5 Things I Wish I Could Do

Through ~Mañana Mama, I came across Kate Takes 5, a blogger with humorous posts that have me wondering if she's Irish. She recently listed 5 things she wished she could do and invited others to come up with their own lists. Since Cinnamon and Truffle is a food blog, here are some things I'd like to learn to cook:

1. Pan-seared foie gras. This is not easy, because the foie gras has to be of good quality (and the restaurants get the best ones), it has to be at a certain temperature when you cook it, and there's some process involving an airtight plastic bag.

2. A creamy, frothy velouté of Jerusalem artichoke. Where a soup goes beyond hand blenders into sieves and beaters, I'm going to need to see it done first.

3. An authentic Italian dish (preferably something pasta- and ragú-related). I love Italy and Italian food, and I'd love to learn how to turn out something effortlessly outstanding.

4. A Valrhona chocolate fondant (which I can then eat). The best version is made so that you can't detect any separations - it's a smooth transition from crunchy exterior, to moist sponge to liquid centre. Chocolate is, sadly, a no go for me (the most unfair late-onset allergy on the planet, surely).

And because Cinnamon and Truffle isn't only about food, here's my fifth wish:

5. Ambition is a good thing - it gets you places. But if I'm always thinking about where else I want to get, when am I ever going to enjoy the places I've reached? Didn't we all, at some point in the past, want something of where we are now? So, my final wish is to be able to accept whatever talents I do have for what they are and to enjoy them right now.

(By the time I got around to writing this post, the linky widget on Kate Takes 5 had expired. Which is a sign to me that I'd better get on with Number 5!)

Would love to hear from you guys on your top 5. And if anyone would like to show me how to make any of the above, your offer would be most welcome!

Love

Truffle