Challenging My Cooking Skills: Recipes to Try
I’ve always been someone who loves food. I enjoy cooking and I think I’m pretty solid at it. I can throw together a delicious bowl of pasta. Make cozy soups. I can also whip up something quick after a long day. It’s one of the ways that I care for myself and the people I love.
But lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to level it up a little. I want to try the things that have always sounded too far out of reach. Like the many recipes that I’ve bookmarked over the years but never actually attempted. I’m ready to step outside my comfort zone and see what happens when I tackle something a little more ambitious.
Craving New Flavors
I really want to turn my kitchen into a place of discovery. I’ve been wanting to try different cultural dishes that I’ve never explored before. Such as a traditional Indian curry from scratch. Or dive into a Japanese Ramen, with all the toppings. I’m also curious about learning how to make authentic Mexican mole, with its rich, complex flavors.
It certainly doesn’t end there. But what excites me most is learning new techniques and understanding the flavors of different cultures.
Bread: Something I’m Both Scared of and In Love With
Then there’s bread. The kind where flour dusts the countertop, yeast stretches in your hands, and dough blooms underneath a towel until it awakens. Bread has always felt intimidating to me. There’s an entire ritual to it.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to make sourdough, focaccia, brioche. I want to feel that golden loaf crack beneath my teeth. I want the slow calm of kneading, the gentle anxiety of waiting for the rise, and the deep pride of carrying something fresh from my oven.
Pasta: A Slower Kind of Joy
And then there’s pasta. Fresh egg pasta, hand-rolled, silky and tender. There’s something kind of romantic about it. I visualize myself in an apron, flour all over the counters, some Italian music playing in the background. I’m kneading the dough, rolling it out slowly, cutting long strips of tagliatelle. Or maybe I’m making little fully pillows of gnocchi. Just taking my time, enjoying the process.
A Julia Child Memory That Still Smells Like Garlic
Years ago, I took a cooking class focused on Julia Child’s recipes. We made classic dishes—creamy and rich soubise, roast chicken that crackled with butter-basted skin, Apple pie (my assignment, though not my favorite), and the one that’s been a personal favorite of mine for years: French onion soup.
Picture onion slices slowly browning in butter. Then broth added, wine, melty cheese that bubbles golden on toasted bread. It’s the soup that makes me think that I want to live in kitchens that feel alive like this.
Julia’s style wasn’t perfect. She invited mess, boldness, and big flavors. She taught me it was okay to love the process just as much as the recipe.
(Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée)
Julia Child’s French Onion Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat a heavy, oven-safe, stock pot over medium-low heat and add the cooking oil once the pot is hot. Melt the butter into the hot oil. Stir the sliced onions into the oil/butter mix, ensuring they are evenly coated.
- Cover the stock pot and cook for around 20 minutes checking to make sure they aren’t burning. Onions should be clear and very tender once finished. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the sugar and 1tsp salt. Continue cooking while stirring until onions are thoroughly browned (caramelized).
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 3 Tbsp flour. Cook 2-3 minutes until flour forms a thick paste (add more butter if needed). Stir in 1 cup of beef stock, and stir heavily for a couple seconds.
- Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Drizzle both sides of french bread slices with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Cook the bread in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.
- Taste soup, and add salt and pepper as needed, then remove the bay leaf.
- Add cognac, and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup. Add a little bit of the swiss cheese to the soup, preserving most of it for the top. Cover the soup mixture with the bread, forming a single layer bread top. Sprinkle the rest of the Swiss cheese over the top of the bread, forming a thick layer. Drizzle melted butter or oil over the cheese and place the pot into the oven uncovered. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Turn the broiler on and brown the cheese.
- Remove pot from oven and let stand to cool.
Notes
Why It Matters to Me
All of the things I want to make help me find new parts of myself. They shape my experiences into edible memories. I feel prepared for the challenge. I’m ready to let the food draw me out of my comfort zone. To knead my awkwardness into dough and mistakes worth tasting.
“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
Julia child
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