Nut Free

This is a neutral chicken stock that doesn’t contain any seasonings other than peppercorns. We keep it simple because we use it in a variety of dishes, each of which will contain its own seasonings. We go through an astonishing amount of this stock and as you cook from this book, you will, too.

Like the name suggests, this is a basic tomato sauce that we use in a variety of dishes. You can keep it in the freezer for up to six months, so you may want to double the recipe and freeze the extra. The only “secret” to this sauce is that you start with good canned tomatoes. Our preference, hands down, is San Marzano, a variety of plum tomatoes from Campania praised for its tart flavor and bright red color.

These tomatoes are part of the arsenal of ingredients that we reach for to bring layers of flavor to other dishes. They add not just the flavor of tomatoes but also the slightly charred flavor that you get from cooking the tomatoes at very high heat. The tomatoes need to fit snugly on a baking sheet, which is why this recipe calls for you to roast four pounds of them. But you can always freeze them to use at a later date. I recommend you freeze them in batches of four halves, as we always call for them in multiples of four.

Passata comes from the word passare, which means “to pass” in Italian, and passata di pomodoro, often referred to as passata, is the name given to tomatoes that have been passed through a food mill, or through a gadget made especially for the task called a passapomodoro, or “tomato passer.” Anyone who has ever successfully tried to grow tomatoes or who has ever visited a farmers’ market in the late summer knows that when the time comes, you get all the tomatoes you could ever dream of—more than you could possibly eat or give away—and you get them all at once. During this time in the Italian countryside, they pass the tomatoes through the passapomodoro, which extracts the skin and seeds, and bottle the sauce that is extracted. A typical Italian larder might contain dozens of these bottles, which look like wine bottles and which allow cooks to use “fresh” tomato sauce year-round. Our passata is a little different from a traditional passata in that we cook it and season it to enhance the flavor, but it is still a very pure product.

A sparkling coating of clear glaze enhances the beauty of fresh fruit. Because this glaze is fragile, the fruit must be eaten the same day it is prepared. Use only fruit that is perfectly ripe and unblemished, and make sure that the fruit is very dry before glazing, since humidity breaks down the glaze. A display of glazed fruit makes a stunning centerpiece for a buffet table or dinner party.

Sparkling and clear, these fruit jellies are fun to make.

Apricot and chocolate is a superb combination of flavors. This fruit confection makes an attractive presentation.

Dipping strawberries in chocolate is so easy and the results are so delicious. The flavor combination can’t be beat.

A popular ingredient in many confections, candied orange peel is also delicious eaten plain or dipped in chocolate.

This unusual fudge is flavored with the same spices and other ingredients that create the warm, robust flavor of gingerbread.

The brown sugar used to make these caramels greatly heightens their flavor.

Bittersweet chocolate gives these caramels their terrific flavor.

Fine sea salt lends its delicious flavor to the inside of these rich, chewy caramels and adorns the top of them after they are dipped in dark chocolate.

These are chewy caramels with the rich, mellow flavor of pure vanilla.

These are truly the quintessential caramel. They are chewy and creamy and just plain good.

Wrapped in red foil or covered with edible gold leaf, these molded, solid-chocolate hearts are an impressive declaration of love.

The inspiration for this candy came in Paris, where I tasted a wonderful chocolate-lemon ganache at one of the best chocolate shops. Be sure to use freshly grated lemon zest for the best fresh lemon flavor.

These bite-size candies are terrific with after-dinner coffee.

Passion fruit has a sweet/tart flavor that is unique. It transports me to the tropics with every taste. It can be time-consuming to get the juice from passion fruit, so I recommend using frozen passion fruit concentrate, which can be found in some specialty markets or through some of the sources listed at the back of this book.

It’s easy to grow lemon verbena in a pot inside or in the garden. The leaves themselves are bitter and unpleasant to eat, but when infused into cream, the sweet lemony flavor is a perfect pairing with white chocolate.