Kitchen fails. Whether it’s peer, Pinterest, or Instagram-induced the result of trying to make that trendy, picturesque recipe you came across be disappointing. You spend hours working away with nothing to show for it other than some butt-ugly dish or dessert that barely echoes the inspiration image.
That was me on Thanksgiving weekend. My husband spied these caramel-drizzled apple pastry desserts. Once you bake them, they resemble pumpkins and I had a whole lot of pie dough and some of the aforementioned fruits to use up.
Well, shoot.
I thought the idea was pretty neat. Apple rings in place of dicing them. Individual servings. Caramel drizzle. What could go wrong?
Not much, except I spent hours wrapping fettuccini-sized pastry slivers around pieces of fruit.
A pie would’ve done the tick. A strudel. Or really, any other apple pastry I could prepare in half an hour or less. Those are my go-to recipes for a reason. They’re easily put together and often inhaled.
While these fussy pastries turned out sort of cute and were certainly tasty, I definitely broke one of my biggest kitchen rules.
Simplicity above all else.
Simple ingredients. Simple steps.
This one was a lot like taking the long route—one that was neither scenic nor smooth—when something tried and true would’ve delivered the same (if not better) result. Though I wasn’t unhappy with this dessert, that’s what makes it a kitchen fail in my books.
_____
I thought I would share this one because that’s what I’m hoping my posts will do, help you simplify your home life in the kitchen and beyond. Who cares if your dish is Instagram-worthy or looks like the picture? My apple pies are some of the ugliest things to come out my oven, but no one minds—especially once I’ve sliced it and put it on their plate.
Cheers!
Follow me on Instagram @asomewhatminimalist for updates.