Very often when I create a dish it is spurred by the best ingredients I can find. I came up with this dish one day based on the seasonal ingredients I had at hand, and it was a dish that worked instantly. I had the picture so clearly in my mind of how the lentil salad would work with the quince, and how the foie gras would blend with the Sauternes and the lemon juice and the cooking liquid of the quince. I was convinced that it would work even before I tried it—and it did. In fact, it was so good the first time I tried it that it was just a matter of making a few minute adjustments. The richness of the foie gras needed a tart balance, and although quince is not typically used this way, it provided the right balance. There are three or four very exciting flavors in your mouth at once—then it goes into richness and then a little sour and then you have the wine also picking it up. All of that comes together, making a very interesting dish, and then the lentil salad makes it a little homey and more robust and adds a nice softness.