7 Things I Want to Cook ...

Photo Credit: Mad Baker

I’ve only had this once. It was an egg nog creme brulee at Bearslee Castle in central New York and it was crazy delicious. I’m a big fan of anything that allows me to use fire in the kitchen, and the recipes I’ve seen don’t look too incredibly hard. So now all I need is some ramekins and I should make sure the fire extinguisher is in good working order.

Photo Credit: disneymike

Yeah, I said it. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook steak. Just, I’m not too hot on the cooking times. Medium rare what? It’s sort of sad, really. I just can’t quite get the knack here, and every time someone tries to tell me how to correctly gauge for medium, rare, well done, and so on, it just kind of sounds like they’re speaking ancient Greek.

Photo Credit: Armida the Diva

I tried to make this once for my mom on Mother’s Day. I planned this big, ambitious meal of lamb chop stew, asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce. Guess what happened to the Hollandaise? My dog got to lick it up -- where it wasn’t gummed and stuck on the pot. It was a disaster. I still don’t know if I really would like Hollandaise, but I’d like to be able to make it all the same.

Photo Credit: lyh1 ~ ON AND OFF

Specifically, I want to make the kind of roast chicken that would make Julia Child proud, since she’s the catalyst for my culinary obsession anyway. The way she describes real roast chicken, with no special frills, just makes it sound so good. And hey, I’m Southern, I have no problem using a truck-load of butter.

Photo Credit: Daniel Light

This encompasses a wide, wide range, I know, but I love Mexican food. It’s one of my favorites. And sadly, since moving to New England, I cannot find any satisfactory Mexican restaurants. This does not please me, so I figured hey! I might as well learn to make it myself.

Photo Credit: HarveyALuu

I. Love. Duck. This too can be attributed to Beardslee. I’ve been wanting to make duck or goose for the holidays for years, and this year I’m determined to. I might end up eating it all by myself, but still. I’m set on learning how to properly crisp the skin and the fat and everything. I promise to take pictures.

Photo Credit: Sashertootie

I’ll confess: Gordon Ramsey makes me want to learn this. I’ve actually never even eaten it myself, so I should probably try it first. However, I’m a huge fan of beef, so I can’t imagine not liking it. Of course, I should probably get the whole rare/medium/well bit straight first, huh?

Okay, nobody hold out on me out there. I know there’s some awesome cooks out there. Does anyone have any tips for me here? And what are you dying to know how to cook?

Top Photo Credit: theladymargaret