Christmas Baking

I was just out in the kitchen, eating a modest lunch and leafing through a copy of Cooks Illustrated. We used to get that magazine, and I only stopped subbing because I realized that I would rarely make anything from it. Its not that the recipes didn't sound good -- the ones that I understood certainly did, and even the ones that I didn't sounded interesting (what the heck is a ramekin?) -- its just that I never, ever made them. Well, once in a while, they'd have one like 'Chewy Oatmeal Cookies', and I'd try that, because I've been trying for years to make a decent one, without success -- but that would be about it. However, I was seduced --yea, verily, led down the golden path -- by this issue, which was about: Christmas Cooking. Shazam! And so I got it.

As it turns out, the issue is about Christmas desserts, but mostly about real deserts -- cakes and pies and croissants and whatnot -- and not about cookies and things. I realize that those are real desserts, too, but I don't tend to think of them that way -- they're just something that's fun to do. On occasion, I will bake something a little harder, like Rice Pudding (we have an excellent recipe) or Chocolate Cake (we have a quick, easy recipe that is good, though not outstanding; when we inadvertently added half-melted chocolate chips to the icing, though -- yowza! ), but I don't do croissants or Parker House Rolls or any of that. Though I'd like to.

So I leafed through the issue, and thought about how neat it would be to make one or two of these -- and then I put the issue away. Well, its on the kitchen table, actually; I couldn't stand to actually put it away. I want to make one. I don't want to eat it -- like I need a rich cream-filled chocolate cake or any of that -- I just want to make one.

We'll see. The issue is still, as they say, open.