The proof of the pudding is in the eating

I was feeling topsy-turvy. It was hard to weigh up. It felt a bit like being in the middle of making gluten free pastry. This kind of baking has a lot of precision attached to it - there's no guessing at quantities. It has to be exact, or you have to be prepared for there to be tears over spilt milk and crumbling tarts. There's a definite knack to it. You have to be patient for one, persist when things don't work out the way you hoped, go back over techniques you thought you'd sussed and re-learn them, repair bits that break up / off, look like its not getting on your nerves and at the end of it all, be prepared for it not to taste like 'real' pastry, but still try and enjoy it.

Compromise. I'm told it's all about compromise. But at what point do you decide that actually it doesn't tantalize your taste-buds anymore and you should try a new recipe? Or should you persevere and think that it's an 'acquired' taste? And how long does an acquired taste take to acquire? The trouble is, by the time you've answered all these questions its past the sell by date and you're not hungry anymore.