 min. Puree. Add ¼C w cream, 2T ch mint. S&P.

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Hollandaise Sauce: Melt ½C butter, keep warm. In processor, process 3 egg yolks, 1T lem juice. Pour in hot butter. Salt and pinch cayenne.

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Artichoke Custard: Puree 4 roasted artichokes, 3 eggs, 1C w cream, ½C grated parm. S&P. Place in ramekins. Bake 350 in water bath 30 min.

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Wild Leek Pesto. 2 bunches wild leeks, ½C grated parm, ¼C o oil, ¼C ch almonds. Process. S&P.

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DESSERTS

Eshun's Smoothies: Puree 2C plain or vanilla yogurt, 3 bananas, 1½C fresh or frozen berries, ½C unsweetened fruit juice.

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Rhubarb Confit: Bake 1 lb ch rhubarb, ½C brown sugar, ¼C corn syrup, juice of 1 orange at 350 for 30 mins. Serve over ice cream.

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Apple Crisp: 6 sliced app, ¼C sugar, 1T lem juice in dish. Top: mix 2/3C each flour, granola, butter & 1/3C sugar. Bake 350 45 mins-1 hr.