Stock and Nages

If you have never used home made stock in your cooking, try it and you will be amazed by the difference. For sheer depth of flavour there is certainly no substitute. The results are greater than the sum of the parts, so the small effort you make will be well worth it, especially as stock plays an important role in so many dishes.

My stocks cook for a long time — double the time than in most other professional kitchens. The reason is simple: they are like infusions. The flavours of the bones and other ingredients infuse into the liquid gently instead of being aggressively dragged out by boiling, which breaks down the vegetables and emulsifies the particles and impurities in the bones, yielding a cloudy finish. Once this has happened the stock will not return to a clear state.