Purin!

I adore purin very much. Unfortunately, they aren't imported very much by the stores here. The ones I do see are baked or are somehow "special" (i.e. crappy). I love cheap-ass boring convenience store purin, and I can't get any. The closest thing that can be bought is flan or some other custard pudding that aren't the same. So when I came across a row of imported purin mixes at the store the other day I could not resist. I found the mix with the smallest number of additives and bought that (there was a box of Hello Kitty branded purin that I really wanted to buy but had some additives I didn't want to consume...). I wasn't doing anything so I decided today would be the day to make some purin! It also helped that I'd finally bought some milk recently, but that's beside the point.

It was amazingly simple. Mix egg yolk, milk and mix in a pot and bring to simmer. The only thing i messed up was not continuously mixing while it heated up, which caused some of the egg to curdle. I was worried it would effect the texture of the purin, but luckily it didn't. I put some of the caramel sauce into the random collection of containers I dug up and poured the purin mixture over that. After an hour of refrigeration I had purin! Unfortunately I used a really wide bowl that made for a very flat purin. Mine even broke off partially, making it look even less appetizing. No matter, the flavor and texture were fine. The texture was more velvety than I prefer but it was still good. And there's just something extra when you're eating something you've made. XD It went perfectly with a mug of Earl Grey (I love dainty pretty tea cups but I drink too much tea for them to be practical). I have another set in the frig, this time in smaller deeper cups, so they should come out looking more properly purin-like.

Considering how few ingredients go into the thing, I really want to find a from scratch recipe and try that. Haven't had luck yet, but will keep looking. XD;

Other food things I want to do:

1. Bake my own bread. I want to get Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and try my hand at it. I spend a lot of money buying sourdough bread from "artisan bakeries" located in chain supermarkets...Surely I can do it more economically at home? Also, freshly baked bread! There is nothing better! (Except, possibly freshly baked cookies...)

2. Make my own yogurt. It is apparently astonishingly simple to do. You just need milk, a starter, and some steady source of low temperature heat. I do NOT want to buy a yogurt maker (no additional single-purpose gadgets to clutter my small kitchen!) so I am looking for a reliable source for directions. The internet, unfortunately, is a great source of information of dubious reliability. I want some tangy yogurt a la Japanese yogurt style! I don't eat the yogurt I get here plain, but I can eat gobs of the yogurt over there (once again, the cheap-ass convenience store variety) in all its naked glory.

3. Make more cookies, but especially the famed New York Times chocolate chip cookies. I don't really want to buy two types of flour for it, but my friend made it once and it was divine.

4. Cook more regular food. Take lunch to work. Not eat crappy yet expensive food that come in far too large portions that invariably cause me to overeat "because it's convenient." It's also reassuring to be able to know what's gone into the food I consume.