Amanda, over at the Internet Food Association, posted this week about her success in making risotto – her “Everest,” a dish that has always intimidated her.
I’m pretty sure everyone has foods like this. I’ve never worried about risotto, and as a vegetarian I happily don’t need to deal with things like de-boning chicken, but bread always makes me very nervous. It’s such a staple, not to mention so delicious, that I would love to be able to turn out loaf after crusty loaf.
But whenever I make bread, it never seems to rise like it should, and no matter what the recipe says about the correct consistency – wet and shaggy, or smooth and supple – mine always does nothing but stick to my hands, no matter how much flour I use. I think there’s an innate bread-sense that I don’t have.
Fortunately, winter is the best time for fresh baked bread, so maybe I’ll take Amanda’s advice and try to “make it my bitch” over the next couple months…
Is there a food that really scares you? Have you been able to conquer it?
3 Comments
I’m terrified of pastry. When I make bread, it usually comes out OK (though sometimes too dense) but pastry seems to always be so fragile. It falls, or doesn’t cook through, or doesn’t have the right texture… and it always takes so much work and expensive ingredients to make. Also, I’m usually looking forward to a tasty pastry, and when it doesn’t come out, I end up disappointed!
My Everest is a good steak fillet, and the reasons are threefold: 1) There are always issues of contamination/bacteria (which I guess is why it’s good to be a vegetarian); 2) It’s so difficult to make just right; 3) and if you don’t make it just right, you’ve probably blown a lot of money on the meat.
That’s a good point, Marissa. Whenever I’m using ingredients that are expensive or hard to come by, it always makes me worry. There’s so much potential, which makes it so much more disappointing if something goes wrong!