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Do you trust your kitchen instincts?
May. 7th, 2011 02:08 pmSince my last topic-based discussion was so fruitful, let me try discussing something else (which is likely to be less effusive, but interests me just as much)
Do you bring experimental food when you're sharing with other people?
Our block is active in the National Night Out evening. I usually bring something new. That's where I debuted my black forest cupcakes (which were the easiest things to make). I'd been making "brown suede" cupcakes and taking them places for a while, and those were things I'd never made before. I don't think I made them the exact same way twice either. Half the time I don't even measure, just eyeball. But when I mistakenly only had cherry yogurt, because I'd mentally allocated the last of the plain twice, I figured I'd halve the sugar and swap it evenly for plain. Really stellar experience.
I brought my new fried apple muffins to two places. With the coffee woman, I brought low-fat ones (with added pumpkin!). For the knitting woman I brought cream-based ones. But in neither case had I made those before. The first time I hadn't even tried that method of cooking the apples.
Two nights ago I made polenta with red sauce. I've never made savory polenta before. I've cooked cornmeal to that stage that will set up in the refrigerator and which can be sliced and fried. Mush. The difference between that and the polenta is the parmesan cheese mostly. (Theoretically there's egg too, but since I was winging it and 3 other things happened at once, I kind of forgot the egg.)
Last night I made homemade pizza. ( recipe )There were 3 things there I didn't do "right". I didn't have the meat I thought I had. I didn't make the dough normally. And I haven't made pizza sauce in years. It was great pizza.
But even if the pizza hadn't come out well, I would have fed it to Simon anyway.
Not only do I make food haphazardly, relying upon my "knack", but I assume it will come out well enough to be served to other people. Sometimes I lose my confidence; if I'd had to take that pizza to a pot luck, I would have cut it in my kitchen so I could taste test it first.
Most people I know only take tried and true recipes (that were published somewhere with good editing) when they're sharing food with friends.
Do you bring experimental food when you're sharing with other people?
Our block is active in the National Night Out evening. I usually bring something new. That's where I debuted my black forest cupcakes (which were the easiest things to make). I'd been making "brown suede" cupcakes and taking them places for a while, and those were things I'd never made before. I don't think I made them the exact same way twice either. Half the time I don't even measure, just eyeball. But when I mistakenly only had cherry yogurt, because I'd mentally allocated the last of the plain twice, I figured I'd halve the sugar and swap it evenly for plain. Really stellar experience.
I brought my new fried apple muffins to two places. With the coffee woman, I brought low-fat ones (with added pumpkin!). For the knitting woman I brought cream-based ones. But in neither case had I made those before. The first time I hadn't even tried that method of cooking the apples.
Two nights ago I made polenta with red sauce. I've never made savory polenta before. I've cooked cornmeal to that stage that will set up in the refrigerator and which can be sliced and fried. Mush. The difference between that and the polenta is the parmesan cheese mostly. (Theoretically there's egg too, but since I was winging it and 3 other things happened at once, I kind of forgot the egg.)
Last night I made homemade pizza. ( recipe )There were 3 things there I didn't do "right". I didn't have the meat I thought I had. I didn't make the dough normally. And I haven't made pizza sauce in years. It was great pizza.
But even if the pizza hadn't come out well, I would have fed it to Simon anyway.
Not only do I make food haphazardly, relying upon my "knack", but I assume it will come out well enough to be served to other people. Sometimes I lose my confidence; if I'd had to take that pizza to a pot luck, I would have cut it in my kitchen so I could taste test it first.
Most people I know only take tried and true recipes (that were published somewhere with good editing) when they're sharing food with friends.
