Stepping in the kitchen takes confidence and guts, usually inspired by a grumbling stomach or a nagging sweet tooth. With some sort of sweet, salty, gooey, or melty craving in mind, we step into the kitchen with a recipe or an idea, with our fingers crossed, maybe a hope and a prayer.
I’ll be the first to admit that, as often as I bust out my stand mixer and preheat my oven, I still feel intimidated by certain recipes and dishes. I think it’s all part of being self-taught, but hungry and curious.
Tomorrow I’m launching another Baking Bootcamp series with King Arthur Flour! Last year we baked four recipes together, learned about different flours, and dang it… I think we became better bakers. This next Baking Bootcamp focuses on learning new techniques… totally exciting and a little intimidating. But! We’re in this together.
Here are a list of dishes I want to tackle. My belly says I must. It’s not that these recipes and dishes are overly complicated or even very hard, sometimes it’s just a mental block, or some way that I’ve told myself that I can’t accomplish something in the kitchen. Do you do this too?
• Homemade Croissants with Puff Pastry: Making puff pastry from scratch has always felt super intimidating. I’m supposed smash this butter, fold and roll, and fold and what? File under: Intimidating Kitchen Endeavors. Spoiler Alert! For our first Baking Bootcamp recipe we’re making a quick puff pastry (approachable, not intimidating) and making rolls filled with hazelnuts and chocolate! Baby steps to full-on croissants.
• Cassoulet: A rich and delicious French dish that involves two things that intimidate me in the kitchen… duck fat and confit, but cassoulet is so luscious, hearty, and actually rather humble in its elegance that I’ve got to find a way to make this happen in my kitchen. I’ve also already bought the white beans! Just need to buy the duck fat and start chopping the onions. The coming cooler months are sure to be inspiring.
• Braised Short Ribs: Help me out with something? Are short ribs actually simple to make? Do I just have a major mental block? There’s something about buying cuts of meat that I don’t normally buy or cook in the kitchen that proves intimidating to me. I think if we can roast a chicken, we can braise some short ribs. Red wine for braising for a glass to drink while cooking… for courage.
Let’s get at it!
• Tiramisu: Making a homemade tiramisu has always felt really intimidating to me. A well-made tiramisu is magic. What’s the magic? Mascarpone? Italian grandmother hands? Cocoa powder from heaven? I’ve tackled chocolate mousse. Let’s get to the bottom of tiramisu.
• Sushi Hand Rolls: The roadblocks in my mind to homemade sushi are, where to buy sushi grade fish, which is the right seaweed wrap, and I have a sneaking suspicious that making sushi rice is harder than it looks. Still though… handmade rolls at home!? This will be a game changer.
• Everything Bagels: Is there anything better than a fresh bagel? A fresh everything bagel? With waayyy too much cream cheese? Lord help me. There’s boiling and baking, I want these things fresh from our ovens. We can, we will!
• Leige Waffles: Yeasty, stretchy, sugary waffle success! These waffles are an undertaking but I think Deb from Smitten Kitchen made them as approachable as possible. Waffle maker and pearl sugar on order!
• Perfectly poached eggs: With an internet full of information, why is it still so hard to perfectly poach an egg? Something about vinegar, boiling water, swirled boiling water, a flick of the wrist, a prayer to the patron saint of poached eggs… I’ll get it right one day.
Now tell me, what’s on your Recipe Bucket List? Does it involved a blow torch, anything confit, or something that requires a waffle contraption? Let’s tackle them all together!
(Pictured above, the arms of Jon Melendez, a cat named Napoleon, and Brown Butter Brûlée Donuts.)
Susan
Short ribs are very easy. They require two important things – browning well, and cooking for very long period on low temp (kind of like a brisket). I have been making the Silver Palate short ribs since the book was first published. It is easy, spectacular, tasty (and freezes well). I always do double batches (and use a large foil pan for easy cleanup).
JoJo
Fresh pasta intimidates me. The whole “great Italian food is all about the best ingredients and simplicity” has an edge of mystery that holds me back. That said, I have a pasta maker…my hubby is waiting for me to use the pasta maker…I guess it’s time just dive into eggs and flour and such! I make a good tiramisu so maybe I’ll be okay. ha!
ally
I’ve always wanted to make a croquembouche but the spun sugar at the end is soooo intimidating!
Sara
OMG the kitchen torch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!! Whole roasted chickens are looming over me and I’m slightly intimidated, but I definitely want to try croissants and tiramisu right along with you!
-sara
http://almostpaleokitchen.blogspot.com/
sue
lolololol on the puff pastry – been there done that totally intimidated and then one day it all just came together :) time consuming but well worth it. My family are well used to me trying interesting new recipes and also used to them being referred to as “we are having STUFF for dinner tonight” if they don’t turn out as they are supposed to. that’s how we learn by making the mistakes and that’s how new recipes are arrived at.
Kim
Dutch Baby…I know, I know, they look easy, but for some reason they intimidate me. Also a rack of lamb, scary, only because I prefer lamb medium rare to rare and I am afraid that I will over cook and ruin a fantastic and VERY expensive cut of meat. Lastly Chinese dumplings…I feel like I wouldnt get the exact taste you would get if you just went and bought them….
Lorrie
Braised Short Ribs–you’ll be in love! I do them in a good red (syrah is a fav right now) I serve them with polenta or garlick-y mashed potatoes. Oh, and more Syrah! Short Ribs are my favorite cut for Beef and Barley soup too.
Jess @ Gas Stove Girl
I am 100% with you on the fear of short ribs. Every time I see a recipe, my mouth waters and I can’t get it out of my head. And yet, when I see them in the grocery store I turn the other way and hope they don’t see me. Definitely on my winter cooking bucket list as well!
Elly K
Cooking bucket lists are a good thing – it helps me say, “I’ll do that one day!” instead of, “I could never…” to the things that scare me. On my list are:
– Homemade fried chicken (I hate all that grease splatter but love the results)
– Giant yeasty cinnamon rolls like the Mennonites in Abbeville, SC make (too specific?)
– And finally, something you’ve been urging me to do for years through this blog, making my own pie dough. The last attempt was b-e-a-u-tiful, but so chewy you could hardly cut through it. I’m sure I overworked the dough, but it put up a big mental wall that I’ll need to bust down one day.
Kristina
Homemade puff pastry is really not that hard (coming from a not super experienced baker), it just takes a long time. But the results are so rewarding. I can still remember my first bite when I made them – I don’t know if the croissant tasted so good, or was it maybe the feeling of accomplishment.
The same goes for tiramisu – go for it!
I like your bucket list.
Michelle
Souffle, marshmallows, liege waffles, gougeres, and beef bourguignon!
Tom ~ Raise Your Garden
Braised short ribs are my mother-in-laws speciality. She’s always trying to get my wife to learn to make them, never does. Oh well. MIL makes them often enough. Great list. Buy puff pastry here too, if you try it and it’s easy, let me know! Until then, I’ll let you do the experimenting, hehe.
gary
Croissant dough and puff pastry dough are very different. Croissant dough, because it contains yeast, is more bread-like and so has both a softer and more liable texture and a better flavor. A croissant made of puff pastry would simple shatter when you bit into it. It also would have comparatively little flavor. – Joe Pastry
Mookie
Glad you’re doing the shortribs, which need only minor practice and experience to perfect, and which are infinitely customizable. Shame they’re not as inexpensive and accessible as they used to be (communities for which they’ve been a reliable staple are being priced out by the heavy demand of more affluent newbs), but they can be stretched and every part of them (broth, bones, meat, fat) can be used separately for different applications or together in a single dish.
Looking forward to your take (and I’d love to see a primer on butchering them oneself).
Tori
I love your bucket list! These are all things I’d like to try also! I have done tiramisu and puff pastry before but I really want to perfect them. I totally get being intimidated by certain recipes. I also have a lot of things that I want to try but always psych myself out of.