What's the most complex recipe you've done?

Not so much complex if you're a seasoned cook, but crawfish bisque is a very hands on dish that eats up some time to do right.

I would also include Turducken which I've made from scratch several times. Deboning the turkey, duck and chicken aren't all that hard with good knives and knife skills, but it should be precise, especially to not puncture the breast skin on the birds.

Plus there's the 3 dressings I use to make the dish. Oyster dressing for the chicken, andouille dressing for the duck and cornbread dressing for the turkey.

Then putting it all together to bake offers a bit of a challenge, especially the first time doing it, but it does get easier the more you cook the dish.

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The labor involved and the equipment required makes most of that book incapable of at-home reproduction

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I don't understand why someone would write and publish a book like that if the average cook can't use it. Most folks that buy cookbooks are home cooks looking for ideas and instruction.

I would think most professional chefs already have their own "style" of cooking, so I can't imagine many of them wanting that type cookbook even if they have the equipment.

I made the pickle and mustard pie recipe from this board once.

Most complicated thing I cook as a single dish: real deal cassoulet, with the sausages, pork, etc. I did it around Christmas for a string of years.

But I do plenty of stuff nearly every week that some ppl think is complicated: sourdough, pizza w a long fermented crust, egg pasta, pie crust, etc.

Strangely enough, during quarantine, I’ve been craving super simple stuff like soft boiled eggs, asparagus risotto, baguettes and cheese, etc.

Pastitsio, basically a greek lasagna. It's not difficult but it's complex and time consuming.

And the joke is that pastitsio is Greek for "dirty all the dishes" and that's not far off.

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real deal cassoulet, with the sausages, pork, etc.

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I make this at least once every winter. But to do it the right way is very, very involved. I even order the French Haricot Tarbais beans from Dartagnan.

I’ve never made pastry myself. Alton Brown said store bought is the same so I trusted him.

Fair warning: we’re cheating a bit and getting fresh pasta from Eataly rather than hand making our pasta

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Did a beef wellington with puff pastry made from scratch

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My mom did this once......once. Just give me a grilled filet and a baked potato. I admire your willingness to give it a shot.

Not sure what my most complex recipe is, but I know where I draw the line...and it’s somewhere short of a crawfish bisque. Maybe unwarranted, because I’ve never even tried to make one, but I never will either.