Intricate, difficult and/or elaborate recipes

[FuckPolitenessSSDGM]

I'm bored of refereeing the kids and I want a day away from them in the kitchen so I'm after some suggestions for some complicated baking recipes. I'm after something yummy that is either elaborate or has lots of steps. I don't mind if it's difficult. I have flour and most baking supplies and I will be shopping on Friday and think I'll be able to get staples such as butter, cream, eggs etc. Ideally I'm after something sweet but any savoury ideas will be warmly welcomed too.

What do you bake when you want to impress? What do you avoid baking because it's a pain in the arse? What are you currently baking to stave off boredom?

Croquembouche?

I've done the traditional cone type, but also one in the shape of the number 5 for a friends, daughters birthday.

I've been eyeing out a few doughnut recipes. You can do doughnuts with some interesting fillings, like salted caramel and custard or something.

Last summer I made quiche lorraine for guests as part of a lunch.
Not really difficult, but time-consuming & easy to cock up.

One naice guest complimented me, another evil bitch asked was it Marks & Spencers.

Guess who will never be invited again.

Paris Brest au chocolat is lovely. Angela Hartnett has a nice recipe, but as it’s a classic there is plenty of information available.

You need a "project recipe"!! I love project recipes, my most recent one was Portuguese custard tarts following along on John Whaite's excellent Instagram stories, he has loads (cinnamon buns, carrot cake cheesecake....) Other good Instagram cook alongs are pita bread on honey and co, lots of cookie ones on raveneats... instagram in general really.

And here is a whole list on Bon Appetit:

https://www.bonappetit.com/gallery/slideshow/recipes-to-make-on-day-off?intcid=inlineamp&&gl=11qhuehzzgaYW1wLTc5bGNFYWhqeV8zNVE5ZUMwOXl0YWVHX2dDRlJCWlM0U3pRam5uenRITExwV2h4WWFEVVNwYzFMSEU3a2ttOVE.

@AdaColemand-MMMmmm, Paris Brest. I used to work next to a French bakery and they were my favourites

Not over complicated, but a bit time consuming- ravioli or tortellini from scratch?

F

You should have a look at Ottolenghi's Sweet collection. The blackberry and star anise friands are fiddly but delicious (perhaps not on the scale of some of these though!).

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/blackberry-and-star-anise-friands

A whole list of other Ottolenghi sweet recipes here that are bound to be unnecessarily fiddly

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/02/pavlova-cheesecake-yotam-ottolenghi-dessert-millionaires-shortbread-knickerbocker-glory-recipes-sweet

When I have a bit of spare time, I like to make a Bakewell tart. I use the Peyton & Byrne recipe as I have the book, but it may be available online.

www.greatbritishchefs.com/collections/french-dessert-recipes

I absolutely need a project recipe! Thanks for the insta ideas! I will definitely be trying the Portuguese tarts. I've never considered making them before.

I love the idea of the croquembouche and donuts because of the different filling flavour possibilities. Any suggestions?

Vincisgrassi is a complex lasagne, this recipe takes 3 hours www.greatitalianchefs.com/recipes/vincisgrassi-recipe

But most lasagne or moussaka recipes have multiple steps and take time

If you get them to prep the ingredients TV chef style, record themselves and edit the recording I reckon it would take all day, AND you'd get dinner!

Best cake ever I think

www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/kvaefjordkake-recipe

Kouign Amann ....the love child of a croissant, a danish pastry and a churro.

they did them on GBBO a few years back and I learned to make them....I should have another go once we have eaten the biscuits, the lardy cake, and all the sourdough bread in the world that I have already made

Also Princess-torte...also GBBO, and extra points if you make your own marzipan.

Try making a Moroccan dish called bisteeya. Only successful if you have a Moroccan granny!

Recipes might help..

Kouign Amann from Paul professional scouser Hollywood

Princesstorte from La Berry

Cinnabon

Croissants

Almond cherry pie

Pear tarte tatin

I dislike mille feuille but its hard.

Something with lots of processes is good. Bakewell tart with homemade lemon curd instead of jam is lovely. Everything MUST be made from scratch.
Trifle with all parts including sponge from scratch is very time consuming.
Puff pastry is a total faff so would be perfect for you! Millefeuille? Danish pastries?
Lemon meringue pie. Or even faffier - individual lemon meringue pies.
And just for shits and giggles - baked alaska

jaffa cakes...that was another bake off thing...buggering about with jelly on trays and teeny round sponge cakes

Fondant fancies was another pointlessly faffy bake off one.

We had Nadiya's GBBO winning lemon cake for our wedding. It has lemon curd and homemade marshmallow fondant. Marshmallow fondant is a right pain, so my baker friend who made it tells me. Delicious though.

Dh is half way through a 4 day croissant making challenge.

Serious stuff.

Macaroons possibly with different fillings?

Macarons are a good project bake. Lots of flavours to play with. Eggs seems to be readily available again now, and it doesn’t rely on flour (which I’ve not found for weeks!)

Thanks for all the suggestions, lots of new recipes to try and some I've never even heard of!

OP definitely follow along with John Whaite - all his cook alongs are saved in his stories, just scroll across until you find the custard tarts. You make a rough puff first which is long and involved, make the custard, etc etc which is all suitably faffy and time consuming and will give you the perfect excuse to hide from the kids in the kitchen for ages. But long chilling time on the pastry so you can MN in peace in between!!

The other project I did is called khinkali, they're meat dumplings and I did the cook-along on Olia Hercules' instagram account. The dumpling dough is just flour and water, and then you make a meat and onion filling with spices and pinch them up into little pleated parcels. Very soothing and then you get dinner out of it!