R elpe\11 en 1enu- \1\ Re't.1urantMenusXt' AcknowledgmentsXt'll PrefaceXIX The Chef asArtist1 Meet YourMedium23 Compoing Flavors37 aDish61 WhyFoodMatches?87 Food Madein Heaven Matche ...MademHeaven196 Composing a Menu223 CommonAccompaniment'to Entrees260 Evolvmg a Cuisine289 The Evolution of Leading Chef' CUismes307 Islandlists323 Culinary Art asCommunion391 Re(lurec,399 BIOgraphies of Chefs403 Index409 Ahourthe Authors425 B\krm and heauty,we're not referring strictly toFood ISvery muchtheater [heIDL.leasmdvpopular,andin some casesmisguided,- Jam.Be" c; emphalsthat Sl'mechefshaveplacedon thevisualpresentationof food.In jetermll1U1gwhatformadishwilltake,chefshavetheopportunitytocon-ve\theirown senseof beautywitheverydecisiontheymakeaboutadish, fromthe selection of ingredients and their pairing with other ingredients,to Itscookmgtechniques,toitspresentation on aplate,toitsorder of presen-tation on a menu. Justasphilosophershavesuggestedthatartis"about"something,and conveys feelingstowardthat subject matter, sodoes Alice Waterstell usthat "Being a really good cook hastodo with having a point of view." Throughouthistory,greatculinarians havelikenedtheculinaryarts to artsranging fromarchitecture to painting to theatre. The press has even usedartisticanalogieswhendescribingparticularchefs.Forexample,Los AngelesTimesfoodwriterCharlesPerryoncelikenedchefJoachim SplichaltothelaterockmusicianJimiHendrix,whowasknownforhis artisticdaring. WhatLeadingChefs Think "Cookingisindeedanartistry," saysBradleyOgden."It'saform of creativityandexpression,especiallythemoredefinedyoubecomewith yourcuisine.ThedirectionyoudecidetotakeItIn-yourstyle-usuallydependsonyourbackgroundandyoureducation.Igrewupin Michigan,andmycuisineimoretraightforwardAmencan.Unheknownst tome,I wadevelopingapalatebackwhenI wafiveorIXyearold,helng rearedon organicblackberrieandwall-eyedpike" "We are certainly associated Withthe art," GrayCurnonsky's belief that"Lacuisine!Thats when Kunzagrees."There'sno questionahoutthat.Butthethmgstaste/Ikethemselves ISnone other than affiltatlonanenormouamuntofhardwork.the artist's precept."Respect your medium This workIvery stressful-hoth phyically and on thetransposed Intotheworld of food. mind.What helpsthechef isthe'Imph: to cre- -RrchCi'd 0ey ate dihethat are con tandy on a veryle\'el.It'a,hame youc, n'tput me of them on canvas!" Wayne11 i .h,whoonce "Architecture IntheMiddleAge tudledarchitecture,POint- outthat themother of theart. In or,lertohe nedthe\\ a}I \\t)uld them,Jndth gamlheon the dlheare forme.Burmahotelretaurant,ItI'notunllu II forpeople to Comemandtan rippmgour food apart,I Jon't Imlld \\ hen reI -picrC\.!uestthtngItkeservingtheuceonthe.d"butpcric\\111rdr meatdlhI lffer\\Jthatarragnessencemd1'/dn'tv.tnttlIT I there.' Chef h\e to learntremvcthem'hperIkIIfrI food.Whnv.e'pened,we'dget custmrswhr IreduttltI toundertand what you're saysMillerOnehf. \v.' cementioned how a rartlular cnnc Wishedto abohshthestar systemforrat' .Ingrestaurantsbut not ableto do-0becauseIt soldnewspapers! TheLUlinarycommunityincludesorganizationssuchThJ .aseames BeardFuundatlOn, .hostof The JamesBeardAwards,thedebutof whichin madetheculinaryartstheonlynon-performingartwithitsowntele-\"Isedawardsprogram,a,ndwhichhaveplayed aninvaluablerolein bringing recognitionto Amenca s leading chefs. TheArtofCompositionAspreviouslymentioned,thegeneral publicisprobably ill-aware of the level of thoughtandcarethat goesinto culinaryartists'compositions.Intheevo-lutionorof foodfromastrictlyutilitarianComposition: theact of composmg, or putting realmto anepicurean one,such compositionsbecometogether awholeby combming parts, an arrange-increasinglyintricate.Themomentof compositionisment of the parts of awork of art so as toforma thepointatwhichachefhastheopportunityforunified.harmoniouswhole. expreSSIOnandtolargely determine what acustomer willreceive.It isimpor-tant forto understand how their decisions Willmfluencethe end result. "TherearesomecookswhocreateJustforthesakeof creating.But whenitcomesdowntoeatingadish,Ithastomakesense,"InsistsBradley Ogden."If one flavorisfighting with another, andtoo many differentthings aregoingon,it doesn'twork." imilarly,GeorgeGermonandJohanneKilleenmentionthatthey heardFauchon's chef PierreHerme dLCU. "the architecture of taste." t!nuethatcycle,whitemenpo"esedthemandhrokethecycle.Then,atonepoint,the IndiananJbackthe gift,they'dgiventhe whitemen,andthat'swheretheterm "Indian camefrom. All of thlhelpedputperpective on how our preent cultureissodamaging to the creative proce.Intermof what chefaredomg,0often they'retryingto figureout what the current trendi andwhat dm:ctlon theygo10to rlerue amarket. They're sohusyorienting themselves commer-Ciallythat they lo;etouch WithwhatIt i- they want to eat.For example,one of mycooks presented for my cflt14ueadlhof one fishrolledinanother fishwithforcemeatruffedinside,thenrolledIn some-thmgele,ervedWithnutsandmuhroomsandherbsandlettuceleavesaroundit,andtwobutter uce. IImply a"kedhim, "Would )()uwantto eatthat?" IthmkIt wasGaelGreene[ofNett'Yorkmagazine]whooncewroteof Aurora[anow-defunct 1nhattan retaUTantthat wasopenedIn rhemid-1980sbyJoeBaumand GerardPengo),"Rightnow ) 'rebuy tn 109to figureout whatewYorkerwantto eat.Welookforwardtotheir getting over hrdlend cooking what theyfeellike cking andwhattheywouldwantto eat." fA "Hepointedouttheideathat thereis--orshouldbe-struc-tureas wellastasteandbalance goingoninadish,"theysay. "Eveniftherearetwelveingre-dientsinadessert,eachshould haveaspecificpurpose-whetheritaddssweetnessor tartnessortexture.Andallof themshouldcometogetherto work asawhole." The starting point isa classical foundation: some, and preferably much, familiarity with ingredients and techniques. Given the intemattonallarder of ingredients and repertoire of techniques avadable to chefs, the number of dif-ferentcompositionsthatcanresultis\'lrtuallylimitless.Historyhastamed this potential chaosthrough the relentlesstesting of variousingredient com-binations and the resulting development of classical flavor combinations and dishesthat represent the mostucce . fulmarriages of flavors andingredients. These can proVIdeanI!1valuablestarting point forchefs,and areexploredIn great detaillaterinthisbook. Cookmg ISfor capturing thetaste of thefood andInadJltlon,a chef'sindividualpreferenceswill, 16 thenenhancmg It,as a composer may take aovertimeandinthenghtcircumstances(of creative theme and then delight us WIthhISvanatlonsfrt:edom),givert,etothechef'ownpersonalstyleof -FE'r']ndPo ntcookl!1g.\VhtlethbiaCllmplexandprobablylargely unconsciouproce"it1,compn'edof achef'sreactionstoeverycooking technique he or )he haevcreenued or evt:ry combination of flavorshe or hehasevertasted-andI!1stantlyacceptedfor orrejectedfwmsuhseljuent useinhior her repertoire. Thc workof achef andtheappre-TheRealmoftheSenses ciationofadini ngexpenenceI' unique-anduniquelydemanding-inthatitdrawuponeac hof thefive sen es.Whtlethesenseof ta.,tei'theonemo'theavilyemphai:eJ,the sene of smellisjust a,if notmore,important.Whilethetongue cantate only fourhasicflavors,the senseof smellpruviJeuswithmanymoreen-soryimpressions.Similarly,thesenseof touch-and one';. ,,( textures--comesintoplaynotonlywiththefinl(ertip'but,II,,)fnmthe mouth'sownenor5,nottomentiontheear'apprcI:ltin(a good AndwhileitmaybeO\'cremphaizedinmodernLokmg,apIe, ingvisualpresentation of adishcanaddgremt urbehtnTheburr-IOIIn releasedalotofthefl avorfromthelobstershells,andthenthefoodmill meant thatwecouldextract thejuiceandthe larger fibers,yetleave behindto givethe soup density." Travel providesopportunit iestolearn andbe GlobalTechniquesinspired by newtechniques, even forseasoned chefs. George Germanexperiments with Asiantechniqueswithintherealm of theItalian-inspired cuisine servedatAlForno."If something hasa\ine-gar and oil base,generallythe process would beto cook itin oil first,and then addvinegar afterward. ButI'lldoa flip-flopof that---cookinginvinegar fiN keepsarealsprightlytexture,andthenI'lljustdressitwithoilatthevery end.It givesawhole different spirit tothe dish. "Ithinkthat whatappealstomemostabout Asiantechniqueislock-ingintheflavor,andtheirmethodsfordoingthat ,"saysGerman."That's what got meto start thinking, If they candoitintheir cooking-which I feel i5so close to Italtan-then why shouldn't we be applying the same principles? Why does something have to be cooked for hours and hours and hours,when it can becooked foramuch time and havemore flavortoit?Wejust tryto take differentapproachesto ourfood. " RickBaylessonCombiningMexicanFlavors BaSically,Mexican flavorfallintll.ourle of Caregme : thothot .H\.'on dried chile"and that arebaed on freshchile. Dried Chile Flavors:Because of thenatu[\::of the drYIngproce.lOd\Ihatitinremifies,a cert.linkind of fruitinessisdrawn out, thidned-fruit frultine. TI1enthtlt'balclOccd .Igalmt a lot of other that range frombitter, likeunsweetened chocolate or an almost rohdcco-Itke hirterne.,s, to a real fruitl!1elike thekindyou'dgetina driedtomato.When'oumixallof thatklOdof ,tuff together,you've(!otreally deep.richflavor.That'sthebaIf.l "hole categol)of MeXicandishe. Almust .l lway' , e\'el)thll1!.!in thicategol)' istoasted before tt'used, which addanother dimenlon, ,mother level uf compleXityto the flavor. Clearly,when you'reworking with dried chile, there are some pretty untamedt1av,m JI1thereI \\ell,) youhaveto workwiththose and figureout how to balancethem or playthem downnrJI1orne caeliminate them by,forexample, soakingthe chileand thenthnm ing awaythe soaking water. Becauethiisuchamajorcategoryof Mexicanflavor,it'swhereIpuralototmy ,lttentlon, heaueI wantto draw out amuch of the flavorasI can fromthe chile and e1abtotee egance of theLfform,tn eomhtntng tel-vorsnot only harmoniouslb.h ..Yut,Inmany case,ynergittcally,uch(hi tt wholeIIndeed greater than theurnf thddI eInLVIuapres. OtherciaLediherangefromcasouletto paella,frIn coqau un t steakaupoll'l"e"Ihfh .neac0tem,allthe IngredLentthat aretht: rerthr forareason-becausetheywork,"pomtoutTerraneBrnnanThtt A ,hl)uld the aimwhen composing new dishes-in Brennan'sd"AI _wms,rea marriageof resultinginhigh-qualitycooking." RICkBaylesstendsto agree.Too many people alwaysworryabout cre-attng something new,"hebelieves."I'mmoreinterestedin perfecting some-thing formyself,and knowing it'sperfect.Only then would I consider tweak-ingit.'Masteringtheclassics'doesn'tmeandoingthe samethingsthe same waythey'vealwaysbeen done-it meansmakingthem exactlyright foryou today. There's geniusin those classic dishesthat isn't alwaysappreciated." Researching classicdishescaninformchefs of those foodmatches that history tellsusarethe most successful of alltime and prevent them from hav-ingto start fromscratch.Chris Schlesinger,like other leading chefs,looksto thepastwhencreating foodforthepresent."Iwasreadingabook onpick-lingfromthe1950s.Thesepeoplepickledeverything-even grapes!That's what's somind-blowing.Youcouldname adecade andI could makeamenu from old cookbooks from that decade, using only those recipes, and customers today would go,'Wow-that's so creative!How did you think that up?' When wefirstservedplantains at the East Coast Grill,not alot of people had seen them and customers would say,'Wow-these are unbelievable!' But plantains aresocommon thatthey're eaten likeFrench friesinalot of other cultures. "Iwasresearching Brazilian cuisine and foundthat the northern part of Brazdhasalot of diverseinfluenceswiththeslavesfromAfrica.Forexam-ple,there'saclassiccombmatlonofmgredlent.!>-tomatoes,peanuts,and coconut milk-that's servedinarelish,and I servediton somegrilledlamb intherestaurant.Customerswentwildoveritand askedme,'How didyou ever think of combining thoseingredIents?'I had to tellthem that it'a clas-sicdish of this regionthat'been prepared forhundredof year -." Wayne N Ishrecallsexpenmenting with pastablankets embeddedwith herbs when he cooked at The QUIlted Giraffe. "ImmedIately afterward I came acrossareference of the same exact techniqueinone of [Giuliano]Bugialli's books,which wasreferencedback to fourteenth centuryiena-l think that wasthe firsttimethetechnique showsupin any cookbooks orrecords,"says N Ish."So here I was,thinking I wasdomg thISreallyneat new thing, onlyto fmdoutthatthere hadbeenpeoplerollingthe samething outbyhand six hundredyeac ago." Whereisthelmebetween Borrowing fromtheClassics copyingandfindmginspira-tlonmacUisine?And how farcanthat line bepuhed? Chris Sch lesmger points out, "My food,while not exact dupltcatLOn,istrue to the flavorsand mgredientof the culture that inspiredIt.If a dish iinspired bya dish that I hadm ThIland, forexample,Itwon't ha\"t:!any mgredients that can'the c 9 o L ndertandim: muchaspossibleaboutaparticularingredientcan heir111(,rill\\'h"trodowithitandwhichotheringredientstocombineit with.m a kmd of culmary free-association. "If you're working with duck,and \ouknowthatduckseatgrains,likecorn,thenyoucanserveacorncake wnh[Ole gras.becauseit'spart of their environment. Serving grain with duck goesback roduck' and wheatfields," saysBrennan. "It's game,it's fall,there's mushrooms.The gaminessof gamegoeswellwith squash,becausethere'sa nicesweetnesstoit.I lmoepureesin the wintertime;they goreallywellwith game.So Justworking with the seasons,you'rehalf waythere." After startmg with the seasons,"Good tasteleads youtocombinations thatwork,"saysLydiaShire.Shebelieveschefscandeveloptastethrough eat1l1gout in restaurants and experiencing firsthand which combinations are pleaSlOgandwhich misstheirmark. }"llchael Romano agrees that "a chef has ro have taste in terms of know-inghowroputthingstogether.Asineveryhumanendeavor,youcan improvetoacertainextentthroughtrainingandpractice,"hesays."But beyonda certain level,you either have it or you don't. Youcan givetwopeo-plethe samebudgetand sendtheminto aclothing store,and one willcome outlookinglikeafrumpandtheotherwilllooklikeamilliondollars.The differenceistaste." Classicdishesraisethequestlonof recipe.DoIt ISnot Just ahaphazard affair,anew dIsh. It isa professlOnal chefs ever followthem? "Ithink they canpondenng on anew combination of tastesand belikenedtotramingwheels,"say'Romano."If youthen areconcJ/tatlOnwithatechntcal base. followagoodrecipecarefully,you beableto-The TrolsgrosBrothers comeupwithsomethinggood.Butasyougainmoreexperience,youcan take off the trainmg wheels. Then you look at to get a senseof inter-esting combmations of ingredients, rather than a teaspoon of this or a cup of that." "Mostofmy Deconstructionism/Reconstructionism experimenta-tionisrootedin the past,"admits CharlesPalmer."It'sinvolvedtaking what I knew--dassic French cuisine-and applyingittogreatideasinamodern Americanapproach.And alotof theproductsyoufindhere,frombeef to lamb, areeven better than what you'll findmFrance,0it makesthe exper-imentationthat much moreenjoyable." Simtlarly,RickBaylessdescribestheCUisineheservesathisChicago restaurants "classicMexicanfoodwithcontemporarytwistsinacontem-porarycontext."Bur,inhiSopmion,"themostImportantthmgwedois randthesoulof what'sbeing donemtheCUisineandcapturethatin our tOod.Flavor.,-houldtakeyourotheheart of acuisine."Baylebelieves $g ..NormanVanAkenonInspiration Infirtln CdnLlme \\ hen you're ,tuck at a red light. The crea[[ve pwce:,s Ilmeth\l1!:'that I' \'er)difficultto de5cnbe.In someway"it'; kind t'Ike1I\ er"quarrelthathappeninyourmind.Ithmk someof the mt1,tI..reatlyeI'veeyer experiencedmademe alittleicklikea k'ver' qu,lITel-and then suddenh, mcredibly happy, once there wasa res-"lutlonto It. It" themarnagebetweenthought and theingredients-and what a childotthatmarnage\\"Ouldproduce.I'vetrainedmyselftoknowmy ml!redlent'reallywell,sothatIcanhuftletheminmymind.Certain m2reJlent' or combinatiom might trigger amemory, or trigger a hunger-the p::l't or the future.I gues-that wl11 _et me into motion, and then Cfe-atlve c::lnoccur. Ithmkitwa"Pa_teurwhoaidthat"Chancefan)f5theprepared mmd."There atremenJou . amount of preparatlon YOUhavetoha\'ein order forthl' creativityto ,pawn,I t'- not jut likewmningthelottery, Jean-Franc;:oiReveldid."Toagre,H.1degree fnodi, m'l'parahle fwmImagination."Im.1!!lIutiontormeI ,mother \\'llrd for ...rean\ Ity.'\'hen\ outakethe freedmtou>)ourmngll1atln.thenthe )rtalof cream'ith.we no lode. It'one of thetruethm,m termf che. ehaetoh\ e.m extraorJlI1arye1f-ehung pne need tbeIHe t(\\alk 111[0tillnt-ural thtCXItr It)ut ther111the\rlJ- mJ.t e.JUre,Iht-Icall)\\Cha\etohdp prottthatntumlarden.beau,chefIf \\e Jdn't,then\\cwon'tha\e It-mde(ptur own pc11lhtlcIttlll"" and get\litOtht: Amhoke Broccolt Shallot Che,tnutFe\ paragu-Carrot Sahify Loc.lflutPepper Bean Cde ryR.x.t Crab TERRINES Mushroom Cepe Freern,herhet," ht're,IY'.' \\ hlt about Lhoull.lte1 "Chocolate i, areal standhy 111the Winter here \\hentheIIPllle'ottnllt,ue1(1\\',"':ly,>here."Incomingupwithcrt', werun experiment ...In the kitchen a lot,recipe . There's a lot of prc"uretoCOI11t'upwithne\\'Jessens,bothpressurefromourand,df-Ilnpot.'d." Wht'n compO'In!;aJbh,GaryDanko startshya,kinghimself,"What I'the mamtn(!redit'nthere? Whatbthe center of the plate?bita roastegg-plant\\,IthlamhIetn,or itmastlambloinWitheggplant?Ideally,Iwi ll Lhooehthe ,ea on. "When I cookwithlamh,becauseI takeallthe fatand connectivetis-,ue ott the meat,I have toomehow in,ulate that meat.Inthe 'prang, I'lltake driedmorelmu,hnxlmsandpowderthem,andusethatwithbreadcrumbs andaromatic"omons,parle),thyme,and make averydelicate crust. I'll'ear thelamhinalIttlebit of hot oil.coolItdO\m quickly,hrushItWith e!!!!white,andthenrollitinthiscrut.Fromthat,I'lldecide.'WhatamI !!OLn!,!to putthion?'I'llthtnk,'Well.lambliketo !!ra:e on fennel.andfen-nel\ jut comingtntoeaon,ree=ewhenyouhave awhite shirt on, and .. .forgetit! "With nout'elle cuisine,it wouldtake half an hour to decorate the plate, andbythetimeyougotthe food,itwascold," saysSchomer. "A lot of pre-sentation was done just to show off,and I have always been against just show-ing off." Nancy Silverton believes that most diners are very heavily influenced bythe elaboratepresentation of a dish."Ninety-eight percent of the popu-lationprobablysits downandays,'Whoa!That'sincredible!That chef is otalented!'Tho earealotof thechefwhogettheattentionfromthe preandaremakingthewavethe edayaerothe country.Butbecause of that,we're getting alot of muddled food.People who don't know how to doa lotof thoeverytechnicalthingcorrectly aretrying,and they'rejust fallingon their face. It makeit difficultformeto findplaceto eatthee day. "The morewhimicalor the more complicated you getwith your food, the more youhave to do ahead of time, and the more you sacrifice the flavor. Nomatterwhatanybodyay,youcan'tdoitall.AllyoucandoIila minute ... "(" ... youhavetobeabletodoinaminute,"quipMarkPeel.) Silverton continue, "Themorecomplicatedadih,themorespectaculara dish, the moretaleit'going to taste. There'no wayanyone can prepare all the elementthearne day." "I think we've really achieved a great presentation when a dish looks as though that'they wayit ought to be-andhould alwaybe," says Mark Peel. ilvenon agrees."When wedoitright,andwe'vedonewhatweset out to do,youseethe dishandyouthink,'Yes,that'how that dishhould always be and why would anyone ever do it any different?' That's when we've hit the mark." George Germon agrees. "I think that food should look as natural as ~ ble.And 1 hke foodto look fresh,likeit wasborn on the plate," he says."I don't hke tall food,squeeze bottles, drizzles, or sprinkles." In terms cJ the pre. IentatlOll of food, he says, "Our an backgrounds arethe best thinp that ever hawened to us. Presental:aon coma naturally to us. It'part cJ our vocahuLary. Compo.nfl_D E\'enIfyouknowwhatlookyou'regomgafter,It's alwayeay to 'ateIttothosewhowillhavetoexecuteit."Itindthatthemot communlL. difficultdungtodoIStoimparttheconceptof'treeform.'" Patuck O'Connell."If youdrawsomething on graphpaper, cooksareverycomfort_ ableandsay,'Icanfollowthis-this goeshereandthisgoesthere.'Butto me,that'swhatwecall'tense'food.SoI,aidtothisyoungmanthe other day,'What we'retryingto do herewiththis plateisto makeitlook likeyou pickedtheasparagus and youwaltzedthrough the garden,and a little breeze blewthe stuff acrosstheplate.' "Wehavedisheswheresaucesarethrown,and somecooks think that meanssplat!No,no,no,no,no.It'saverydelicatebalance. If you' re gOing tomakeItlookwildand cra:y,you'regoingtohavetohavetheelement of total and complete control and precision there with it to balance it out. Some cooks don't understand Ityet,what a dish issaying-[that it's] saying a whole bunch of things," O'Connell says. "l\.fichel Guerard has a veryltghttouch, and since working with himin France,I've alwayscarriedthatwithme,"saysMichael Romano."He taught methat If,plate loob ruo full,it'sunappealing. The presentation of hi s food hasaccrtdinairine', andlightnesstoit,andItrytoremaininspiredby the same deltcarene." [\'en , mon!.!leaJtn!.!eh f"thereIS,1Widearrayof optnionasto what conmuregretpn:emtln."There,1\\\ hasrobeheightinadish," argueJlLhlm. pllh, l. "There h 1to be aIn the way It\ placed on the plate.AdlhhouldbeaVIualeXIeflenceforthecustomer.Itwaswith {Frenh chef JdcyueJlaxlmlOthatIIernedpre,entation, how to get some-thingtI- perfect." nthe[her hnd, JO}CCGIdrem,y, "Idon'thelieveintallfooJ. There arcmecilhetht\OUhaveto cr.lhIn orderto eat.I don'thelleve Inquce:c hi:nle, an 1 I dn't belteve111ImlclOb ofalice dfOunJthe run of aplate.AndI Jn't\loamm}cuturnertoIc.lvCWithparleyorcocoa on theirleevebeaeomeoneInthekitchen'gnecroft,astnngentver'>usfatty.In transitionmgfromonecour'etoanother,youprobablywouldn'twantto lerVttwomeatcnur .. esin arow,ortworich cour es10arow.Youwant one sensation andtlavorto play differently agalmtthe next." Becaue her eclectic cui,me incorporates "uch disparateinfluences, she add,"Idon'tthinkI'JdoamenuthatrookyoufromFrancetoJapanto uthAmenca,foreXdmple--dtonce,thencanbetoOmuch.Jthinkyou through with a whole regionaltheme, But that doen't mean you 235 236 Examplesof Contrast s Between Coursesin aMenu brown meat/whitemeat cold/hot cooked/raw creamy/crisPy dry/sauced heat'y/tight mild/spicy savory/sweet ,d' eI' t'FlJrexample"aumight serveone Japanese anJ the can tmoern I:.,I' nextIndianor Thai-but wewouldn't anydishes cream(which isnotnativeto A,ian cui,ine)a"part of that menu." Alice \Vater, that multiculturalinfluence.wlthm a singlemenuI,JlffICult,"Ithmkit'veryhardtoput amenuwhen youhavedlhe.Illoverthemenuth,ltarefr'lInLlifferentcui,meomethmg ,altvandchh'hI"Ih .ampagne.WIetogether sen' etocleansethe1'aate.tcane caVlarbut't ,)'hhIIhdI .'IuOe.,ntavetoe-ham. pork, or air-curedheef can aee1-CIOUSIJ'I kIII I'on tI'Ctoserveanythmgwithbutter,becauseitdust 1C paate .... ButI w()ull't tdhi '"h.I" lnurnownmlwitcaviar. InSumeca.,e,thefir"tcour,e.en'cdiaoup."Evenif peopleonly wanta fewCII Ollrse,awaysgivethem ,oup," says Jean-LouLPalladm. \I,I ?ut (,f repect for1exicantradltton,RickBaylb> feelthe 'arne. "You au '1never hi" ave ameamlexlco whereoup wa'noterved.he expIam.,. c "p ,IgaMe 247 AparticularfavoriteathisrestaurantsisoneoffreshcomanJr():\ted bl "thahandfuleachofepazote(afragrant,amse-flavoredh"ht poanos,WI'.... herb which "gives the soup a light mouthfeel") and raw masa (the dough green"") "Th". usedfortorti llas,which givesthe soup Itscreammess.IS soupIStangyand tart,light and crunchy,"saysBayless."These fl avor,." On the other hand, Alice Waters argues,I m a soup-as-mam-di,h ptr. son. Soupis too filling, and I findit hardto fitinto a menu, unlessit's a COn. ," somme. NancySilvertonknowsexactlywhatshelikesinterms of Cheesecheeseafterameal."Alwaysabluecheese,"shesays,"and alwaysa goatcheese.If the bluecheeseis Stilton or gorgonzola, then a fresh goat cheese.If it'samildblue,then Ilikean agedgoatcheese. AndI alway, likea strong-tasting cheese-even aParmesan." If only serving one breadwith cheese,Silverton wouldliketo seeIt be a whitebread,suchasaourdough batard,while LindseySheremight opt for a wholewheat/walnut bread offering."It's sogood with cheese," Shere says. Andwme amu -ttoproperlyenjoycheese,accordingtoCharl es Palmer."I don't under-randwhenpeople don't drinkwinewith cheese,"he says."It's hardto intrude on -omellne ,md mk m'lkmg them feelstupidinthe b}nt urdenng It.But)metllne- I'll send over a little glass of port If Ieepeople eung cheee\\ Ithoutreuw1I1eor port." "IthmkthCltchackloaded withtuff to experiment with." VarietyOnce the basicmenu hasbeen established,chefs to ensure that their offeringsmclude enough diverSity.I hke to gIvemycutomera broad varlet\'," ,a\'s Joachim Splichal. "Youhavetohave h:ef, chICken,and veal on themenu; it's expected at aplacelikethiS.About four a.ddd'.hAd gO,\\e aevegetanan andeafoodofferingstotemenu.n a couple of year' agoweadded the category of 'Odd Things,'"whIchrhchal'beloved offal. crnp M 255 With one week'sadvance notice,Restaurant Daniel offerpeciaita bdd tlng menuand classic dishesthat caneorerefor theentire tabi e. These include: US Menussur un Theme New York State Apple Menu Black and White Truffle Menu North Atlantic Seafood Menu Wild Mushroom Menu Wild Game Menu CHEZPA1E ~CAJ;fomia 'Rememberthatdishwehad "CanyouimagmeifAI 3t. . Fornotookgnlledpiz:aofftheir U 1I v,Jouldcry.WhenI goto men A.IForno,I'mhaving grilled pizza. ; have tWOpizzas,and it's great and that'Spartoftheidentityofthe restaurant.Butyoucanbesure thatGeorgehasgottobealittle k h .I" tiredof maingtosePIZZas. .ht"Thebestcomplimentyoucangetiswhenacus-WhenIt's Rigtamer isleaving the restaurant after a several-course mealand says,'Ifeelso good!'" saysHubert Keller."The fooddoesn't lie." Aswe'veseen,howchefsaccomplishthatfeatisthroughapplying basicprinciplesof menucompositiontoachievetheirdesiredaffectona customer,just asgreat composers and playwrightscan hittheright buttons thattheyknowwillmakeuslaughor cry. Joyce Goldstein believes that asa chef, you must design the way a menu will affectthe customer. "You have to figureout, with finger foodand a three-coursemealplus dessert,how many orgasmdo youhave in a meal? You don't wantto have four!Nothing Willhave any meamng, becausethey'll all bethe same,"shesays."Soit's,How do youwanttoplayIt?Do youstart quiet and buildtothesecondcourse,andthen layl(mandbuildtothethird?Do you startquiet,quiet,quiet,andbuild?Doyouhitthemthefirsttime,andlet them recover? You have to choose where youthink your big gun is,or the one that's goingto cause silence at the table.And youcan't do it at every course. SoyouJusthave to plot your attack. Which dishisthe killer? WhICh isnice? WhIChisanother little crescendo?Andwhere'sthe surpnse?" NormanVanAkensa'-'s"Durinaawinedinnerthere'sanInherent J,"' probability of gomg fromlight to rich,interposing It occasionally WItha lit-tlepreviewof alittlebitof richnessbeforeyougetdowntotheveryrich, andthen a relief somewhereInthemIddle. "1think of composingamenuaalotlikeputtingtogetherafour-act play,"VanAkenays,beforeproviding examples of the rolesvariousingredl- and dihe, can enact. "Every now and then,the villain's got to jump out otthe do et and scare the-hit out of everybody. The 'villains' are onlymthe Wording,inthe'Co,tumlng.'Imightde,cnhe'chile-rubbedand breatofsquabonahabanero whenit'seaten,It'snot gOingto beVillainOUS.And at the end, thelittle girl comes out witha flower In her hand.he'safe,we'reall safe-we've had chocolate!" Mr mp n 259 260 .,. COMMON ACCOMPANIMENTS TOENTREES Overtime,certainaccompanimentshavebecomefamiliarcompanionto various entrees-liver and onions, meatand potatoes,pork chops and apple_ sauce,turkeyandstuffing.Thislistincludesothercombinationsthat,while perhaps notaswellknown, aresimilarly time-testedmatches. Giventhattodayvegetablesarecommonlyincorporatedaspartofa dishitself rather than simply served asaside dish , t hereis someambiguity as towhether thematch should be included under "Composing aDish"or her e. Readersmaywishto referto both lists,whether composing a dish or a men u, fordifferentinspirations. Whilethislistprovidessuggestedmatches,achef'spointofviewwill inspirehowtheywillbeapplied(orwhethertheywillbereinterpretedor ignored!).For example, the classic combination of meat and potatoes isopen to interpretatlon as: Pot-RoastedBeef Filleett'iehPOtatoc8 -George Germon &]ohanne Killeen GrilledFilletof B.:ef u lthCrackedBlackP.:J)pcrand CognacMustardCream send u-ithShoestrmgPotatoesand Gla"eJCarrots andBeets -]o)ce ()oldtem BrazsedhortRib of B4. Leeks , andPotatol'-follssdine-Gray Kun: UnlledCA.BRlhEyeteaklmh RedageteakSatlceandTtdce-Baked Potatokm-.1Jrk .1tller PaLmamokedBeejTenJerlom 11thliar eradlh'(JlazedPotatoesand pmachJo. chlln'phchal , BASS broccoli e.cgpl mt endive potar. BEEF elm"hIkehe. r brueIprout celet)mot eLamie fennel morel mu,hroom, potatoc ratatuull ie red cabbage plll.lch Many of Ihese combinationsare claSSICSthese are rndlcatedInboldface typ A t eEEF BRISKET beetS cJbbage SfEF SHANKS l'0lenta BRAINS rice salad BUFFALO cabbage CAPON celer\'.pureed cher"nuts.pureed mushrooms CATFISH cole slaw hushpuppie-CAVIAR blmi bread,dark Champagne parsnips pasta potatoes,especially mashed androasted tomatoes carrots omons parsmps potatoes e g g ~ ,hard-bOIled lemon onions, raw potatoes sauerkraut watercress potatoes potatoes.especially pureed stuffing tomatoes sour cream vodka 261 CHICKEN artichokehearts asparagus beans, {ava beans, green beans,lima broccoli brussels sprou ts carrotS COD beans,green broccolI eggplant CORNEDBEEF beets cabbage CRAB .1raragll cabage CRAYFISH wlela\\ DUCK apple apncIt barIe} beam. fa\3 beans.\\ hlte. pureeJ bek broccoli brusselprut bulgur cahbae cabbage.reu carrt cIry cleryrt celery root crayfi sh dumplings egg noodles eggplant mushrooms onions orzo escarole kale carrot" ool\1n.., peacren chrnut corn enJ,,,e earIe fig green gnt lenni mubroom parnip paInfruit pears pe polcot parsnips peas potatoes rice spinach turnips wildrice zucchini potatoes tomatoes potatoe" turnip, radicchio potatoc rhublTb nee rut , b 19a

allionp mch pact:lc pmach IUdh. buttt:rnu[ "eet potatoe ,Ill!-turnip, e wildrie FiSH

beans,(3\'a broccoli cabbage cepes FISH,WHITE coleslaw parsnips FOIEGRAS cepes compote FROGS'LEGS celeryroot GAME apples cabbage cabbage,red celeryfOut,pureed chestnuts,especially pureed GOOSE arrles brusselssrrouts cabhage,red ham potatoes chips coleslaw cucumbers endive fennel leeks potatoes grapes lentils mushrooms grapes hommy lentib parsnip:' chestnuts, esrecially rurceJ p sausage toast pasta ratatouille nce spinach sorrel toast rears rotatoes sweetrotames tlIrni rs sauerkraut wildrice g M,' 263 GOULASH noodles GUINEA HEN apples brusselssprouts cabbage HALIBUT beans,green broccoli HAM apples apricots beans biscuits cabbage carrot chestnut HARE chetnU cranberne HERRING apple cabbage KIDNEYS cepes coleslaw LAMB AND MUTTON aioli apnco artlchk aspara rice carrots lentils potatoes cabbage eggplant corn pudding gnocchi lentils peas,especially pureed potatoes, e,pecially creamed or pureed porCini leek mushrm noodle bean, flageolts/white beans, green beans,white brocc )It spaetzle risotto sausage potatoes spinach sauerkraut spinach, especially pureed spoon bread sweet potatoes turnips squash potatoes potatoes alJ brueIpruu bulgur crr( ,c peI\ I ~ r amd MACKEREL apples eggplant OXTAILS noodles onions OYSTERS,FRIED coleslaw OYSTERS,RAW ale,beer,or stout bread. dark(e .g . pumpernickel,r)e, wheat) PARTRIDGE endl\e fritters green pasta PHEASANT apples brusseprout cabbage cabbage. red carr celery root. especially pureed celery c:batnu tall ~ [Ole gras gooseberries parsnips potatoes potatoes toat lent nce urkrut gn1 hmm lentil muhrooms noodl omons orzo parsmps peas polen pota potatoes nee wine, white and dry rapp\e pumpkm uerkrut l-u' uh, peCIII (ernut turnIp PORK apples beans,fava beans,hma broadbeans brussels sprouts cabbage cabbage,red PORKCHOPS apples J-.eans,epeClall y pinto andrefried heet' reJ cole,l. We'reto hnnghackintO the ,!tntng romanJ have people rartlClpaternah1." remtetOO\.lexpenence. ,bJlahire decnbeBlba a.m edetIAmencan reraurant "where \\e refreet)doan} thingwe\\\11t,"he.,"Plgnoh, onthe otherhand, Itt itd\tnretIUram,penod.And\\ ed)Oftba,rarJl:eorAmencant:e. Jntetpatafirtcoure,0Wdon'tofterIt.one. Ameri cansareusedtohavingall.appeti zerundall.entree,butItalians tat t hree:, maller courses: antipasto,thenrisottoorpast a,thenasm, Th:yme-Roasted Vegetablesand Port-Wine Essence Pepper-SearedSalmonFilletwith Grain Mustard, BraisedAsparagus,and Roasted Creamer Potatoesor Simpl, Grilled with Select Steamed Vegetables Sesame-Glazed Tuna Steak withRoasted Fennel, BraisedBoo,Bok CIury,and Potato-Onion CGIce Wood-GrilledMaineLobster with Fragrant Truf/le Oil,TinyGreenBeans,and &sil-Essenced PotatoPuree Garlic-Crusted Chicken with Sfow..Roasted Artichoke,a Pureeof Barlitto Beans,Tomaro Oil,andFreshRosemary VealMedallionswith Wild Mushroom CarmdIoni. Tomaro Coofit,and Essence of Fmh S. Cervena Venison Pepper Steak with MusmOOln Spaettle,Butternut Squash FIdn, and Caramelized Parsnip BraisedPheasant with ChantereDe Risoao.Rodser' Cipollini Onions, and Sauce ofXiNnet SLilt Grilled Dtu:k Escalope with PreKrwd fill. CriIt Leg"Beicnet" and Gm,er..Qaw.IIiQI,J.!,,;,: charcoaled FiIlr Micnon .... Pinor Nair, eo..rur, Poe-. l'UIIIIi,," Mortis,and Crisp p.... C luisSchlesinger THE EA:-.T COAST (JRILL Cwnr.ncigc,\l,,,,achmctt' I traye\edto diverse places-from Mexico to Thailand-and foundthat 1 reallyliked a lot llf the the\Vhen I openedtheEastCoast Grill,Itriedto cometo an understanding of whatthifl\:' ,,1\ thesedi\'ersefoodshadincommon.When Ilook at mycooking, Ithinkthere arethreemajorthemes: 1)Mvlove of h 'e fire-woad-burning stuff.The dynamic of goinginto the kitchen every dayand cook-ingwith ,omethmg that isasuncontrollable asfire,asopposedto just goinginand turning the oven onto350 or 375,isa constant challengetome.Roastingwholepigs,grilling fish,ortryingtokeer something fromsticking-that dynamicIS soulful and extends somuch character into the food. 2)MyotherloveasacookthatIde\'elopedwhilecookmgwith)lInmyBurkeattheHan'est[In Cambridge, MAliS discovering and learning abnut new thingsall the time-getting a new foodIn and learnmg aboutItand readmgaboutit. 3)The,)theraspectdeveloredoutof 111\travel..;I'adeqreforJ..:cply'f1at'oreafood.\X1hat1 ,tartedtn workoutwasthat,foralot of Jlfft.'rentreddn,.cui. ine,th,ltarecb..;ertothe equatm arem,lrefla-vorful;theyhave deeper flavor'or c\earl.:ftllvoror u..;ell1l1re Therearedifferentll1utatl\.nattheEatCo.l,r\'1:r ll' TheRilleRoom.TheGrilli,mme traight-aheadeyuatonalcUI-ine-\\arm-\\c,hrUIme,{ledtogetherhtheirconcentratlnnllttla-\,or--wlth aItghtbarbeue onent.HI m. The BluR111h!)mc\ tth,lt,hutWdSprubably grounJed moreIn!t\cfire,anJloukm!.!It It\\:fife,rmr)t1erieto hIttoncto 111.'.nh tll 01'.1LOrn-monallty among cUI-me. OriginalMenuItem., cl(I: mber15 SpICYBlackB anmtp tt1thSattacrram andScallions StaredRau'Irlomulth Gmgerand\Xa.sarn Greenaladulth Cold1annacedegctablc Cold GnlledEggplantalaJulth (JI11er and aUzane ame\'malgrette keuerd GnlledfnkflshuuhmlthfieldHamand (mentlneR " h ,,'''''' Pd 1ihnmputh (hl/XtieMa'iand Bah1 ;nll.o>,i1iuth(Jr(IuLauc.: SanFranCIscO. California ';;0CllledCaltfomiacuisineatitsworst,madebythepeoplewho'dimitateitwithoutunderstand In _ air andfrehi)'groundwhiterepper A ---JeremiahTower STARS and J.T.'s SanFrannsco.Cahfomia INC,REDIE .T