Ingredients

Appears in

Published 1996

Olive oil (Mosto).
Sea salt. When I went to Barbados two months ago, I took a bottle of olive oil and a bag of sea salt. So those are far and away my priorities.
Vermouth. It’s a liquid element that can be used effectively in building up layers of flavor without calling attention to its specific existence within the dish. You simply make a dish more complex without adding something that’s immediately identifiable.
Chives. Chives are one of the most successful herbs to me because they do have a distinct flavor, yet they work with a lot of different things.
Coriander seeds. They have a perfume that’s very alluring, and a sweetness and flavor that works with a lot of different things.
Roasted tomatoes. When good tomatoes are simply impossible to get during the winter months, it’s a way to extract the most flavor from not-so-great tomatoes in the winter. The liquid evaporates, and the flavor becomes intensified.
Confit of garlic. It’s one of those great items because it’s so versatile and usable.
Chicken stock. The key here is versatility. Good chicken stock is neutral, and will allow the acceptance of other items and work with things as disparate as meat and fish.
Herb mix. All the soft herbs—basil, tarragon, chervil, parsley—in more or less equal quantities.
The Holy Trinity of luxury restaurants: caviar, truffles, and foie gras.