Pineapple-Cashew Crisp, Coleslaw Pizza and Other Flops
Probably the cardinal rule of food-blogging success is: Don't talk about your failures.
I've never played by the rules.
Last week I had a recipe that flopped. It tasked OK. But I forgot to buy a key ingredient and the substitute I made at the last minute didn't quit do the trick. It messed up my calendar. (Having worked in the publications world, I have a loose editorial calendar that I try to abide by, and a flop throws a spanner in the works.)
I started thinking about other culinary disasters: Turns out I had photos of most of them.
This dessert was tasty; it just didn't look so good. I should have used crushed pineapple, but it was one of my experiments using leftovers and pineapple chunks were what I had on hand. If my father were alive, he would have reminded me about the time I put whole peanuts in brownies. At least they were out of the shell.
Coleslaw pizza was supposed to be a riff on that ubiquitous "veggie pizza" that popped up at wedding and baby showers in the 1980s. Only it didn't work. I even hated it - and I love coleslaw.
Yes, this was supposed to be a loaf of bread. It - obviously - did not turn out. I photographed it anyway, and then turned it over to the youth-hockey people.
This was really delicious. Only you were supposed to be able to roll it into little round balls. I did something wrong. But it was still very tasty.
It's hard for me to get too excited over kitchen flops. They help us learn. They keep us humble.
And they make good stories.
I've never played by the rules.
Last week I had a recipe that flopped. It tasked OK. But I forgot to buy a key ingredient and the substitute I made at the last minute didn't quit do the trick. It messed up my calendar. (Having worked in the publications world, I have a loose editorial calendar that I try to abide by, and a flop throws a spanner in the works.)
I started thinking about other culinary disasters: Turns out I had photos of most of them.
 |
| Pineapple-Coconut-Cashew Crisp with Prunes |
This dessert was tasty; it just didn't look so good. I should have used crushed pineapple, but it was one of my experiments using leftovers and pineapple chunks were what I had on hand. If my father were alive, he would have reminded me about the time I put whole peanuts in brownies. At least they were out of the shell.
 |
| Coleslaw Pizza |
Coleslaw pizza was supposed to be a riff on that ubiquitous "veggie pizza" that popped up at wedding and baby showers in the 1980s. Only it didn't work. I even hated it - and I love coleslaw.
 |
| Provencal Bread |
Yes, this was supposed to be a loaf of bread. It - obviously - did not turn out. I photographed it anyway, and then turned it over to the youth-hockey people.
 |
| Chocolate Truffles, er, Chocolate Dip |
This was really delicious. Only you were supposed to be able to roll it into little round balls. I did something wrong. But it was still very tasty.
It's hard for me to get too excited over kitchen flops. They help us learn. They keep us humble.
And they make good stories.
Comments