What recipe have you tried, hated and wished you never wasted so much time making it?

[kevintheorangecarrot]

I have just tried a creamy garlic, chicken and mushroom sauce and I really wish I hadn't now. I consumed as much as I could as well as my DH, then thrown the rest in the bin (thank god for food waste recycling where I live!)

For great Macaroni cheese you need the Anna Mae mac and cheese book. Simply the best macaroni cheese.

For me it was Jamie Oliver convincing me I could make a giant waffle in a griddle pan. He lied to me.

Slow cookers, I have a friend who makes great tasting stews,I’ve never mad3 anything edible.

HFW creamy leek and mushroom pasta from Veg Everday, a book I love. It was a glory, tasteless, oniony mess the dog wouldn’t hab3 eaten. And took most of an afternoon to make along with every saucepan.

Biscotti.

First make an enriched dough, knead it, add expensive ingredients, prove it, shape it, prove it (for hours because it’s enriched).

Bake it, cool it, slice it, bake the slices slowly.

It tastes no better than a cheap bought one, costs double and takes hours of labour. And I’m a good baker, scones, pancakes, bread, cakes hold no fear for me, but I shall never again attempt biscotti.

Biscotti isn't an enriched dough and doesn't require proving. Are you thinking of brioche?

Well I never - there are biscotti recipes using yeast. Just looked it up. I wouldn't bother as without they are fine.

Cooking lamb shanks for the first time I used a Jamie Oliver recipe. I must admit I found it counter-intuitive at the time as it used a sofrito and white wine, which is more Italian, whereas I would have gone with onions, garlic, mushrooms and red wine - so more French.
It turned out "fine" but not stunning.
I cooked lamb shanks again a few weeks later using my version and the whole dish was very much better - more tasty.
May be me, but I think red wine is better for red meat dishes.

@wowfudge just my luck to find the yeasted one. I have no intention of attempting any other type though.

Mary Berrys cheesy scones, tasted like feet. DH and DS liked them though.

Paul Hollywoods iced buns, just a mess.

I tried soft pretzels once, the overwhelming taste of salty, bicarb just was rank. Again, DH thought they were amazing. I felt like they needed 95% less salt & 100% more sugar.

Jamie Oliver's cheese pie from his Chrismas book was bloody awful.

@Arrowfanatic - I make really good cheese scones. I use the recipe from the Penguin cookbook (my copy is falling apart, I have used it so much), but I add FAR more cheese than the recipe says. I add so much that the scones lack structural integrity, and slump, rather than looking like nice, tidy scones. They taste absolutely fabulous, though! Worth every calorie.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius - oooh recipe please??

We made an Indian fish curry, tomato based sauce, eurgh! One mouthful each and we binned it, we followed the recipe too so no idea what went wrong.
I think fish curry is best made with coconut milk but i'm still too scared to try making one (have eaten one made by a chef)

Movinghouseatlast

Jamie Oliver's cheese pie from his Chrismas book was bloody awful.

Oh no!
It sounded really nice - what was wrong with it (and do you think there's a way of improving it or is it a lost cause?).

Delia's recipe is fine for scones. Nigella's works too. I think the key to scones is to barely work them at all - you're lightly patting the dough, just until it is together enough to cut. And the secret to tall scones is just not to roll the dough thin, it's not really the leavening.

I think most people with scones are convinced that they need to mix and work them a lot and then end up with very chewy biscuity scones. I remember being quite shirty with a nice American lady who had blogged about Delia's recipe (decided Delia must be wrong about barely working or handling them so kneaded them for ages, got cookies and then complained that the recipe hadn't worked )

All those not liking bread made in a bread maker , I am surprised . Been making ours for years , and we love it.

I don't use 100% wholemeal though , I mix 50/50 white with the very strong wholemeal . Also adding Vit C makes it so much lighter . ( Don't need it for white , just wholemeal)
I buy the tin of Allinsons yeast , and keep it in the fridge , we do make a loaf every other day , so get through it quite quickly I suppose .

All those not liking bread made in a bread maker , I am surprised

So am I. Ours is a cheap Russell Hobbs breadmaker and makes gorgeous bread.

@bookbook I love our bread maker, I was gifted it and I’ve used it so much. Currently waiting for a loaf to finish to have warm with homemade soup!

A slimming world chickpea curry. Took ages and when cooked looked like frogspawn floating in a swamp and was utterly revolting.

Jamie's cheese pie just tasted awful really, the filling was stodgy and greasy and kind of flat, the nuts didn't work with it. I think a usual cheese pie filling would have been better.

Ginfordinner and Southmouth - I'm glad I'm not the only one ! It has spoilt us all for bought stuff :)

Someone upthread said hot cross buns weren't worth the effort - I make the dough in the breadmaker using a Delia recipe.

Movinghouseatlast

Ah, right - sounds like it's not really fixable then.
Useful to know not to do it now though - thanks

Movinghouseatlast
Look up Simon Hopkinson's cheese pie, it's amazing, as are all of his recipes.

I have Simon's book by my bed!