What's a dish you've made that you're most proud of?

I’ve been in a tiny Tokyo apartment for the last six months without much room to cook, but I managed to make a stew from seared chicken thighs that was quite delicious. I basically followed https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ORcTvgK-vPg , minus the ‘roast’ part.

How do you make your hummus? Whenever I’ve tried making hummus it has always ended up tasting slightly… grainy? Almost like the consistency of curdled milk, if that makes any sense.

I am not a cook, in any sense of the word. But I do a pretty good job at hacking together munchies for inebriated people. These all taste better than they should, even sober.

• Take scoop tortilla chips, add 1/2 pepperoni + 1/8 American cheese slice (the more artificial the better) per chip, microwave 30 seconds
• General Tsos Mac and Cheese. Box of Mac, add leftover General Tsos.
• Cake icing on salty crackers.
• Peanut butter, dill pickle, and cheese sandwich. I have yet to convince anybody else to try it.

I know I'm a monster. I'll show myself out.

I won a small work contest once with a chili I made completely from scratch. Made the chili paste myself mostly from California peppers (with some others added for a bit more heat), so I called it "California Beanin'". It had chocolate in it for bitter notes and a bit of anchovy paste as well. I'd suggest anyone make their own chili paste some time, it's fun to experiment! I think I mostly used notes from Serious Eats.

I also used to do this Lasagna Bolognese which takes all day. Super tasty and very satisfying to make, I've made the bolognese sauce on its own a few times as well.

I am a vegetarian now, though, so I guess I'll have to find a new go-to! Maybe I'll work on making good curry or falafel.

My girlfriend is vegan and also an amazing cook, so this is kind of cheating since I didn't make it, but she made some amazing vegan crab rangoons with Jackfruit recently which were surprisingly realistic and delicious.

One of my favourite things I've made is really simple and arguably fairly stupid but it's breakfast cereal ice-cream. 50/50 condensed milk and milk, a 1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum (it helps stop the formation of large ice crystals so it makes for smoother ice-cream), churn and at the last minute add the cereal of your choice. I like Frosties

I recently made Momofuku Milk Bar's Birthday Cake which was quite an undertaking - I cook a lot but I'm not much of a pastry cook - but it came out surprisingly well. Next time I'm using less sugar and more salt, but it's a decent recipe.

My favourite savoury dish is a baked beans with pork hock, which is hock and a load of dried beans (pinto, black, butter, aduki, etc) very slowly cooked in a mixture of tinned tomato and fresh coffee, with loads of garlic and just a dash of chilli (pasilla for preference). I don't eat much meat these days but I will buy a few hocks in the winter to make a load of this because it's just amazing on a cold day.

This evening I'm gearing up to make a pineapple curry and I'm not sure how that'll go but I'm pretty confident. I have pineapple, baby corn, shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger, mint, garlic, chilli, coconut milk and black rice. It's either going to be amazing or terrible!

My mediocre Pizza.

While rolling fresh made dough into something that almost resembles a pizza shape (but not quite) I blast Funiculi Funicula on the speakers, and sing along.

What I lack in talent, I make up for in enthusiasm.

And oh boy, do I lack talent.

I don't know the words. I definitely don't know the language. I am lucky if I stay in the same octave for more than a few seconds.

It's the only time my singing is not strongly discouraged.

The best part is, my son makes his own pizza. While I sing. And he does not complain. Then we all eat our own home made pizzas.

Okay, so I don't cook often, but I have a dish I sort of invented/modified. I love lobster bisque. I also love craw fish and cajun style food.

So I took a recipe for Lobster Bisque, and used craw fish instead. Then I added some sirracha. I know it probably doesn't count as an "Invented" or "original" dish, but I made it myself and it was really good (in my subjective opinioin), and I've never seen it anywhere else before.

I'd say revenge. I prefer to serve it cold.

If I do say so myself, I make a mean no-meat ramen. Preferably miso but sometimes shoyu. I always think it can get better though, there's so much to play around with! I totally understand how those ramen masters spend 40 years perfecting their bowl. Alex French Guy's ramen series was my initial inspiration.

My pho ain't half bad either.

Omelette, but hey just not an ordinary one. It was like, the most beautiful omelette ever ! Believe it or not i tell ya.

I can't say I'm really proud of my vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, kosher variation on the Almond Joy Tart that's a pastry shop staple. I was never crazy about how sickeningly sweet both the original and my take on it are.

On the other hand, I managed to make something for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to share dessert with their friends, and that's a win in my book. It's actually a good recipe for people who don't have a lot of baking experience. You can make something that doesn't require a huge amount of kitchen time and specialized tools other than a tart pan, and looks great even without well-practiced techniques.

Here it is, with apologies for English units and formatting issues:

                       Almond Happiness Tart

Recipe By : patience_limited
Serving Size : 16

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

                     Crust:

3 cups slivered almonds -- toasted
4 ounces brown sugar
3 1/4 ounces coconut oil
1 tablespoon water

                     Filling:
  
    1/2      cup  ginger spread (Ginger People) or ginger jam

1 can Coco Lopez (8.5 oz.)
3 1/4 ounces coconut oil
1 ounce dark rum
1/4 cup coconut flour
14 ounces sweetened coconut flakes

                     Ganache:

2 bars Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate (3.5 oz. bar)
1 can Coco Lopez (8.5 oz.)
3 ounces coconut oil

                     Powdered Sugar icing for decorating (optional):

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon coconut oil -- melted
hot water

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Crust:

Use pan-release spray (e.g. unflavored, flour-free PAM - check for soy
content) or coconut oil to grease a 12" removable-bottom tart pan.

Toast slivered almonds on a cookie sheet for approx. 10 - 12 minutes to a
light brown, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.

Place hot almonds in the bowl of a food processor with brown sugar,
coconut oil and water. [The residual heat of the almonds will melt the
coconut oil.] Process until coarsely chopped, about the consistency of
steel-cut oatmeal.

Pack the almond mixture into the tart ring, creating a rim about 1/2"
thick. This is most easily done with a flat-bottomed metal measuring cup
to ensure an even thickness.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet - there will be some leakage of the
oil from the crust while baking. Bake the crust at 350 F for 12 - 15
minutes, until uniformly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool
completely.

Spread the bottom of the cooled crust with 1/2 cup ginger spread or jam.

Filling:

Combine Coco Lopez and coconut oil in a 4-quart microwave-safe plastic
mixing bowl. Microwave at full power for 30 second intervals, stirring
ingredients with a whisk in between each interval, until contents are
melted and smoothly combined. Whisk in rum and coconut flour, then fold
in coconut flakes with a spatula until the coconut is evenly coated.

Pour filling into crust, smooth the filling flat with an icing spatula,
then return the tart pan to the oven for approximately 10 minutes, until
top of coconut filling just starts to brown, approx. 8 - 10 minutes
(remove from oven if edges of crust start to darken excessively, or cover
edges with foil). Cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate
for a minimum of one hour.

Ganache: [If planning to decorate, prepare the decorating icing bag before
the ganache; the icing should be applied before the ganache sets.]

Break chocolate into squares and combine with other ingredients in a
microwave-safe plastic bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir the
mixture gently with a whisk, taking care not to incorporate air bubbles,
until the mixture is smooth and no oil streaks are visible.

Starting at the center of the cooled tart, pour the ganache out into a
puddle. Tilting and turning the tart, allow the ganache to flow just to
the inner edge of the crust.

Decoration:

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl, then add very hot water by
teaspoonfuls and stir with a fork until icing is the consistency of
toothpaste. Stir in coconut oil until mixture is smooth. Place icing in
a plastic sandwich bag and squeeze it down to one corner (or make a
parchment icing cornet); cut corner to leave a hole about the diameter of
a toothpick.

Set the ganache-covered tart on a cake turntable; begin a spiral of icing
at the center of the tart, drawing the line and moving the tip of the
decorating bag out towards the edge of the tart while slowly spinning the
turntable. [If you don't have a cake turntable, you can draw concentric circles
about 1" apart, starting around the center and continuing outward.]

Using the tip of a sharp toothpick or skewer, draw a herringbone pattern
with alternating up and down strokes from the edges of the tart to the
center at evenly spaced intervals. [Note - I found that this didn't work
very well with the water-based icing and coconut oil ganache. It may be
easier to just draw radial lines with the icing for a spiderweb pattern,
or if you can tolerate a little dairy, to use melted white chocolate
instead.]

Finish:

Refrigerate finished tart overnight. Lift tart out of the ring on the pan
bottom, and slide a warmed 10" spatula under the crust to remove the pan
bottom. For best flavor and easiest cutting, allow to warm, covered with
plastic wrap, to just below room temperature. Cut with a warm knife to
serve. If refrigerated and well-covered, this tart will keep for up to
one week without significant change in flavor.

Description:
The vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free version of the Almond Joy Tart
Yield:
(1) 12" tart
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 474 Calories; 40g Fat (72.6%
calories from fat); 6g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg
Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1
Fruit; 7 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES :
**Shredded, unsweetened coconut can be substituted for the almonds to serve those allergic to tree nuts. **
I've tried to provide instructions suitable for both
inexperienced and experienced bakers. Aside from
decoration, each component is relatively easy to prepare,
and the whole thing doesn't create too much kitchen mess
if you set the tart pan on the baking sheet used to toast
the almonds, and wipe and reuse the filling bowl and
implements to make the ganache.

     For those interested in how I modified the original
     recipe:

     Butter contains about 15 - 18% water and another 3 - 4%
     milk solids, so I used coconut oil plus water in an
     equivalent ratio, e.g. for 4 ounces of butter, I used 3
     1/4 ounces coconut oil plus half an ounce of water for the
     crust.

     The original filling called for 6 oz. white chocolate,
     which is usually about 25 - 30% fats from cocoa butter and
     butterfat, 15% milk solids, and 50+% sugar.  The original
     recipe depended on this white chocolate content to set the
     filling in the refrigerator.  Instead, I used some coconut
     flour to give a roughly equal protein and solids content.
      With the additional baking step, the filling sets nicely.
     Also, I thought the original filling was a little too
     rich, sweet and uncomplicated - the ginger jam and rum
     replace the sugar equivalent of the white chocolate and
     the water equivalent of 4 oz. butter, but I didn't
     increase the coconut oil to make up for the missing fat
     content from the white chocolate.

     The original ganache used 1/2 c. heavy cream, 3 oz. corn
     syrup, 3 oz. butter, and 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate.
     Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate bars are readily available,
     excellent quality and list no dairy or soy ingredients.
     Coco Lopez is a heavily sweetened coconut milk with a high
     coconut cream content, so it seemed like a reasonable
     substitute for dairy cream and corn syrup.  In the coconut
     oil substitution, I chose not to add more water since I
     didn't know the exact water content of the Coco Lopez.
     All in all, this ganache turned out much like the
     original, but it does tend to break more easily, so the
     decoration didn't turn out as well as the original when I
     used a water-based icing instead of white chocolate.```

Liver tastes absolutely vile but it's too nutrient-dense for me to turn down. After trying and failing many recipes I've made one that only uses bacon, onion, liver, and salt (no breading, no deep frying) that tastes not only not terrible, but that has been reviewed as "actually kind of good." The trick is thoroughly rinsing the liver and soaking it in lemon water before cooking.

Can I gush about my husband instead of me? I'm going to gush about him. I realize this isn't an exact answer to your question, but he deserves it. I am not a chef, baker, or even a gourmand, but he is all of these things and he's really, really good at it.

He took up baking as a new hobby about a year ago, which in hindsight was the absolute best time to start that up, as when quarantine hit we were already prepped with everything one could possibly need. We already had the stand mixer, the flour, the bench scraper, and all those other things he uses that I don't even know what they are. He loves experimenting with different bread recipes, as well as just making really good standard bread. It's amazing how much better even his simplest homemade loaf is compared to even the best storebought shelf stuff.

He'll bake up a standard loaf of bread or two and we'll use that for amazing sandwiches and grilled cheeses. Sometimes he'll decide to make calzones or stromboli in this sort of amazingly large rolled loaf that ends up lasting for several meals. He's been on a kolache kick recently, and he's in the process of experimenting with different fillings. On the docket? He wants to attempt to make mac and cheese kolaches. It'll either be amazing or a complete mess, but he's excited to try! I frequently make lazy curries a lot (frozen veggies + can of curry paste + coconut milk + rice), and he's made stovetop naan to go with it that is unbelievably good. He's made amazing homemade pizzas and then, for a complete gamechanger, he's gone and done homemade grilled pizzas, which are incomparable.

For me personally, I don't love the cooking process. It's a means to an end for me. My idea of a solid home-cooking for myself is to cook some rice, heat up a can of beans, and throw it together with some seasoning and maybe a sprinkle of cheese -- and even that seems like too much effort most of the time. So you'll find me, left to my own devices, heating up something from the freezer more often than not. Meanwhile, my husband is practically running his own bakery in our kitchen and I'm almost daily treated to the most wonderful smells hinting at the most wonderful meals to come. He'll spend hours measuring out the ingredients, mixing up the dough, letting it prove (proof?), doing even more stuff to it and then letting it proof again, then waiting while it slowly cooks up in the oven. It'll sometimes be a full-day process, and often all for a single item -- albeit an absolutely amazing one.

So, while I'm not proud of any of the dishes I do, I am beyond proud of him, and not just because I get the privilege of eating the delicious things he makes. :)

These all sound amazing. I've had two big successes during covid shelter in place: Mushroom pasta (Vegetarian or Vegan) & Spring Rolls (Vegan)

For the mushroom pasta, I start by sautéing some thinly sliced onions (I usually use a whole white onion) in a heap of butter (1/3 stick). When they begin to caramelize I add garlic and coarsely chopped mushrooms. For mine I had a nice mix of farmed (Shitake, Porcinis, Maitake) and foraged (Chanterelles, Oyster, Morel) mushroom (20/80 ratio) but any type of mushroom you like can work (I usually go for about double the ration of onion). Add more butter at this point and some white wine, if we're working off of my ratios I'd say another 1/3 stick of butter and 1/2 cup to 1 cup of white wine. Let that simmer until the liquid has become viscous and saucy. Now you wait until it has your prefered texture, just look out for what the sauce (the butter/wine/garlic combo) is doing and the texture of the mushrooms. This period is when you start salting to taste. During this period you should have made noodles as well. I usually go for bowtie or a pasta with a lot of texture and crevices to be filled with that buttery goodness. Depending on if you want this to be light or rich, you can cook the pasta in water with salt or chicken stock. Cooking it in chicken stock will give it almost the texture and richness of risotto (i know thats a bit of an exaggeration as nothing come close to that richness but it definitely leans that way). I usually do chicken stock on brisk fall or cold winter nights and the water/salt combo in the spring summer. Pair it with the white wine you cracked to cook with and you have a pretty impressive date night meal.

Spring rolls have been a totally fun meal for the three of us sheltering together. We got a new housemate in January and so it's been an accelerated getting to know each other process. Weirdly, this meal helped break the ice. It's one of those meals where you need some weird ingredients, like rice paper wraps, but otherwise it can kind of be a clean out the fridge veggie drawer dish. It is also all prep. I usually have some combination of raw veggies like carrots, snap peas, pea shoots, cucumber, alfalfa, and bean shoots, as well as some cooked ingredients like flash pan fried chard (we have a lot growing in the backyard), springy rice noodles, and pan seared tofu (if you don't care for veggie you can always throw in chicken or beef). Then I'll get some herbs/spices like cilantro, tai basil, serano peppers, and diced red onion. The last component is sauce. There are a bunch of different ways to go with this but I like doing a bunch of sauces. My combo is usually a peanut sauce, a soy based sauce, and a spicy sauce (honestly I'll usually just go with siriacha or gochujang). When everything is laid out everyone dips their rice paper onto a plate filled with water to make it flexible and loads it up how they like. I can't wait to see friends post Covid to make this meal.