PrintSomething I've never cooked before is a ______
A souffle! Is there a food or dish that feels so mysterious & intimidating that you can't bring yourself to cook or bake it? What's stopping you from taking the challenge? Ingredients, technique, proper equipment or....?
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27 Comments:
I've never made philo dough from scratch, an old boyfriends mom tried to teach me a few times, but I never got the hang of it, now all you hear is celebrity chefs telling you not to bother, its not worth the work. so I guess I've taken the lazy way out even though I remember hers as being far superior to the store bought stuff.
huney_bumper at 7:17AM on 02/29/08
Cassoulet... but one day I will attempt it.
jonfoxx at 7:50AM on 02/29/08
Pierogies like the old ladies at my church. Mine come out like bombs.
Brioche.
Homemade pasta. (No Italian blood and no space for a pasta machine.)
moibec at 8:03AM on 02/29/08
Escargot. Just can't get past that they are snails - cousins to those slimy buggers destroying plants in my garden.
eatmyfood at 8:54AM on 02/29/08
Rye bread German style. The surdough starter, the necessary extreme temperature, the time it takes when you can buy a whole loaf of very good bread around the corner for 3 €. Just not worth it.
nora palaks at 9:11AM on 02/29/08
Beef Wellington.
1stmakearoux at 9:15AM on 02/29/08
JEP - make a souffle this weekend! They are seriously not hard at all. Just remember to butter and breadcrumb or sugar your souffle dish or ramekins thoroughly -- and, most importantly, don't open the oven until it's done. That's the secret!
Since it's winter, I love to make a nice herby cheese souffle with good gruyere and serve it with salad. In fact, I may have to make that this weekend too...
Let us know how it goes!
CookiePie at 9:29AM on 02/29/08
I haven't made puff pastry. However, to deal with the intimidation factor in souffles, etc., I have found that a change in wording helps me feel free of that. I don't tell people, or myself, "I'm making puff pastry." I say, "This is a project to learn how to make puff pastry." It seems to remove the pressure of expectations and frees me up to not be perfect.
I learned this by accident when I wanted to try knitting socks. I gave myself permission for it to be way less than fabulous, and I've ended up a manic sock knitter. Works for food too. I might try that souffle just for myself, JEP, if you think that'd help.
lemons at 9:52AM on 02/29/08
I've never made bread. Or a roast. But that's mostly because I'm cooking for one, and a roast makes a lot of food!
woodenspoon at 10:03AM on 02/29/08
rabbit.
heartnibbler at 10:04AM on 02/29/08
Paella. The reson being that when I lived in Spain the first time, I lived with a woman who made the most amazing paella in the world, and I have never had one that compares to hers. So, it's an intimidation thing, more than anything else, I suppose. I just know that it will not live up to hers, no matter how good it might be, so I leave it as a perfect memory of my time there.
Traveller at 11:02AM on 02/29/08
I have made and/or attempted so, so many things, with mostly good results. BUT, the things I haven't attempted? Just too many to list! There isn't much that intimidates me. It's more a matter of already having a place that does a complicated dish really well, and seeing no point in trying to replicate it. Or, just not getting around to it. A few that come to mind...
My biggest intimidation items are canning and, of all things, candy. I know I could handle both. It's some kind of a major hang-up of mine.
I've been tempted, but have never tried making a demi-glace. Can't decide whether it's worth the trouble, time and expense when I can buy very good stuff already made.
Sweetbreads. I can get them done really well at a couple of local restaurants. It doesn't look very hard, but it just sort of intimidates me a bit for some reason.
Puff pastry and souffle are definitely on the list, too. I have no problem trying a souffle, and have been toying with doing it soon. Puff pastry, though? Heck, I'm still trying to master a basic pie crust! Puff is just too much work for something I hardly ever use. The frozen stuff's fine, thanks!
LoCo at 11:54AM on 02/29/08
Pho. The broth intimidates me. After watching it being cooked in Vietnam, I despair that I could successfully pull it off.
NSW at 1:50PM on 02/29/08
Artichokes. Somehow they've never passed through my kitchen, even though I like them.
Christina at 2:00PM on 02/29/08
My list includes souffle too! Mainly because my partner would balk at being served something so rich (i.e. fatty). And since it's the kind of dish that requires practice before serving to company, I haven't yet attempted it as it's too much for two to finish. Likewise a mousse dessert is something I'd like to try and given that I have a stand mixer taking up counter real estate, I generally jump at the chance to use it!
While I don't have on my list any intention of making phyllo or puff pastry from scratch, I would like to bake with them sometime. I've got phyllo in my freezer but haven't yet found an occasion or recipe to use it for. I should get my hands on some puff pastry too if I can find a brand that's made without trans fats.
I also want to try braising some lamb or veal shanks or making osso bucco. I love braising but want to buy these meats from my usual farmers market source and it's something they don't always have.
Otabenga at 2:06PM on 02/29/08
Still haven't made anything with yeast. I bought some packets from Trader Joe's a while back, but it's still listless on my baking shelf. I'm perpetually confused by the terminology: active dry, rapid-rising, etc. ??
jbeach at 2:27PM on 02/29/08
I've never made lamb. For some reason the idea of attacking a lamb recipe or a rack of lamb terrifies me.
PumpkinBear at 4:58PM on 02/29/08
I've never made a rack of lamb or crown roast of pork either. Both seem rather easy but would make wonderful presentation!
Otabenga at 5:11PM on 02/29/08
Thanks for the encouragement to tackle souffle-making. I am feeling a little proding on my part , too. I mean...what the heck, I'll be eating by myself (no pressure to impress), it's the weekend, the weather is a stay-inside-kind-for-the-next few-days and best of all, I'm worth a little extra TLC! It is well documented how I feel about sweets...so, would Epicurious be a good choice to troll for a chocolate souffle recipe?
JEP at 5:26PM on 02/29/08
kimchi--people ask me all the time if I make my own, but I look at them like they're crazy. After all, Mom & the church ladies make the best. When I don't have access to Mom's, well, then I suffer.
souffle--ditto what other non-souffle makers said, but CookiePie's little peptalk has me thinking that herby gruyere souffle sounds delish.
roast whole duck or goose--heard horror stories about drying and copious amounts of fat rendering out.
panang curry--I love the stuff. I've been told it's very easy to make at home, but for some reason I am totally convinced it won't be any good when I make it.
baked goods--besides a few cookie recipes, I guess I am not a baker. Never baked a loaf of bread, made pizza dough a dozen different ways, but no cakes, no bread, no croissants. I think one day, different kitchen, more time, who knows.
wookie at 5:45PM on 02/29/08
Duck. And I love duck. Why ever didn't I think to attempt it before?
I've been mulling over the souffle for a while too. Though I think I'll go chocolate for this one.
Good luck souffle-ing this weekend!
lesliepariseau at 6:01PM on 02/29/08
Pad thai...one of my FAVORITE foods ... it just seems soo intimidating!
hammondcheese at 8:22PM on 02/29/08
There are a whole list of things I've never made, but I'm nibbling away at the ones that I actually want to try. Some things will probably never happen because the ingredients simply aren't available. Other things, I'm just not interested in making because I'm not that interested in eating it.
Of the things that I actually enjoy eating that I've never made, topping the list right now is cheesecake. It's not that I'm afraid to try it, it's just that for some reason I've never done it.
dbcurrie at 11:48PM on 02/29/08
I've always wanted to make creme brulee...is it difficult & can it be completed without a torch?
JEP at 6:29AM on 03/01/08
Hi JEP! You can make creme brulee without a torch, under the broiler, but I've never tried it. I would think it would be difficult to control the heat that way, and sugar can go from a light caramelized crisp to a blackened mess fairly quickly.
Good for you for trying the souffle! I haven't made any chocolate ones from Epicurious, but it looks like they have several that are highly rated. Good luck!
CookiePie at 7:45AM on 03/01/08
I am fearful of anything requiring a soft step like souffle. with a 2 and a 4 yr old running and chaseing thru the house all that work for nothing! I could make it at 2 am but that seems umm....... I am dreaming now of a creme brulee now and me in phase 1 of the south beach diet :) come on 15th and i can add some sugar again !
http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/
love2cook at 4:21PM on 03/01/08
I could say umpteen different things here, but to keep it interesting, I'm going to go with a coq au vin!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 6:12PM on 03/03/08