Carbonara
Guanciale, egg yolks and Pecorino Romano brought together with pasta water. No cream, and the pan comes off the heat before the eggs go in.
Cacio e Pepe
Four ingredients and no cream. Spaghetti, Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper and starchy pasta water emulsified into a silky sauce.
Espagnole
One of the five French mother sauces: a brown roux built out with mirepoix, tomato paste, red wine and veal stock. The base for demi-glace.
Hollandaise
One of the five French mother sauces: egg yolks and lemon whisked over gentle heat, then emulsified with warm clarified butter.
Veloute
One of the five French mother sauces: a pale roux loosened with warm chicken or fish stock and sharpened with lemon.
Mornay
Bechamel enriched with Gruyere and Parmesan. The sauce behind gratins, croque monsieur, and the best macaroni cheese you will make.
Béchemel
One of the five French mother sauces: butter and flour cooked into a roux, whisked out with warm milk and finished with nutmeg and white pepper.
Anchovy Oil
Three anchovy fillets melted into good olive oil and tossed through pasta with Parmigiano. A five minute primo built almost entirely from the pantry.
Pumpkin Pie
Roasted pie pumpkin or butternut pureed with condensed milk and warm spices, including a little black pepper for lift.
Apple Pie
Grandma Foster's apple pie: Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apples with brown sugar, cinnamon and butter under a proper crust.
Pecan Whiskey Pie
Brown butter, whiskey and three cups of pecans in a blind-baked shell. Richer and less cloying than the pecan pie you grew up with.
Tomato Jam
Six pounds of heirloom tomatoes cooked down with sugar, balsamic and lemon zest. Yields five jars and belongs on every cheeseboard.