This might sound strange coming from someone who spends her days in the kitchen, but one of my favorite things is an afternoon with nothing else to do except bake for the sake of baking. This happens less than you might think. I am almost always cooking FOR something or someone. But every once in a while, the weather is stormy, our plans for the day fall through, and I ditch the list of recipes I’m working on for the blogs or the newsletter and just bake what I want with the ingredients I have for no other reason than than because I want to.
So this week’s question: Pretend, dear friends, that you have an entire afternoon (an entire day, if you like) with absolutely nothing else to do except cook or bake whatever you like. No one and nothing will interrupt you and this is all you want to do in the world.There are no other demands on your time or attention. And, every ingredient you need is magically already in your kitchen. What would you make?
Ooh that's a tough one! Maybe bagels - we've been trying to make a NYC deli-style bagel for a while, but can't get it quite right, so it would be great to have a whole day to practise. We had our very first ones at Russ & Daughters (a lifetime ago) and ahh they were sooo good. Not that we expect to replicate that experience haha, but we hope to eventually do better than the ones off the grocery aisles.
Or perhaps you mean something we've been craving but just haven't had the leisure to make? Then it would probably be one of mum's rendang recipes. The prep alone takes a good half-day cos we still pound all the spices and other aromatics by hand. And we refuse to leave out the kerisik (grated coconut), though many people do these days cos you need to fry it in a dry wok over a low flame for at least half an hour, tossing the whole time so it doesn't burn or stick 🙄.
House-brewed Cel-Ray? Hehe did you know it was originally sold as a health tonic in the 1860s under the label Dr Brown's 🧐?
Russ & Daughters is such an institution - with good reason. Any time anyone asks us where to go when they visit NY, we send them there. We also love their bialys and matzo. We've actually been fairly successful making our own bialys, but an adequate bagel still eludes us 😕.
Oh you must! There's a reason it's been going strong for over a century.
It's also the first American business to proudly carry "& Daughters" in its name ☺️. Founder Joel Russ renamed it in 1933 when he passed the business to his 3 daughters.
Oh that’s interesting- a health tonic, lol. Well, it does have a green vegetable I guess?
And yes, I agree, bagels are difficult to replicate! Have you had the ones at Liberty Bagel on 34th Street? I love them and always stop for one when I’m in NYC. Their schmears are also good.
No! We never made it to Liberty for some reason 😢. We also liked the bagels at Katz's, though I must admit we went there more for their pastrami and rye.
Rendang is one of those special dishes that I don't make at home (for all the reasons you mentioned). When I crave it there is one restaurant (in Lisbon) where I can get my fix. Although I generally try to make anything and everything, I think there have to be some dishes that are just so good (and difficult to master) that going out to eat them occasionally is a real treat.
Oh definitely, a good rendang is a real treat any time you can get it ☺️. How lovely that you managed to find a place in Lisbon! Do they do a wet or a dry rendang? We do have a few places that serve up excellent versions of wet rendang, but a dry one is a lot harder to find.
I'd love to make bagels by myself but haven't found a recipe that really "worked" and more over tasted, like a Bagel in what the search engines provide me with so far. Care to share your recipe?
Here's another recipe that we've been practising with. Charlie works in a "scald", which seems to give a pretty nice bite and helps keep the bagels from getting stale too fast. His posts are quite solid, so we visit his site almost every week for ideas and techniques.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and Charlie's link! It’s incredible how bagel-making truly feels like an art form, and it’s great to hear that you're exploring different techniques to perfect it. I love that you’re continuously searching for new ideas—there’s something so inspiring about diving into the craft and experimenting until it feels just right. Looking forward to trying this recipe myself!
As you can't really get Bagels in Germany (well the pre-packaged heat yourself type, but they are not really edible), I really look forward experimenting a bit. I have at least eaten my share in Bagels whenever I travelled the US, so hopefully my taste memory will guide me along whilst experimenting.
Great, we can exchange notes! Btw have you tried Jerusalem bagels? Actually they're not bagels at all, though they're also shaped into rings, but we luv em! Dipped in molasses and heavily crusted in sesame seeds, they're just as scrumptious in their own right and well worth exploring. In Turkey they're known as simit, in the Middle East they're classified as ka'ak.
Actually, I can get simit in much better quality almost anywhere here in Germany, thanks to our large Turkish and Kurdish community. So yes, I do enjoy them, but those tiny sesame seeds aren’t too kind to my aging gums! 😅 I clicked on the link and watched the video—funny that you shared a German-language one with me! It was really nice to watch, though, so thanks for that!
Thanks! Seems they ship almost everything - just told a friend who loves their schmaltz herring and peppered mackerel.
You love rendang too? Yeah nothing beats a "well-aged" rendang, really wish we had the time to make it more often. Do you prefer beef or mutton? Chicken is yummy too, but you need an old bird that can stand up to the long stewing.
Most people use beef brisket, but we like the cheeks and shins cos they stay so moist. Sometimes we toss in the tendons too, but they take even longer to prep and break down, so we need to start the prep almost 2 days in advance.
Have you tried Claire Saffitz's recipe? She gives a pretty comprehensive guide. We didn't get the results we wanted the first time, but I think that was due more to a poor choice of flour and our lack of technique back then in developing the gluten enough. We also messed up the shaping, which I'm sure didn't help with the rise. We tried it again with several other flours and got better results, though our shaping still leaves a lot to be desired.
You are the second person in this thread to say lasagna! It’s such a great answer. I don’t know what kind of lasagna I would make though… bolognese? White mushroom? Veggie? Italian sausage and marinara? What about you?
The recipe I used to use was mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta with ground beef with marinara and some aromatics. Now I plan to use a quicker version I just found, but you're giving me ideas: italian sausage, mushrooms and of course the three cheeses and marinara. Yum! Lasagna is how I rate Italian restaurants.
Yum! Please can I come over for dinner??? Also, I’m certain you’ve perfected your marinara, but just in case, here’s my favorite recipe: //alittleandalot.com/perfect-homemade-marinara-sauce/
I don’t know if I could count then number of times I’ve made it over the years. And I’m with you about rating restaurants based on their lasagna. If they do that well, probably everything else on the menu will be good.
Simmer some good bones for 24, maybe 36 hours with various aromatics to make delicious stock for ramen etc. Of course, not much effort required so I could also knock up a cassoulet, or a fish soup.
We were introduced to it by a French neighbour, who made a particularly sinful version - with duck legs that she'd confited herself, both Diot and Andouillette sausages, and Tarbais beans, all of which she carted back from France whenever she returned.
But it began as a peasant dish, not haute cuisine, and there are countless variations. We often do ours with just salted pork belly and white kidney beans.
Lynn, I made cassoulet once after my late partner and I returned from southern France, where we actually tasted the real deal at its source. We even bought the authentic cassoulet beans, which you can’t really find in Germany. I might have a photo of it somewhere. I started with making confit of Duck and added all the works. It was incredible, and years later, people still talk about that recipe because they loved it so much. It is definitely time-consuming, though, and it requires a special conical earthenware pot (my partner had purchased one while we were there)
If I had no other obligations I would spend the day making various types of carrot cake and icings. I have been asked to make a tiered one for a wedding in January so I would spend all day experimenting. I usually make more traditional cakes with fondant icing so this is a new depature for me! (I would have to make detailed notes so that I remember which recipe worked best!)
I make a carrot cake with caramel rum sauce that has been my family’s favorite dessert for maybe 20 years. That is exactly what they would choose if I left the question of what I should make up to them! :-) But also, a wedding is the perfect excuse to shut yourself in the kitchen and bake all day long.
Hmm, love carrot cake, it's so warm and comforting to tuck into, but don't think I've ever seen it turned into a multi-tier wedding cake. Such a fun project to take on 😊
This is such a delicious thought - to have all day to make whatever I want with no other obligations!
I think I would attempt something complicated and something I’ve never made before. Two things come immediately to mind:
1) boned, stuffed, and roasted turkey. I’ve never deboned an entire turkey and reassembled it, so that would be a fun challenge.
2) gateau Paris-Brest. I saw it featured on GBBO several seasons ago and didn’t know what it was, but it looked so good. Lots of moving parts with the pralin, crème pat, choux pastry, and toppings but wow what a spectacular thing that would be to make (and eat!).
I'd probably clean the frig and/or the pantry, make a spanokopita, and another sourdough starter. Then I'd spend the rest of the day washing/drying/putting away the many containers I evicted from the frig. Doesn't sound as romantic as making a cassoulet or a many layered carrot cake, but it IS gratifying!
I’ve never made spanokopita but I have no idea why because I love eating it! I think I need to try my hand at it soon. And I relate to your comment about the gratification that comes when everything is clean and put away. I think you might have also inspired me to clean out our refrigerator… a task I’ve been avoiding but suddenly seems like all I want to do today.
We just started making our own pasta 2 months ago, and we still need lots more practice, but yes, fresh-made pasta is lovely! We're going sort of southern Italian, using just durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata from Caputo) and the flavour is incredible even without any eggs added.
Challah is on my list of things to perfect. We spend a couple months out of every year in Colorado because that’s where all our family is. We stay at a campground in a little town with a baker that makes the BEST Challah ever. I always stash some in the freezer for later but it’s never enough so I’ve got to figure out how to make it myself. It’s just so good!
I'd make Giulia Scarpaleggia's homemade pici pasta with aglione, this giant Tuscan garlic I bought at the market today, and Sofia Real's buckwheat coffee cake. Then hopefully you would have some leftover roasted carrot soup to drop off for me to reheat because I think I'll be to tired to make anything else! ;-)
Wow, just googled aglione - a single clove is as large as my hand! We love garlic in any form, so really wish we could try it. What's the flavour like?
I can’t seem to attach a photo here to show the scale but I’ll post another note! When it’s raw, it stings the eyes like onion but when you touch it yo your tongue it has that sting like garlic. The flavor is closer to a sharper leek! I sautéed it and used it as a soup base last night but next weekend I’ll make the traditional Tuscan aglione sauce and pici pasta!
My best friend just got an oonie pizza oven and has been turning out the best napoleon style pizza with fermented dough. It’s so good! Homemade pizza is the best.
I've seen those, but they're so expensive! We've been living life without a kitchen and so I had to get a bit creative, I've since learnt that apparently you can make a really good pizza on the bbq (one that you can close of course)
Haha there are countless variations, so she'll certainly get her money's worth. And she can make other things in it, like a monster bistecca alla Fiorentina 😊.
That is nice. I just made an amazing one. Never even eaten one in a restaurant as tasty as that recipe. How do you make yours? Let you rest the dough overnight? Do you use baking malt?
I'm so glad you liked it! It turned out so surprisingly delicious that I’ll definitely be making it over and over. And this is coming from someone who used to say, 'Pizza? Again, already?
Swedish Cardamom Buns. My husband and I just went on a trip to Sweden over the summer and had one or two every day for the week that we were there. I also used to make and sell them as a home-based vendor during the pandemic to keep my business afloat. They make an excellent freezer stash item — you can just pull them out anytime and bake from frozen. Wishing I could snap my fingers and have a cardamom bun supply in my freezer right now.
Cardamom Bun! Whoa! I love them, but still wasn't able to find "the perfect" recipe. I have tried many a recipe for them, yet, whilst they looked like they should, and yes tasted a bit of Cardamom, it was not enough for my taste. I can totally relate to those. I love to fill that dough sometimes with a poppyseed filling.
Brilliant question to ponder, just sitting down to a pre-tea glass of red. Tried to come up with an answer before reading everyone’s answer. A good old fashioned simple chocolate cake sprung to mind. Now craving the idea for pudding tonight! Obviously after a Lasagna!
Ottolenghi's spicy mushroom lasagna - aka the best vegetarian lasagna I have ever made. In some ways it is not difficult - all the chopping takes place in a food processor. But all things considered it is still time consuming - dried mushrooms have to be rehydrated, fresh mushrooms have to be chopped and dried out in the oven (to concentrate their flavour) and then there is the whole matter of assembling the lasagna and cooking it in the oven. But the effort is so worth it.
Failing that, I would love to dedicate a day to making morning buns - freezing half a batch for future me - or a big batch of bagels.
My husband also wanted to wade in on this... He would make a meat pie, with hand raised hot water pastry, served with delicate carrots and peas picked from the garden. Pair that with my Croquembouche for dessert and my my, what a meal!!
Dear Rebecca, I love this question, dear Community, and I can completely understand how rare those carefree baking afternoons can be when you're usually cooking with purpose! For me, baking has become a bit more fluid, especially during my time off for trauma recovery. I often let my appetite and mood guide me, which has its own kind of magic, but I can see how having a totally free afternoon just for the joy of baking could feel so special.
Right now, I’ve started working on a sourdough baguette for next weekend—it feels like a gentle, long process that I can savor. I also might dive into my 'Royal Scones' soon, letting the dough rest overnight or even longer. It’s incredible how much difference that extra rest time makes in flavor and texture, and the same goes for muffins too!
I wonder what new creation might emerge from one of those stormy, uninterrupted afternoons in your kitchen. 💛 What would be your go-to bake when you get that rare moment of freedom?
I am making chicken stock today from my own home grown chickens. Last Saturday I butchered 31 chickens, spent the last 2 days cleaning them very well, froze some of them and shared a few with my closest family friends. With the rest, I'm turning them into broth. This time, I added ginger and turmeric in the pot to have a healthier broth for the cold and flu season. But, actually, on a day that I have nothing else to do, I would be baking scones. This year I have had a craving for scones and have baked quite a few. I like to bake varieties but my favorite flavor is ginger scones. I made one that had lavender, rose water and pistachios in it, topped with a lavender icing and rose petals. It was so interesting and delicious.
First thing that came to mind was tarte tatin -- not wildly complex or time-consuming, though for best results it takes long, slow cooking of the apple halves for maximum caramel infusion. Patience. I also echo Betty's mention of Paris-Brest. That's an all-time favorite treat that I have yet to tackle making myself. Can't wait to do so.
Ottolenghi is always inspirational 😊. That said, baking double batches of morning buns is a great alternative - I should do it more often cos I always run out.
Oooh, absolutely nothing else to do at all? I would attempt a Croquembouche. I have made lots of choux pastry but have never attempted those caramel puffs filled with pastry cream in a perfect cone, all covered in spun caramel. I really want to give it a go! But it's such a huge endeavour and I've never had the time.
Ooh that's a tough one! Maybe bagels - we've been trying to make a NYC deli-style bagel for a while, but can't get it quite right, so it would be great to have a whole day to practise. We had our very first ones at Russ & Daughters (a lifetime ago) and ahh they were sooo good. Not that we expect to replicate that experience haha, but we hope to eventually do better than the ones off the grocery aisles.
Or perhaps you mean something we've been craving but just haven't had the leisure to make? Then it would probably be one of mum's rendang recipes. The prep alone takes a good half-day cos we still pound all the spices and other aromatics by hand. And we refuse to leave out the kerisik (grated coconut), though many people do these days cos you need to fry it in a dry wok over a low flame for at least half an hour, tossing the whole time so it doesn't burn or stick 🙄.
I would very much like to come over and taste test all of this for you, please and thank you.
Sounds delicious. Let's all head off to your place for dinner.
Russ & Daughters!!! Love the food at the cafe on Orchard Street (and the celery soda!).
House-brewed Cel-Ray? Hehe did you know it was originally sold as a health tonic in the 1860s under the label Dr Brown's 🧐?
Russ & Daughters is such an institution - with good reason. Any time anyone asks us where to go when they visit NY, we send them there. We also love their bialys and matzo. We've actually been fairly successful making our own bialys, but an adequate bagel still eludes us 😕.
I need to go there!!!
Oh you must! There's a reason it's been going strong for over a century.
It's also the first American business to proudly carry "& Daughters" in its name ☺️. Founder Joel Russ renamed it in 1933 when he passed the business to his 3 daughters.
This sounds like all the excuse I need for another trip to NYC.
As I always say, everyday is a school day here on substack.
Oh that’s interesting- a health tonic, lol. Well, it does have a green vegetable I guess?
And yes, I agree, bagels are difficult to replicate! Have you had the ones at Liberty Bagel on 34th Street? I love them and always stop for one when I’m in NYC. Their schmears are also good.
No! We never made it to Liberty for some reason 😢. We also liked the bagels at Katz's, though I must admit we went there more for their pastrami and rye.
We’ve been to Katz’s and ordered the pastrami on rye! So good!
Isn't it incredible?!
Rendang is one of those special dishes that I don't make at home (for all the reasons you mentioned). When I crave it there is one restaurant (in Lisbon) where I can get my fix. Although I generally try to make anything and everything, I think there have to be some dishes that are just so good (and difficult to master) that going out to eat them occasionally is a real treat.
Oh definitely, a good rendang is a real treat any time you can get it ☺️. How lovely that you managed to find a place in Lisbon! Do they do a wet or a dry rendang? We do have a few places that serve up excellent versions of wet rendang, but a dry one is a lot harder to find.
I'd love to make bagels by myself but haven't found a recipe that really "worked" and more over tasted, like a Bagel in what the search engines provide me with so far. Care to share your recipe?
I tried making bagels as part of an online cookery course. They were a little tough but edible.
Here's another recipe that we've been practising with. Charlie works in a "scald", which seems to give a pretty nice bite and helps keep the bagels from getting stale too fast. His posts are quite solid, so we visit his site almost every week for ideas and techniques.
https://youtu.be/KGUuCzdTWlM?feature=shared
https://www.chainbaker.com/scalded-bagels
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and Charlie's link! It’s incredible how bagel-making truly feels like an art form, and it’s great to hear that you're exploring different techniques to perfect it. I love that you’re continuously searching for new ideas—there’s something so inspiring about diving into the craft and experimenting until it feels just right. Looking forward to trying this recipe myself!
As you can't really get Bagels in Germany (well the pre-packaged heat yourself type, but they are not really edible), I really look forward experimenting a bit. I have at least eaten my share in Bagels whenever I travelled the US, so hopefully my taste memory will guide me along whilst experimenting.
Great, we can exchange notes! Btw have you tried Jerusalem bagels? Actually they're not bagels at all, though they're also shaped into rings, but we luv em! Dipped in molasses and heavily crusted in sesame seeds, they're just as scrumptious in their own right and well worth exploring. In Turkey they're known as simit, in the Middle East they're classified as ka'ak.
https://youtu.be/zr_TISQEFog?feature=shared
(no recipe but really fun to watch 😊)
Actually, I can get simit in much better quality almost anywhere here in Germany, thanks to our large Turkish and Kurdish community. So yes, I do enjoy them, but those tiny sesame seeds aren’t too kind to my aging gums! 😅 I clicked on the link and watched the video—funny that you shared a German-language one with me! It was really nice to watch, though, so thanks for that!
Oh never realised that. I'm so envious, I love Turkish breads.
Haha sesame seeds are so moreish when they're all golden and toasty, but I have trouble with them too these days.
We've tried quite a few recipes. Lemme go see which ones came closest for us 😊
@n Leana - did you know you can order those Russ & Daughter bagels off Goldbelly?
Rendang! That's heavenly!
Well I am in Germany, so no Goldbelly orders for me, but that site is amazing. There is nothing like this in Germany. I was really impressed.
Thanks! Seems they ship almost everything - just told a friend who loves their schmaltz herring and peppered mackerel.
You love rendang too? Yeah nothing beats a "well-aged" rendang, really wish we had the time to make it more often. Do you prefer beef or mutton? Chicken is yummy too, but you need an old bird that can stand up to the long stewing.
Most people use beef brisket, but we like the cheeks and shins cos they stay so moist. Sometimes we toss in the tendons too, but they take even longer to prep and break down, so we need to start the prep almost 2 days in advance.
Have you tried Claire Saffitz's recipe? She gives a pretty comprehensive guide. We didn't get the results we wanted the first time, but I think that was due more to a poor choice of flour and our lack of technique back then in developing the gluten enough. We also messed up the shaping, which I'm sure didn't help with the rise. We tried it again with several other flours and got better results, though our shaping still leaves a lot to be desired.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/81-how-to-make-bagels
Thanks for sharing that too.
Lasagna with all the good ingredients, start by shopping and getting everything I need then come home and assemble then cook. I love lasagna!
Lasagna is comfort food to me.
Me too! And now I am seriously craving it.
You are the second person in this thread to say lasagna! It’s such a great answer. I don’t know what kind of lasagna I would make though… bolognese? White mushroom? Veggie? Italian sausage and marinara? What about you?
I have thought more about baking, but Lasagna sure is one to go.
The recipe I used to use was mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta with ground beef with marinara and some aromatics. Now I plan to use a quicker version I just found, but you're giving me ideas: italian sausage, mushrooms and of course the three cheeses and marinara. Yum! Lasagna is how I rate Italian restaurants.
Yum! Please can I come over for dinner??? Also, I’m certain you’ve perfected your marinara, but just in case, here’s my favorite recipe: //alittleandalot.com/perfect-homemade-marinara-sauce/
I don’t know if I could count then number of times I’ve made it over the years. And I’m with you about rating restaurants based on their lasagna. If they do that well, probably everything else on the menu will be good.
Your home made marinara is now on my list of things to make from scratch.
And of course I will invite you the second time I make it, oh and your husband too
Some great ideas there David.
Thanks
Absolutely
Yes….this is a labour of love kind of cooking, definitely a good way to spend the afternoon
We need something to warm us up in the chilly weather. I think we have seen the last of the british summer. At least what there was of it.
Simmer some good bones for 24, maybe 36 hours with various aromatics to make delicious stock for ramen etc. Of course, not much effort required so I could also knock up a cassoulet, or a fish soup.
I love the comfort food theme of all of this! This is the kind of food that always makes me feel satisfied in a cared for kind of way.
Luv cassoulet! My friend makes a duck and pork cassoulet that's out of this world 😋
I often hear about a Cassoulet but never made one.
We were introduced to it by a French neighbour, who made a particularly sinful version - with duck legs that she'd confited herself, both Diot and Andouillette sausages, and Tarbais beans, all of which she carted back from France whenever she returned.
But it began as a peasant dish, not haute cuisine, and there are countless variations. We often do ours with just salted pork belly and white kidney beans.
Lynn, I made cassoulet once after my late partner and I returned from southern France, where we actually tasted the real deal at its source. We even bought the authentic cassoulet beans, which you can’t really find in Germany. I might have a photo of it somewhere. I started with making confit of Duck and added all the works. It was incredible, and years later, people still talk about that recipe because they loved it so much. It is definitely time-consuming, though, and it requires a special conical earthenware pot (my partner had purchased one while we were there)
Wow that sounds amazing. Some foods you never forget the taste of and are often the bench mark by which all other meals are rated.
Lynn, that's right and it was amazing.
We're having chicken today, so I will save the bones to make a stock later.
Sounds awesome! YES! Can perfectly imagine that doing myself.
If I had no other obligations I would spend the day making various types of carrot cake and icings. I have been asked to make a tiered one for a wedding in January so I would spend all day experimenting. I usually make more traditional cakes with fondant icing so this is a new depature for me! (I would have to make detailed notes so that I remember which recipe worked best!)
I make a carrot cake with caramel rum sauce that has been my family’s favorite dessert for maybe 20 years. That is exactly what they would choose if I left the question of what I should make up to them! :-) But also, a wedding is the perfect excuse to shut yourself in the kitchen and bake all day long.
Oh I'm drooling!
I love the idea of making a carrot cake. I haven't made one of those in years.
Hmm, love carrot cake, it's so warm and comforting to tuck into, but don't think I've ever seen it turned into a multi-tier wedding cake. Such a fun project to take on 😊
Caroline, I love a good carrot cake, can totally understand. Something I do the German variant though "Möhrentorte". Not much difference there...
This is such a delicious thought - to have all day to make whatever I want with no other obligations!
I think I would attempt something complicated and something I’ve never made before. Two things come immediately to mind:
1) boned, stuffed, and roasted turkey. I’ve never deboned an entire turkey and reassembled it, so that would be a fun challenge.
2) gateau Paris-Brest. I saw it featured on GBBO several seasons ago and didn’t know what it was, but it looked so good. Lots of moving parts with the pralin, crème pat, choux pastry, and toppings but wow what a spectacular thing that would be to make (and eat!).
Oooooo, I’ve also wanted to try my hand at Paris-Brest. It’s so pretty and I love anything with choux pastry and pastry cream.
Me too!!!
I love a Paris-Brest too!! Great choice ❤️
Hmmm. So many options! Cheesecake for starters and then maybe blintzes. Sourdough bread. Braised beef short rib split pea soup.
Please will you make all of this and please may I come for dinner?
I'd probably clean the frig and/or the pantry, make a spanokopita, and another sourdough starter. Then I'd spend the rest of the day washing/drying/putting away the many containers I evicted from the frig. Doesn't sound as romantic as making a cassoulet or a many layered carrot cake, but it IS gratifying!
I find cleaning gratifying. It’s amazing how much space there is in a fridge after a clear out.
I’ve never made spanokopita but I have no idea why because I love eating it! I think I need to try my hand at it soon. And I relate to your comment about the gratification that comes when everything is clean and put away. I think you might have also inspired me to clean out our refrigerator… a task I’ve been avoiding but suddenly seems like all I want to do today.
Ours really needs cleaning out, but to be honest, I'm a bit afraid to go in there - there are some scary things lurking inside!
That would be an interesting discussion question. What’s scariest thing you’ve found in the back of your fridge.
A thread I’d read with horror and morbid curiosity.
Hmm. Probably the bottle practically spilling over with spikes of purple and green mould - couldn't even tell what used to be in it 😵💫
😂
Pretty much.
My concern is that someone visiting will look in there. Im a solo guy so you can probably imagine how bad it is.
Start-to-finish lasagna! 😍
This is also one of my favorite things to make at a lovely leisurely pace when I have time to make everything from scratch including the noodles.
Oh especially on a chilly autumn night ☺️
Lasagne it always a real treat, especially with homemade pasta sheets. Truly delicious.
We just started making our own pasta 2 months ago, and we still need lots more practice, but yes, fresh-made pasta is lovely! We're going sort of southern Italian, using just durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata from Caputo) and the flavour is incredible even without any eggs added.
Oh yes that's a good one too!!
What a lovely question to ponder! Challah, I think; or maybe really good brownies… in any case, I’m off to the kitchen!
Challah is on my list of things to perfect. We spend a couple months out of every year in Colorado because that’s where all our family is. We stay at a campground in a little town with a baker that makes the BEST Challah ever. I always stash some in the freezer for later but it’s never enough so I’ve got to figure out how to make it myself. It’s just so good!
I’d make those apple fritters!
My husband wishes I would make those again too! :-)
I bet he does! I’m totally making them. Maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I'd make Giulia Scarpaleggia's homemade pici pasta with aglione, this giant Tuscan garlic I bought at the market today, and Sofia Real's buckwheat coffee cake. Then hopefully you would have some leftover roasted carrot soup to drop off for me to reheat because I think I'll be to tired to make anything else! ;-)
I’d trade you roasted carrot soup for a seat at the table with that feast any day!
Wow, just googled aglione - a single clove is as large as my hand! We love garlic in any form, so really wish we could try it. What's the flavour like?
I can’t seem to attach a photo here to show the scale but I’ll post another note! When it’s raw, it stings the eyes like onion but when you touch it yo your tongue it has that sting like garlic. The flavor is closer to a sharper leek! I sautéed it and used it as a soup base last night but next weekend I’ll make the traditional Tuscan aglione sauce and pici pasta!
Sadly we can't post images yet on comments.
Yeah sounds like it would be great for soups and stews, anything slow-cooked to really release the flavour
I think you’re right! I just posted the note with the scale photos!
We are able to post images in Notes, but not in comments. We can't seem to tag people in comments either, which is a pity.
Homemade pizza. Different ones too. Yum. Now I'm hungry
My best friend just got an oonie pizza oven and has been turning out the best napoleon style pizza with fermented dough. It’s so good! Homemade pizza is the best.
I've seen those, but they're so expensive! We've been living life without a kitchen and so I had to get a bit creative, I've since learnt that apparently you can make a really good pizza on the bbq (one that you can close of course)
They are pricy! She’s been making pizza all the time since she got it, partly because it’s delicious and partly to get her money’s worth. 😂
Haha there are countless variations, so she'll certainly get her money's worth. And she can make other things in it, like a monster bistecca alla Fiorentina 😊.
https://grantbakes.com/10-things-to-cook-in-an-ooni-pizza-oven-besides-pizza/
Oh we've even "fried" one in a wok! That works quite well with thin pizzas if you can get a high enough flame to heat the wok till it's smoking.
Ooooh interesting 🤔
Sigh, our neighbour has one - wish we could afford it.
That is nice. I just made an amazing one. Never even eaten one in a restaurant as tasty as that recipe. How do you make yours? Let you rest the dough overnight? Do you use baking malt?
I've got several recipes but lately I've always been using this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEdgh99nEiw&list=PL2lAH5H7QNZ-dGc34lLPc6XUrNXIm-AA7&index=58&ab_channel=PatioPizza and it always comes out amazing
And thanks for that recipe, it sounds good, yet if you have add malt, it well help with taste and browning
Yeah I was reading that in your article, I may have to give that a go!
Let me know how it worked out for you.
I will check that recipe - this was my Pizza 🍕 Post https://open.substack.com/pub/wildlionessespride/p/the-perfect-pizza-a-love-letter-in?r=1sss7q&utm_medium=ios
that looks so good! and just how I like my pizza, simple toppings are the best
I'm so glad you liked it! It turned out so surprisingly delicious that I’ll definitely be making it over and over. And this is coming from someone who used to say, 'Pizza? Again, already?
Swedish Cardamom Buns. My husband and I just went on a trip to Sweden over the summer and had one or two every day for the week that we were there. I also used to make and sell them as a home-based vendor during the pandemic to keep my business afloat. They make an excellent freezer stash item — you can just pull them out anytime and bake from frozen. Wishing I could snap my fingers and have a cardamom bun supply in my freezer right now.
I adore a Swedish Cardamom Bun, this is a fabulous choice!
My freezer may have a new addition soon!
Cardamom Bun! Whoa! I love them, but still wasn't able to find "the perfect" recipe. I have tried many a recipe for them, yet, whilst they looked like they should, and yes tasted a bit of Cardamom, it was not enough for my taste. I can totally relate to those. I love to fill that dough sometimes with a poppyseed filling.
Pumpkin tea cake from the Tartine cookbook. Life changing!
I LOVE that cookbook but have never made that recipe! Revising my weekend plans accordingly.
you won't regret it. It has the plushiest crumb and is deeply satisfying!
Brilliant question to ponder, just sitting down to a pre-tea glass of red. Tried to come up with an answer before reading everyone’s answer. A good old fashioned simple chocolate cake sprung to mind. Now craving the idea for pudding tonight! Obviously after a Lasagna!
Ottolenghi's spicy mushroom lasagna - aka the best vegetarian lasagna I have ever made. In some ways it is not difficult - all the chopping takes place in a food processor. But all things considered it is still time consuming - dried mushrooms have to be rehydrated, fresh mushrooms have to be chopped and dried out in the oven (to concentrate their flavour) and then there is the whole matter of assembling the lasagna and cooking it in the oven. But the effort is so worth it.
Failing that, I would love to dedicate a day to making morning buns - freezing half a batch for future me - or a big batch of bagels.
My husband also wanted to wade in on this... He would make a meat pie, with hand raised hot water pastry, served with delicate carrots and peas picked from the garden. Pair that with my Croquembouche for dessert and my my, what a meal!!
Hehe differences are good too, otherwise life would get boring
Absolutely!! He balances me out too.
It's great that you both love food - and that he can cook, yay!
Always good to have a partner who can cook! We are quite yin and yang otherwise - very different people. It is food that brings us together.
Sounds like a plan! 😉
Dear Rebecca, I love this question, dear Community, and I can completely understand how rare those carefree baking afternoons can be when you're usually cooking with purpose! For me, baking has become a bit more fluid, especially during my time off for trauma recovery. I often let my appetite and mood guide me, which has its own kind of magic, but I can see how having a totally free afternoon just for the joy of baking could feel so special.
Right now, I’ve started working on a sourdough baguette for next weekend—it feels like a gentle, long process that I can savor. I also might dive into my 'Royal Scones' soon, letting the dough rest overnight or even longer. It’s incredible how much difference that extra rest time makes in flavor and texture, and the same goes for muffins too!
I wonder what new creation might emerge from one of those stormy, uninterrupted afternoons in your kitchen. 💛 What would be your go-to bake when you get that rare moment of freedom?
I am making chicken stock today from my own home grown chickens. Last Saturday I butchered 31 chickens, spent the last 2 days cleaning them very well, froze some of them and shared a few with my closest family friends. With the rest, I'm turning them into broth. This time, I added ginger and turmeric in the pot to have a healthier broth for the cold and flu season. But, actually, on a day that I have nothing else to do, I would be baking scones. This year I have had a craving for scones and have baked quite a few. I like to bake varieties but my favorite flavor is ginger scones. I made one that had lavender, rose water and pistachios in it, topped with a lavender icing and rose petals. It was so interesting and delicious.
First thing that came to mind was tarte tatin -- not wildly complex or time-consuming, though for best results it takes long, slow cooking of the apple halves for maximum caramel infusion. Patience. I also echo Betty's mention of Paris-Brest. That's an all-time favorite treat that I have yet to tackle making myself. Can't wait to do so.
Ottolenghi is always inspirational 😊. That said, baking double batches of morning buns is a great alternative - I should do it more often cos I always run out.
Danish carrot buns and a Basque cheesecake are two recipes I would like to make for the first time.
Oooh, absolutely nothing else to do at all? I would attempt a Croquembouche. I have made lots of choux pastry but have never attempted those caramel puffs filled with pastry cream in a perfect cone, all covered in spun caramel. I really want to give it a go! But it's such a huge endeavour and I've never had the time.
I picked up some buckwheat flour to make the buckwheat coffee cake. I tweaked it and added blueberries and not apricot miso jam.