Food Recipes w/parameters
June 4, 2014 2:10 PM Subscribe
I have 6 free hours.
Give me your most labour intensive yet ultimately compelling/yummy recipes.
[caveat: I have access to all ingredients]
I got time, I got space, I got the goods, I need inspiration. Go crazy kids...
I got time, I got space, I got the goods, I need inspiration. Go crazy kids...
I would make croissants. Caveat: I don't know if it can be done in 6 hours
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 2:36 PM on June 4, 2014
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 2:36 PM on June 4, 2014
One of the most labor intensive things I have made is German Chocolate cake from scratch. We usually use the cake mix, can of coconut stuff and can of chocolate frosting, but last time we looked up homemade recipes and it took forever. It was really good. I don't remember which recipe we used.
Also, this recipe for Summer Vegetable Gratin has lots of moving parts and lots of time spent squeezing the water out of all the veggies. We really like it but it takes all afternoon.
posted by CathyG at 2:37 PM on June 4, 2014
Also, this recipe for Summer Vegetable Gratin has lots of moving parts and lots of time spent squeezing the water out of all the veggies. We really like it but it takes all afternoon.
posted by CathyG at 2:37 PM on June 4, 2014
Similarly to Carillon, if I had all the time and equipment in the world, I'd definitely make fresh pastas, linguine, fettuccine, Udon ( which I've made before and prefer to Ramen). I love noodles especially.
Also, any kind of dumpling from all over the world. Dumplings are pretty time consuming, but so good!
posted by Blitz at 2:45 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, any kind of dumpling from all over the world. Dumplings are pretty time consuming, but so good!
posted by Blitz at 2:45 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
All my labor-intensive recipes make a LOT of food. But that said, if you have a large freezer, burgoo will definitely keep you occupied.
Oh, there's whole duck cassoulet.
posted by magstheaxe at 3:31 PM on June 4, 2014
Oh, there's whole duck cassoulet.
posted by magstheaxe at 3:31 PM on June 4, 2014
This was labor-intensive by my standards: Black Pearl Layer Cake. (Yes, chocolate cake with ginger-wasabi-sesame sounds weird. It tastes amaaaaaaazing.)
posted by Lexica at 4:57 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Lexica at 4:57 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Thousand layer cake - known as lapis legit in Indonesia and spekkoek (literally "bacon cake") in Dutch - will definitely keep you busy.
posted by embrangled at 5:26 PM on June 4, 2014
posted by embrangled at 5:26 PM on June 4, 2014
Heh, I've made the cake Lexica mentions. It is somewhat labor intensive, but not horribly so... that is unless your husband spills all the ginger syrup you made at 1am when the cake must be done by the next day. But it is quite tasty and something I won't make again without a lot of free time and my husband elsewhere.
posted by katers890 at 5:48 PM on June 4, 2014
posted by katers890 at 5:48 PM on June 4, 2014
Best answer: French onion soup. First you get beef soup bones, roast them, and make beef stock, simmering it for hours. Then you bake the bread and toast the croutes in the oven. Then you slice a lot of onions and caramelize them slooooooowly, add the stock, the croutes, and the grated cheese, and broil. Each step takes about six hours.
posted by caryatid at 6:58 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by caryatid at 6:58 PM on June 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
Mexican mole sauce, if made in anything resembling the traditional manner, will take you quite a while. Once made, you can use it with just about any protein. I cooked tempeh in it recently: sauteed the tempeh in onions/garlic, then added the mole, which I confess came from Williams-Sonoma. It was pretty decent, although I probably should have added some cumin.
Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy are the usual go-tos for Mexican cookbooks in the States; either of those authors should furnish you with a decent mole recipe.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 7:05 AM on June 5, 2014
Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy are the usual go-tos for Mexican cookbooks in the States; either of those authors should furnish you with a decent mole recipe.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 7:05 AM on June 5, 2014
Smoked duck and andouille gumbo from The Soup Peddler's Slow and Difficult Soups.
Or, my favorite have-lots-of-time recipe: pierogi. Time consuming, but not super complicated, though making your own farmer's cheese will raise that bar a smidge (a smidge only, and not if you've made cheese before). Lots of rolling and stuffing and crimping and boiling and draining.
Since I don't have my family recipes in front of me, this pierogi dough recipe will do (use a sour cream dough).
You can find various filling recipes around the internet, but I like:
sweet cheese - mix 2 eggs to 1 lb farmer's cheese, sugar to taste, pinch of salt
sauerkraut - exactly as it sounds!
potato - use well-whipped and very, very, very buttery mashed potatoes
blueberry - don't remember the exact proportions, but a bit of sugar if your berries are tart, fresh blueberries or thawed frozen if you must, a squeeze of lemon, and crushed sugar cookies to soak up the juices
Make a lot. Make enough to freeze for the rest of the year. My Babci would do one flavor in a go: blueberry, cheese, sauerkraut, or meat and cabbage, but you can definitely do multiple fillings. Just make sure to keep them separate (or at least keep the sweet from the savory) unless you want a really funky meal.
To eat: fry in butter. If cooking savory (potato, sauerkraut, meat & cabbage, etc), saute with onions and serve with sour cream. If cooking sweet (sweet cheese, blueberry or other fruit), serve with real maple syrup. Can be fried direct from frozen, it just takes longer.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:36 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Or, my favorite have-lots-of-time recipe: pierogi. Time consuming, but not super complicated, though making your own farmer's cheese will raise that bar a smidge (a smidge only, and not if you've made cheese before). Lots of rolling and stuffing and crimping and boiling and draining.
Since I don't have my family recipes in front of me, this pierogi dough recipe will do (use a sour cream dough).
You can find various filling recipes around the internet, but I like:
sweet cheese - mix 2 eggs to 1 lb farmer's cheese, sugar to taste, pinch of salt
sauerkraut - exactly as it sounds!
potato - use well-whipped and very, very, very buttery mashed potatoes
blueberry - don't remember the exact proportions, but a bit of sugar if your berries are tart, fresh blueberries or thawed frozen if you must, a squeeze of lemon, and crushed sugar cookies to soak up the juices
Make a lot. Make enough to freeze for the rest of the year. My Babci would do one flavor in a go: blueberry, cheese, sauerkraut, or meat and cabbage, but you can definitely do multiple fillings. Just make sure to keep them separate (or at least keep the sweet from the savory) unless you want a really funky meal.
To eat: fry in butter. If cooking savory (potato, sauerkraut, meat & cabbage, etc), saute with onions and serve with sour cream. If cooking sweet (sweet cheese, blueberry or other fruit), serve with real maple syrup. Can be fried direct from frozen, it just takes longer.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:36 AM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Lasagna, where you make every component from scratch. Make the bolognese sauce (will take at least 5 hours, semi-attended). While that's simmering make your pasta and ricotta cheese. It'll then take another hour in the oven.
posted by fontophilic at 10:35 AM on June 5, 2014
posted by fontophilic at 10:35 AM on June 5, 2014
I would make croissants. Caveat: I don't know if it can be done in 6 hours
Making croissants is at least a 24 hour process due to how many times you have to laminate the dough.
For something labour intensive, tortellini Bolognese would fit the bill.
Make, let rest, and roll out sheets of pasta,
Make a standard chicken stock, simmer for four hours. Strain, add a capon and a rough chopped head of fennel to the stock, simmer two more hours. (This may be made easier if you have a pressure cooker).
Grind together equal parts mortadella and pancetta or guanciale. Add LOTS of nutmeg, a little egg to bind, and some cream.
Cut your pasta (keep damp towels on top of whatever you're not working with to prevent drying out) into squares equaling whatever size tortellini you want to make. To form them, place a small amount of your meat mixture in the centre of the square. Lightly wet (water or diluted eggwash) two sides of the square, and fold to make a triangle. Seal this shut carefully, and get out any air bubbles. Then you turn the two outer points of your triangel, bind them together. Fold over the top. (there's probably videos on youtube that'll demo this for you).
Cook the tortellini in seasoned water. Serve in the utterly delicious broth you have made.
It doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, by about hour three of folding tortellini you'll realize how labour intensive it is.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:42 AM on June 7, 2014
Making croissants is at least a 24 hour process due to how many times you have to laminate the dough.
For something labour intensive, tortellini Bolognese would fit the bill.
Make, let rest, and roll out sheets of pasta,
Make a standard chicken stock, simmer for four hours. Strain, add a capon and a rough chopped head of fennel to the stock, simmer two more hours. (This may be made easier if you have a pressure cooker).
Grind together equal parts mortadella and pancetta or guanciale. Add LOTS of nutmeg, a little egg to bind, and some cream.
Cut your pasta (keep damp towels on top of whatever you're not working with to prevent drying out) into squares equaling whatever size tortellini you want to make. To form them, place a small amount of your meat mixture in the centre of the square. Lightly wet (water or diluted eggwash) two sides of the square, and fold to make a triangle. Seal this shut carefully, and get out any air bubbles. Then you turn the two outer points of your triangel, bind them together. Fold over the top. (there's probably videos on youtube that'll demo this for you).
Cook the tortellini in seasoned water. Serve in the utterly delicious broth you have made.
It doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, by about hour three of folding tortellini you'll realize how labour intensive it is.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:42 AM on June 7, 2014
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posted by Carillon at 2:27 PM on June 4, 2014