Saturday, June 05, 2010

Not always successful.

lemonchiffoncake
Lemon Chiffon Cake. Could not get it out of the tin. Tasted good, but ugly.

I notice that sometimes I get very anxious about posting some photos and recipes on here. It's usually when the photos aren't great - or downright bad! - or when the food didn't turn out spectacularly. But you know what? I'm not a professional. Not a professional food photographer, nor a chef. I'm me.

The post earlier this week reminded me about some other not-quite-successes that I haven't wanted to post about before - they just didn't come out as I expected. Some, I'll try again. Some - never.

antsonatree
Supposedly ants on a tree. Did not work out well. Way heavy on the soy sauce. Need another recipe, please.

applemoussecake
An apple mousse cake, topped with cinnamon jelly. Or, in reality, the jelly sort of sank in, creating this unappealing cake. It tasted great, but was ugly. *sigh*

chevrecheesecake
White chocolate goat cheese cheesecake - actually absolutely delicious, but I managed to burn the top (which is shaved white chocolate that you put under a very hot broiler for a few seconds to caramelize - but not burn - it.) Served with cloudberry preserves - and this one I will most definitely make again.

vanillaroastedpears
Vanilla Roasted Pears. Nothing wrong, exactly, but they were rather ho-hum. Won't make again.

10 comments:

Kinna Jonsson said...

It does not work the way one wants always. Yesterday I made a mess of a chicken. It was not done inside even though the thermometer showed the right degree.
But I guess your cake tasted good even though it looked a bit strange. =)

katie g said...

nothing a bit of cream couldn't fix with the cake, cream fixes many things. here is another ants climbing trees recipe see how you go.

ANTS CLIMBING TREES
(Margaret Johnson)

Ingredients
150g glass noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g beef mince, not too lean
1 tbsp garlic crushed
2 tbsp ginger grated
2 red chillies, sliced, chopped or to your taste
½ cup water
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp black vinegar or balsamic
2 tsp sesame oil
fresh coriander

Method
Soak the noodles in warm water for 10 minutes and then drain. Heat a wok to very hot and add the oil. Break up the mince into big clumps and add that. Gradually as the heat is retained, break the clumps into smaller pieces until they are all broken up and the meat is not stewing. If unsure, do this step in two stages. Then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a few minutes longer. By this stage, the meat should have some colour. Add the water, sauces, vinegar and sesame oil. Then toss through the noodles and cook until all is hot. Serve in bowls topped with coriander and more chilli if liked.

Serve with stir-friend Chinese greens.

Heatherfeather said...

I do this too - I have so many backlogged photos that just didn't turn out well, but I really still want to eventually blog about the recipe itself. I have an equal number of really great photos I took of food that I have no desire to write about, or share the recipe - because while the meal looked great, it is not something I'd ever make again. I like your idea of posting a bunch of the duds together like that - I may do the same sometime too.

I actually think the cake looks yummy even with its rough edges.

Puglette said...

this is the fun of cooking! your lemon chiffon cake just needs the chiffon! a lovely lemon buttercream and no one would know about the crumbly bits.
;o)

~~louise~~ said...

If you want to see unsuccessful presentations, you should be in my kitchen!!! Oh goodness, I am such a baker; NOT!!!

Thanks for sharing, Anne. Bookmarked!!!

Anonymous said...

Use parchment...for a great way to keep chiffon cakes elegant!! Spray the bottom of the pan (no sides) with "pam", cut parchment to fit the bottom, and spray parchment lightly. Use a knife to loosen edges...unmold. Works well everytime!!

Pille said...

Anne, that goat cheese cheesecake sounds divine, hope you'll share a recipe soon!!!

David T. Macknet said...

Everybody has failures - I usually don't photograph the food if it doesn't turn out as I'd like, and if the photograph doesn't turn out, I toss the photo. You, at least, have some photographic evidence and can remember the dishes!

Angela said...

Oh my goodness, that's how almost every cake I bake looks =( Granted, I don't make cakes often, but any that do make their way onto my blog are always covered in frosting and photographed at artistic angles...yep. Not a coincidence.

Thanks to the anonymous commenter who suggested cutting parchment paper for the bottom of the pan =)

You white chocolate goat cheese cake sounds amazing- could you share the recipe? I'm planning on making a cheesecake in few weeks for a birthday party. Was the goat cheese very tangy, or did it have a more traditional taste?

Thanks for your time =) I don't comment often, but I love your blog!

Anne said...

Thanks everyone :)

We don't really have cooking spray here - it seems really convenient though! I usually use parchment paper or teflon, but didn't think of it for this particular pan - I should have, for sure.

I'll definitely post the recipe for the white chocolate cheesecake with chevre if you want it - it's really very good, and I'll certainly make it again.