I read cookbooks the way some women read romance novels, but I there are certain recipes that make me feel more like I'm reading a Stephen King novel. They fascinate and thrill me, but when I think about cooking them myself, I get scared.
So what am I afraid of? Lobsters attacking!? Sauces curdling!? Anything with live yeast!? Some complicated sounding French recipe, like Gigot d'Agneau à la Bretonne!? Yes! I mean, no! I mean Hell No! I am determined to conquer my culinary fears, and cook the very dishes that scare me most.
I've always steered away from anything requiring a vat of boiling oil. I love, love, love, fried food, but there's the whole mess... the oil splattering up, disfiguring and blinding me... the fact that fried food tastes best hot or it goes limp... grease on the walls, and the house smelling like a fry-o-later... and of course the next day what to do with a cool vat of oil. But I'm set on overcoming my fears, so tonight I made tempura.
