Whoever said complexity ruins things, clearly never tasted these beautifully complicated dishes. The kind of dishes that instill awe in those that eat them, and fear in those who make them. Here are six delectable dishes, that will make you wish you could cook :(Note:The success rates of chef’s who attempt these treats are very low)
1. Gateau St. Honoré
Dedicated to the patron saint of bakers and pastry- makers, making this french cake is obviously a herculean task.
Composed of four different challenging pastry elements: puff pastry, pâte à choux(amateurs see:dough for cream puffs), caramelized sugar and Creme Chiboust (a filling made from pastry cream and Italian meringue),making the Gateau St. Honoréis no child’s play.
2. Bombe (baked) Alaska
Baked Alaska is the dragon dessert -not only do its caremalised spikes look like a dragon’s scales, it also takes a culinary knight to conquer it. Maybe that’s because its three components—a circle of cake topped with a dome of ice cream and covered in meringue are slightly not so easy to make.
This sweet wonder seems to defy the laws of physics: inspite of baking this dessert in a very hot oven, only its outer cloud like meringue is browned, while its ice cream heart remains cold and hard as ever. The drama is further intensified in some restaurants by drenching the marvel in liqueur and then setting it on fire in dim lighting.
3. Croquembouche
Traditionally a French wedding cake, this decadent tower of goodness, is the ultimate test of patience, craftsmanship and self retraint. It proves to be extremely tormenting to not eat it before it is completed, as it takes ages to make.
It is made completely of cream filled choux pastry balls (translated for an amateur into light pastry balls) stacked into a cone and bound with threads of caramel and spun sugar.
4. Heston’s Perfect Spaghetti Bolognese
Heston Blumenthal, a creative genius in the molecular gastronomy field, is known to jam-pack his dishes with flavour, technique and beautiful intricacies. His dishes, that are always backed by science, never fail to suprise and mesmerise. This misleadingly simple looking dish is no exception.
5. Turducken
Turducken—a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey, is the dish of dreams for every meat- lover. The only problem? The tediousness and messiness of the actual act of stuffing a turkey with a duck-stuffed-with-a-chicken, not to mention how difficult it is to manage the cooking times for three different birds.
Its USP is the surprise associated with the dish, the perfect turducken arrives at the table looking just like a regular old turkey, until it is carved revealing the wonder inside.
6. Pie
Shepherd’s pie, lemon meringue pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, goats cheese and potato pie- there is a pie for everyone.Pie’s can be the most comforting and filling things to eat. Pie’s can be filled with a variety of ingredients, Even so, their complexity lies not in their filling but in nailing the pastry.
Getting the crust to be perfectly flaky, tender, golden brown and flavourful is exactly as difficult as it sounds.
