Dishes you can never recreate

[JAZ]

A few days ago, I made quite possibly the best onion soup I've ever made. As usual, I caramelized a lot of onions to start. When it came to adding stock, though, I used some chicken-mushroom stock I had leftover from risotto, and some "jus" leftover from a French dip sandwich. As I recall, that was a combination of beef stock, reconstituted More Than Gourmet veal demi-glace, some Worcestershire sauce, and other stuff. Since it was fairly concentrated, I also added water. Then, as usual, I finished the soup with a splash of sherry and sherry vinegar. It was great, but I'll never be able to make it again, because I'll never have that combination of ingredients on hand.

Does this happen to anyone else?

[andiesenji]

Yes, quite often, because I can never just prepare a recipe exactly as it is written. There are always "tweaks" I want to try and when they turn out nicely, I try to make notes but can seldom duplicate the desired flavor.

I have a propensity to "fiddle" with some recipes that don't have the appearance or taste for which I am aiming. As with your experiences, sometimes these are brilliant but sadly, one-off events.

[Mjx]

Yes, and usually under the same sort of circumstance, that is, I'm incorporating various odds and ends, random collections of things I don't even measure, but toss in just to use them up. Kills me, because the results are so good.

[BadRabbit]

My problem is that after making a recipe once I never use the proportions as written again (and often tweak it a lot the first time). I'll consult the recipe to make sure I have all the ingredients but then I mostly just wing it. Sometimes it will turn out spectacularly and I have no way of ever making it exactly that way again.

[Mano]

Back in the 80's I worked as a prep cook for Rick Bayless before he was famous. He taught me to make ice cream from scratch and each night I whipped up something different using different chocolates, liquors, nuts and so forth. One night I hit one out of the park and everyone raved about the ice cream.

Bayless asked me to give him the recipe and I told him the ingredients I remembered but had difficulty even approximating amounts. He asked if I wrote it down and when I told him, no, it was the only time I ever saw him angry. Being in grad school I didn't think like a professional chef.

[JeanneCake]

My father's Sicilian mother made a roast chicken with a ricotta stuffing; I remembered it vaguely from childhood. Ricotta, eggs, parsley, probably garlic... it was light and fluffy and my mom loved it. My mother wanted to have it again, because she never mastered it so I tried it. It was great, just the way my mom remembered it tasting but if you asked me to make it again I couldn't. So if any of you have something like this....

[Broken English]

Back in the 80's I worked as a prep cook for Rick Bayless before he was famous. He taught me to make ice cream from scratch and each night I whipped up something different using different chocolates, liquors, nuts and so forth. One night I hit one out of the park and everyone raved about the ice cream.

Bayless asked me to give him the recipe and I told him the ingredients I remembered but had difficulty even approximating amounts. He asked if I wrote it down and when I told him, no, it was the only time I ever saw him angry. Being in grad school I didn't think like a professional chef.

I did that a few times before I learned. Nowadays I keep a rough approximation of ingredient quantities (when I'm winging it I just do it by taste) and if it's good I record it properly later on.

[Mjx]

I'm still trying to repeat one of my attempts to reconstruct a pumpkin chestnut soup I once had at someone's club, but for which I never got the recipe. On this particular occasion, I inadvertently completely reduced and caramelized an entire pot of chicken broth in which I was simmering some chestnuts (got sucked into a detective novel, and didn't look up until a delicious smell yanked me out of a small English village), which I then pureed (apart from the half dozen or so chestnuts I ate right out of the pot because they tasted so fantastic). The soup was incredible--not identical to the one I was trying to reproduce, but even better. Unfortunately, I'd paid little attention to what I'd added to the broth in terms of seasoning, or the amounts of chestnuts or broth, so I've never been able to reproduce those results. Hell.

[ambra]

This may make me sound totally lame, but I never make the same vegetable soup twice. It's always good, but one time, it was incredible. I've never been able to recreate the exact recipe. I was making this soup once a week for months on end as that's what we nourished our son when we were weaning him. for me to remember that particular soup....it must have been damn good!

There is actually a restaurant in New York that makes Croquetas de Baccala that I've tried over and over to recreate. They are deep fried and the center is creamy, melty-almost runny. I miss them and love them and would do anything for that recipe. Sadly the last time I had gone 5 years ago, they were horrible there too. I know the starting point must be some kind of brandade or maybe it's just straight up bechamel. Anyway, looks like i might be trying again soon!

[Shalmanese]

There's a chinese cold noodle salad with a sesame sauce that, the first time I made it, was transcendental. Every time since then, it's been merely good even though I'm going by the exact same recipe list.

[rarerollingobject]

Caramel sauce, like for ice cream. I follow the same recipe every time, and sometimes it's thick, luscious and fudgey, which is how I want it, but maybe 4 times out of 10, it's thin, watery and gritty. I just can't seem to get it together, and am down to obsessively trying to note characteristics of the weather, time of day, size of flame on the stove, MY MOOD..as potential variation factors. Drives me effing mad.

Caramel sauce - tis my waterloo.

[Keith_W]

I have been making Perigord Sauce for years - beef stock, madeira, truffles, and foie gras. On one occasion, I could not find Madeira in my local liquor store. The owner suggested an Amontillado instead. I was somewhat skeptical, but bought the Amontillado anyway. It did not taste very interesting, but once it went into the sauce it was dynamite! Incredible, incredible perfume and luscious mouthfeel.

UNFORTUNATELY ... when I went back to get some more, I was told that this particular brand of Amontillado is no longer imported to Australia. Every other Amontillado I have tried since has not come close.

[Peter the eater]

That onion soup sounds perfect.

I don't think any dish is ever truly repeatable, if you know what I mean. Even McDonald's french fries are like snowflakes.