I find the answer is standing the roast for the full time it takes to cook the Yorkshire pudding. It really doesn't lose that much in temperature. The potatoes can be done with the roast and then refreshed in the oven during the last 15 minutes of baking the pudding (after the pudding has popped).

I agree, however, that the biggest challenge is timing the roast right in the first place, so that you end up with a nice medium-rare.

Agreed. I am always annoyed when I see people on TV suggesting that you stand meat with a foil covering. It's fine if you want beef really well done and don't care that your foil tent will keep it cooking. It will of course, ruin a medium-rare and make those lovely crisp bits go rather limp and soggy.

Polenta in a copper pot over a wood fire. Grinding the corn is a breeze compared to the heat and singed hair. Potato gnocchi.

chick pea pie stuffed with rabbit, mushrooms, garlic and onions.

Starting with the fresh whole rabbit, cleaning it;
fresh chick peas, cleaning them
same for all the spices and flavorings, plus the mushrooms.

Cooking the rabbit on a charcoal grill
Cooking the chick peas in a pressure cooker
Combining and cooking all the vegetables, briefly stewing to combination
After coolong the chickpeas, amshing them and then making the pie
Filling the pie with the recently cooled stewed misture.
Baking the result to 45 minutes.

I left out numerous steps.

We prepare this about twice a month, and draw rave reviews from people who would never touch the thing if they knew in advance it had rabbit.

the recipe was devised by my spouse and I over about ten years of trying and is a melange of French provincial, Moroccan and Brazilian ingredients and approaches.

It requires about five hours beginning to end in work time, about 24 hours elapsed time.

Yes. I don't tent. I would rather have the Roast be a little cooler than overdone and soggy.

I don't make it regularly but I had an unusually tough time making meatloaf.

For me, the hardest part about meatloaf is defrosting it in my microwave. ;)

Most difficult dish...hmm...that would probably be my Tangerine Glazed Ham. It's delish and worth it, but it's a pain in the a$$ to make.

Ditto on the risotto.

But it's actually the constant stirring that ....s it up. I used to go the traditional way on a skillet, but now I just use a heavy pot or saucepan (initial procedure of sweating onions and rice is the same), add half the liquid, use very low heat on the burner (lowest or second lowest setting-the water should be barely simmering), shut the lid, set the timer for 10 minutes and go away, have a taste, then add the rest of the liquid, stir, and then set the timer again for 10 minutes. Takes about another 2 minutes to finish afterwards (add cheese, stir, pour onto plate, add more cheese, serve). This is for a 3/4 cup portion so adjust times as needed.

Of course you can avoid this PITA by par-boiling.

You only need to check on it once every 5 minutes and give the pan a really good shake and give everything a really good stir (to make sure nothing sticks and burns).

You mean chicken roulade?

Apologies grbflyer, I just saw this post.

No, the penne rustica recipe I've made is the true Macaroni Grill recipe. It's a recipe that feeds a lot of people but calls for 8 cups of heavy cream! I just can't do that to myself and family/friends so I use half & half or light cream. Not as rich as the MacGrill dish but nearly as good. Of course, pancetta makes everything taste good.

I made it as a side dish for Xmas one year, and my guests still talk about it. :) The biggest problem with this dish is you can't make it ahead of time; for best results, it needs to be served right out of the oven.

recipe is here: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Rom...Rustica-114360

This probably doesn't add any value to this thread, but I'm having a cup of coffee.

If I find a dish taxing to make, I won't make it again. Buche de noel by Payard's
recipe is the last thing qualifying under this criterion.

I tend to avoid anything that involves extensive prep time and attention to detail. I'm more of a "make something that LOOKS fancy but is actually simple" types.

Some examples:

- marinated grilled lamb loin chops
- broiled duck breast
- spinach salad with pear and bleu cheese, ingredients vary based what I have on hand.
- baked brie with baguette
- beef carpaccio

All simple, easy, and straightforward to make with minimal prep work, but people always think I've slaved all day :)

Since I'm in college, nothing. If I'm back at home then it would be Korean food. One of the hardest things to cook since it's all about eyeballing the measurements. No one I know uses a measuring spoon and all when they cook Korean food.

We must be twins. I NEVER measure either. My sister's a baker so it drives her absolutely batshit insane. If I wrote a cookbook it would involve nonstandard measures like "a pad" or "a splash" or "a sprinkle" and I use the word "to taste" a lot.

Well my mom uses measuring spoons.

I basically read the ingredients list on a recipe, then skim the general procedure, then toss the recipe and do what I want.

I wouldn't say we are exactly twins lol. I don't measure when I cook Korean food since my parents don't and never did. They learned from watching others cook and those people never measured as well. We don't have a recipe book or use recipes so it's a bummer for me when I have to cook Korean food.

However, when it comes to baking or cooking American or whatever else then I use measurement equipment if it's available. BUT in my household we don't have measurement equipment since my parents have no need for it. :(