Happy new year, everyone! Thanks for reading, commenting, emailing and being nothing but fantastic.
2010 has been all kinds of delicious and I noticed some peculiar developments in terms of how my palate has changed, or as I’d like to think, evolved. Milk chocolate was always my preferred chocolate, but now I can’t get enough of 70% dark chocolate. I LOVED white chocolate – but (sadly) not anymore. I was never a fan of anything coconut-y in my food, but lo and behold, I’ve eaten more South Indian and Thai food in 2010 than ever before. And oranges! I never really understood the fuss about candied oranges, but one wedge of candied orange from Madrid made my taste buds sing in delight. These were some things I could think of impulsively, but what I’m going to do in 2011 is diligently maintain a record of such palate milestones.
And of course, like I did last year, I made a list of food resolutions for 2011 that I hope to achieve. But let’s look back at last year’s list for a moment. Out of the twenty things I set out to complete as a part of my foodie resolutions in 2010, I’m thrilled to have checked most of them off. Go look!
My New Year’s Food Resolutions for 2011:
- Make croissants from scratch – don’t think I *need* to because I’m in Paris now. =)
- Compile all my grandmom’s recipes for a family cookbook – work in progress.
- Try two new meats without making a queasy face – deer,
- Learn how to cook an artichoke the right way (somehow, they’re never tender when I make them) – pretty sure I’m going to get it right after watching how they trim artichokes in Rome. (video soon!)
- Make the perfect candied oranges – Done!
- Make Burmese Khowsuey – got the recipe from my aunt who makes the best one I’ve eaten, now to make it.
- Create a dish with rice and beef – Done!
- Make my own mayonnaise – Done! Somehow, I wasn’t overwhelmed or weepy eyed with it.
- Give melons and papayas another chance – Melons in Europe? The best. Melon and prosciutto – how can anyone not love it.
- Grow my own starter culture for sourdough bread. Name suggestions for my new pet, anyone? – Again, living in the land of bread, so the sourdough culture can wait.
- Get a hand-cranked pasta machine and make the red wine and roast vegetable fettucine I photographed. Still need to get that pasta maker.
- Learn to clean and scale a fish – March 2012 – Le Cordon Bleu!
- Make Nigel Slater’s apple shortcake had to leave the book behind when I moved to France, but I made the fantastic apple updside down cake from Falling Cloudberries and I’ve got to make it again just to blog about it.)
- Make tiramisu from scratch – Done! The homemade tiramisu is one of the best things that happened to me in 2011.
- Taste fresh olives – I stole olives from the neighbour’s tree in Verona. The purple stains from the olives were gorgeous, the taste and texture is nothing to write home about. I took the tiniest little bite because of all the horror stories I had heard.
- Try pomegranate molasses – not yet.
- Pickle some ginger – didn’t.
What are your food resolutions for 2011?
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
The more food goals you have the merrier for us, we got to get get many scrumptious treats from you
Love to be a part of Purple foodie as a big fan.
Best wishes for the year 2011, Shaheen!
Thank you so much, Sanjeeta. Mean a lot!
Yum Yum!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im really looking forward to the Tiramisu post. I have tried Tiramisu in so many places in India, and nothing has been up to scratch!!!!
Hurry up and do it already
!!!!
happy new year and have a great year ahead
Yummm, that looks like a great list!
Nothing tastes better than home-made pasta! (Since I’ve got the KitchenAid pasta attachments, making home made pasta has not taken me longer than cooking dried store bought, but the taste, the taste, oh my!)
And making Tiramisu is really the easiest thing in the world, and possibly the tastiest too! (And if at all possible, try to make it 2 or 3 days before you eat it, the taste improves by 1000, and it was already amazing!)
I’ll keep visiting your blog to see how your goals are going! I still have to compile my list, but making croissants (And puff pastry) from scratch is definitely on mine too!
Oh good point, I’m going to keep that in mind. Thank you.
Funny how our palate changes huh? I, for one, hated milk for the longest time but just the other day, I took a sip of it and discovered it wasn’t half as bad as my memory had me believe it was after all.
What a fantastic list of food goals you have planned! I’m looking forward to the croissants. My food goal for the year? Work a lot less and spend a lot more time in the kitchen than I did in the year past
i love the idea of your food goals, seriously planning to have some of my own this year
I’m with you on the mayonnaise. I keep planning to try and make it myself.
nice.. i liking it..
and tiramisu, what a coincidence i say… i have fresh mascarpone in my freezer begging me to take her to coffee-rum heaven.. ohh how i love making tiramisu and how proud i feel when my friends come over only to eat my tiramisu..
I enjoy making it- its so simple and you can alter the coffee rum depending on the crowd, and if the crowd is ‘you, you and you’ then i suggest go more on rum and any good coffee liquor…
i think you need to start your year with tiramisu affair!!! and you will be addicted..
and please visit bangalore- i want to make y home made tiramisu for you with pure Valrhona
have a great baking/selling year ahead shaheen..
Debi
Bangalore.
An offer to eat pure Valrhone tiramisu? How can I refuse?! If I could, I’d take the next flight out to BLR!
Thanks for all the good wishes, it’s been fun interacting with you, however sporadically it might be.
Wow! After my new year resolutions of not having any resolution this is awesome! I think I will keep one exercise everyday!
Anyway wish you a very happy new year and best wishes to complete all your 17(?) resolutions!
Wishing you and ur family a happy and prosperous new year.
Great list……… But if you mean tasting an olive straight from the tree, please don’t! Only tripe is worse!!
A very happy new year!
Happy New Year, Shaheen! I really don’t have any resolutions for 2011; I just have a “To-Do” list. It’s very short, but one of them is to comment and read more of my favorite blogs. Last year I barely had enough time to do what I loved doing, this year, I am making time.
Here’s to a joy-filled year full of great food, great friends, and lots of happiness.
Hii Shaheen. Belated Happy New Year.
I want some help from you. I think you may have some good friends from bangalore so please do ask them about gourmet shops & markets of bangalore. plsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
Thanks for sharing all these great recipes! I’ve started a new cooking blog myself and would love any feedback or comments you can give, so please be sure to check out The Savvy Kitchen at http://www.savvykitchen.blogspot.com. I look forward to continuing reading your blog in 2011!
Hey Shaheen,
Wish you a great year filled with loads of yummylicious baking and cooking.
Love the idea about your food goals and I simply just cant wait for your Burmese khowsuey post. I am a Bengali but my parents roots are based in Burma, our family had shifted to India during the partition. So, Burmese dishes like khow suey is often a regular affair at home. If you are not too keen on using the coarsely ground dried prawns then u can easily substitute it with roasted and coarsely ground peanuts. it has almost the same effect.
Oh! also do try out Mohinga. Its also yummy!
I love your resolutions for the new year! May they all come true
. I’m looking forward to the candied citrus, its something I’ve always wanted to try. RE: the handcrank. If you have a kitchenaide, the pasta crank appliance is pretty good, even our children use it. But the handcrank machine (we prefer the Atlas brand, no we have no connection) is easy to use and nothing to fear. Be resolute and go for it. Homemade egg pasta is a thing of beauty and great flavor. We recently posted both recipes and a video if you need any guidance from my husband the pasta king 
all the very best on your food goals…happy new year
Khowsuey?? …. yeeaaahhhh … Love it ! ….. lots of yummy things in one bowl = ultimate comfort food …. can’t wait to see your recipe
Nice blog u got here. I’m trying to foray into cooking as well and I’m quite unsure about the cooking range or oven I would require. I tried looking into archives but couldn’t find anything on this. Any suggestions?!
That’s a very realistic set of food goals. How about Beast for your new pet name?
Here are my food resolutions for 2011:
http://www.thomaszacharias.com/2011/01/my-food-resolutions-for-2010.html
Eat breakfast. Every day. That counts, right?
Oh yes, it does! That’s something I indulge in when I’m on vacation only. I usually skip breakfast, or have it on the go. Bad. Very bad. I know.
Greetings from Houston, TX! That is a great list you have there. It’s a great idea to have a separate “food list” altogether as I had all my goals mixed into one so I appreciate the tip. Although it has kept growing he he. Happily it’s the second week in and have already accomplished several including MAKING MANGO LASSIS! Thanks to you.
My food-year resolution is to step outside my comfort zone with regards to the spices I cook with.
As for your resolutions, papaya is one of my absolute favorite foods. My personal favorite way to eat it is smothered in lime juice, but I am also a huge fan a fresh papaya juice and with a chile/salt/lime topping.
Papaya with lime is very interesting. Maybe that is how I might just come to like them. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Oh good, I’m not the only one with food resolutions. I want to try to make focaccia bread in my little oven in Japan. I’ve also been wanting to make my own sourdough starter since I can’t buy it here so please keep us posted!
I am so excited for your food goals. My mouth is already watering. I have only know about your site for about a month but have already enjoyed a few of your recipies. My food goals are to try and bake a 3 layer cake and have it look pretty. We will see…
I had the puppy name discussion with a friend the other day and I liked Olive, Pepper, and Duke.
Happy Cooking and Tasting!
Hi Shaheen,
Just stumbled on your site yesterday. Please don’t ever taste a fresh olive as its one of the bitterest foods. Olives have to be cured to be palatable.
And I have some pomegranate molasses. I could send it over if u like it. Makes super Muhamarra with it.
Cheers!
I know! I did try a teeny tiny bite in Italy just for the fun of it. I found Pom molasses in London. Thanks for offering, though!
burmese khowsuey recipe with pics PLEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASEEEEEEEEE!!
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