Balsamic Blueberry Sauce
Blueberries cooked down with cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest, then finished off the heat with Gold Label balsamic. Good on everything from gelato to French toast.
Oranges with Vanilla Gelato and Balsamic Vinegar
Blood oranges macerated with sugar, mint and vanilla, spooned over vanilla gelato with Gold Label balsamic and olive oil.
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.
Mornay
Bechamel enriched with Gruyere and Parmesan. The sauce behind gratins, croque monsieur, and the best macaroni cheese you will make.
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.
Trapani Pesto
The Sicilian pesto: tomatoes, almonds, basil and garlic. Made for busiate, since both come from Trapani.
Candied Nuts
Nuts tumbled in melted sugar with cardamom, ginger and a pinch of chili. Sweet, savory, and dangerous to leave within reach.
Spiked White Balsamic and Honey Lemonade
Honey lemonade with vodka and white balsamic condiment, served over a large cube with a dehydrated lemon wheel.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Brown butter, two sugars and real chocolate chunks, finished with flaky sea salt. Makes two dozen, and they rarely last a day.
Sauce Bolognese
Ground beef cooked down slowly with soffritto and wine over at least two and a half hours. Better still if you make it the day before.