I love to cook and bake equally but I don’t touch dough. Even when we get a biscuit mix from Monuts, I buy the ingredients and prep the baking sheets but I do not touch the dough. Dough intimates the HECK out of me! But I would love to be able to make pâte à choux. (I Googled the name to make sure the accents were placed correctly and the French translated to English and now I’d love to bake: “Cabbage Paste”. HAHAHA!)
Not a dish exactly, pâte à choux is a classic French dough used to make gougères, eclairs, cream puffs. This new skill would serve a larger goal: to make a croquembouche (“crunch in the mouth”). A croquembouche is a tower of cream puffs held together with spun sugar or caramel. I associate them with Christmas but they can be an anytime - albeit spectacular - dessert.
Cooking is my “thing” ! I loved to cook as a child. I have a large collection of cookbooks. I have a wooden box containing recipes from family and friends. I love those, because they are handwritten. I made handwritten cookbooks for my children . That was a big job! I made sure I covered every detail . I am successful in most things I cook. If I could learn to make something new , it would be soft shell crabs. I also wish my homemade biscuits were better! I tried sour dough bread. That was more work than I bargained for. Feed, rest, feed, stretch… it’s a job! Entertaining and feeding family and friends gives me great joy!
Soft shell crabs! I was hoping you'd chime in June! Homemade foods and handwritten cookbooks. What gifts you give your family! They're so lucky. And me too since I've had your pimento cheese and that spread with olives you make. Mmmmm.
I also have dreams of making a croquembouche and have a recipe!!! Want to make one together? My other cooking dreams center around having a wood fired oven, so those are a little out of reach…
This is a fun question. The kitchen has always intimidated me but I have always wanted to learn how to make a perfectly cooked whole roast chicken. And I've always wanted to learn how to bake buttermilk biscuits from scratch. Maybe this summer I can dig into these projects!
The kitchen intimidated me for YEARS too, Allison. It can be a strange, foreign place. But I love your answers here: perfect chicken and buttermilk biscuits. Maybe June can share her biscuit recipe with you!
Cooking is my “thing” ! I loved to cook as a child. I have a large collection of cookbooks. I have a wooden box containing recipes from family and friends. I love those, because they are handwritten. I made handwritten cookbooks for my children . That was a big job! I made sure I covered every detail . I am successful in most things I cook. If I could learn to make something new , it would be soft shell crabs. I also wish my homemade biscuits were better! I tried sour dough bread. That was more work than I bargained for. Feed, rest, feed, stretch… it’s a job! Entertaining and feeding family and friends gives me great joy!
Soft shell crabs! I was hoping you'd chime in June! Homemade foods and handwritten cookbooks. What gifts you give your family! They're so lucky. And me too since I've had your pimento cheese and that spread with olives you make. Mmmmm.
Yummm! That tower! 🤗🤗🤗
Right?!
I also have dreams of making a croquembouche and have a recipe!!! Want to make one together? My other cooking dreams center around having a wood fired oven, so those are a little out of reach…
YES, Jill! Let's do it. And a wood fired oven sounds amazing. Although it's hard to image your pizza getting any better.
I'll add to your dessert party---cake, cookies, whatever!
Hurray! It'll really be a party then!
I have so many recipes I want to try and perfect but the two that are at the top of the list are escargot and sweetbreads.
OMG, Marlena. If I was giving prizes for the most unexpected answer, you'd be taking home a blue ribbon! I love the way you think.
This is a fun question. The kitchen has always intimidated me but I have always wanted to learn how to make a perfectly cooked whole roast chicken. And I've always wanted to learn how to bake buttermilk biscuits from scratch. Maybe this summer I can dig into these projects!
The kitchen intimidated me for YEARS too, Allison. It can be a strange, foreign place. But I love your answers here: perfect chicken and buttermilk biscuits. Maybe June can share her biscuit recipe with you!
I’ve made a crocembouche before! I’ll fly out and we can make one together!! Invite Jill too!!! Happy Birthday Dad!
Of course you have! Maybe we can tackle one at Thanksgiving, lol! And get Jill involved. #dreams