What are some foods that you thought would be hard to make, but turned out to be fairly easy?
I made creme brulee over the weekend, and was surprised as just how simple it was, just mix egg yolks, cream and sugar. Even making the sugar crust on top is pretty easy if you know how to use to a blow torch.
For me the only tricky part was tempering the egg yolks so they wouldn’t curdle. But again, even that is just a simple matter of whisking the cream into them.
I found mayonnaise a lot easier than I thought it would be. I just went to Youtube, watched them make it on a few different videos and picked the most likely recipe, it was one that used a stick blender. Takes about 5 minutes or less.
Also, hummus is really easy to make in the food processor.
Risotto always impresses people despite it being a cinch.
edit: Also, sorbet is the same thing.
Chana Masala. It’s my favorite Indian dish, and rarely order it (or get takeout or eat out) due to the expense. I finally looked up some recipes (they’re all a little different), devised my own take on it, bought the spices, soaked some beans, and presto! My own huge batch of Chana Masala. I’ve made it a couple times, it lasts a week, and is even delicious cold so is great to take to work and eat on the run. I see many more batches of this in my future.
Choux pastry.
I always thought quiche sounded very fancy, but there’s really not much to it. Of course, I cheat and use a pre-made pie crust.
I’ll go with creme brulee and risotto.
And I’ll add lasagna to that. My mother rarely made it because she said it was too much work. Stack and bake, ma. Stack and bake.
I have to agree with hummus. I’ve even made various flavours for a party and the hardest part was roasting the red peppers.
Another one for hummus, mmmm.
I was surprised at how easy Japanese dumplings (gyoza) were to make. I’ve folded at least a couple hundred of them during college so I already had that down. I was mostly intimidated by the filling and all of the ingredients I had on hand. One day I just decided to pick a recipe that looked good, buy the ingredients, and give it a go. It was surprisingly easy! And it smells soooo good and tastes just like the ones at restaurants. Made a big bowl of the meat filling, bought some gyoza skins, and gave it a go!
Chicken and dumplings. I followed a recipe from Good Eats, but goofed it up, and it still came out fine, despite warnings that you had to be very exact.
Spaghetti Carborana. Bacon Lardons, egg yolks, parmesan, black pepper and of course your pasta of choice. That’s it. Very little cooking involved too. A delicous comforting meal that really is ready in minutes. I do like to corrupt this recipe with some sliced mushrooms - but that doesn’t really complicate things either.
Seconded. It’s really just a matter of standing there and mindlessly stirring the stuff; I’ll have Cash Cab on the teevee to keep my brain occupied.
Polenta was easier than I expected.
I was surprised by how easy risotto was too.
Sushi rolls. Once you have bougth the supplies, it is so easy to make a few rolls and take them in a Tupperware container to a party. Once there, cut the rolls in slices, add hot green mustard (powder plus water) and some prepackaged soysauce and gingember and: instant impressed guests.
bread, it can be sticky but it ain’t tricky!
With just a couple of ingredients, very basic skills and a small amount of practice you can produce bread that beats pretty much anything from the commercial world.
Agreed; I’ve made them from scratch, dough included, and while it’s easy, it’s time consuming. Then again, I normally make ~100 at a time when I make them.
I found this out a few years back, and make bread and pizza dough more regularly than I buy the pre-made stuff. It’s just cheaper if you have the time, and not that difficult. Plus, folks are super impressed by fresh loaves of bread.
For me, I found the process of using a pressure cooker to be deceptively easy; my mom never used one after she blew one up as a young mom, so I had always thought they were tricky and/or dangerous. So, you mean I can throw a bunch of stuff in, add water, and let it do its thing for 40 minutes and it’ll all come out tender? This is great!
Barbecued brisket. My recipe is as follows:
1.) Purchase brisket.
2.) Dump brisket in slow-cookers.
3.) Purchase barbecue sauce.
4.) Dump barbecue sauce in slow-cooker.
5.) Turn slow-cooker on, set to “low.” Go away for ten hours or so.
6.) Dinner!
Souffles ain’t no big thing, it turns out. Who knew?
I was ridiculously impressed by how easy making apple pie was. “Easy as pie!” :smack:
I also make a delicious easy key lime pie. Egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice. Whisk, pour, bake. Cool. Eat.
ETA: I found the recipe online. It’s on the side of Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice.
Nellie & Joe’s Recipes from the Keys
Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Pie
* 9" graham cracker pie crust
* 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
* 3 egg yolks (whites not used)
* ½ cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice
Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream, or meringue, and garnish with lime slices.
Yep. And it’s kind of fun. And so easy to adjust the recipe for more or less servings. I’ve made it for one and I’ve made it for 30.