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Week Forty-One: High Risk, High Return

I'm getting more and more into potluck dinners these days. It may make for a little less cohesive of a meal but nobody is burdened with having to produce the whole thing, so each person can put that much more of themselves into whatever they make.

We held a little potluck-style dinner party at our house a couple of weeks ago. Most of the attendees came from the usual crowd, which is a good group who know how to throw down some legit eats. There were also some new faces as we invited a few first years. People who know their food and new friends to impress.

I volunteered to cover dessert for the evening and, for some crazy reason, decided to try a pretty ambitious dish: roasted pear crumble. I've never made a baked fruit dish in my life, but I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and thought it looked awesome enough to fit in at our party. I was nervous enough about being able to pull it off that I actually did a practice run the night before, just to make sure it wouldn't be an epic failure. My first attempt was far from a success, but it showed enough promise that I thought I just might be able to pull it off.

True to form, my friends put together an awesome meal. A bunch of different crostini, roast chicken and veggies, mushroom risotto. Everyone's plates were covered in deliciousness. It was a festival of awesomeness.

And then it was my moment, to try to cap off this festival of deliciousness with a dessert to pull it all together.

And. I. Nailed. It.

I don't brag about my food very often, but these pairs were damn good. If I'd ordered them at a restaurant, I would not have been disappointed with my choice.

To me, this is one of the best feelings in life. That moment you try a new recipe and it is absolutely fabulous. You take that first bite and just want to start fist-pumping in tribute of your success. No matter how many more times you make that dish and refine the technique, there is nothing quite like that first time. It's pure magic.

I can only hope to have many more of those moments ahead of me.