Honestly kind of amazed it came out looking as intended. I'm usually not good at making pretty food.
I did realise my springform tin was too big, so I added a bunch of cheese to the custard to bulk it out..I was slightly concerned about the 2 total hours of cook time but no leaks (only leeks), no soggy bottom, the pastry is flaky and buttery, and a set custard. Very worth the effort.
One of the grocers near me had bell peppers on sale for 1,50 eur/kg (!!) so naturally I bought a whole load to make jam with. Added a couple of thai red chillies and some gochugaru to get a little bit of heat, jam sugar, and red wine vinegar.
Then decided because I really needed something to serve it on (though I would eat it out of the jar..), I made Samin Nosrat's Ligurian Focaccia. I love focaccia. It's so good.
I thought they were alright but nothing special, but I took them into work and was told to stop selling myself short and they all got eaten. So I think it counts as a success.
Came out pretty great. Lacking a grill, yogurt marinated chicken always came out disappoining in a frying pan..but it's perfect in an air fryer.
EDIT: This should be week 18...
Not a massive travel fan, so the best thing I could think of was that I really wanted to go to a Michelin star restaurant one time. I finally got the chance to take my then-partner to a Cantonese place in London, and it was pretty great. I did not quite fancy trying to make dim sum, but this recipe caught my eye.
https://www.seriouseats.com/cantonese-style-braised-brisket-recipe-11700215
Overall, I enjoyed it. The beef being tender enough to cut with a spoon is always great. I do think I prefer western style beef stew, though you can't go wrong with five spice.
I think I messed up the folding of the dough, but they came out pretty good. I made a whole bunch and took them to the office and got asked for the recipe multiple times so I'll take it as a win. Recipe: agirlandaspoon.com/swedish-cinnamon-buns-kanelbullar/
I will be making them again sometime - definitely less of a sugar bomb than american style cinnamon rolls - but I'll probably put some cinnamon in the dough itself.
Happy to finally commit to doing this thing, even if I'm starting a third of the way through the year!
I've always been intrigued as to what to do with these hunks of Sud-Tirol speck (bacon) that Aldi has, and turns out it's delicious just to thinly slice and eat. I really hope it doesn't need cooking.
Whilst I could not find a suitable cheese to melt through the polenta, I did find a red washed rind cheese with a bit of a funk that went pretty well.