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| A kit for braised chicken. The players in order of appearance: Applewood-smoked bacon, celery, garlic, carrot, leek-clove-black-peppercorn, yellow onion |
There's a special pleasure I take, I think all chefs take, in the making of a kit. A kit is the backbone, the base for a project- be it a soup, sauce, braise, bean preparation, or vegetable dish. In French you often hear of "miripoix", referring to the holy triumvirate of carrot, onion and celery. It's the humble whisper that lends complexity, sweetness and savor to your finished product, always supporting the central focus of the dish. In Italian, "soffritto", in Spanish "sofrito", in Cajun and Creole cooking, "trinity"-- great cuisines recognize and revere the quiet but critical under-frieds.
After building on this beautiful beginning with a nugget of tomato paste,a splash (or two, or three) or red wine, a rich stock and bouquet garni, you end up with something like this: warm, rich and wonderful for a winter's evening with some crusty bread. Followed with a fresh, sprightly green salad, some cheese and an apple dessert, it felt like a wonderful ringing in of the autumn-- and certainly brought us together in the spirit that, to my mind, is the point of a great meal- togetherness, warmth, comfort and community.
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| A chunky, rustic apple-almond tart. The perfect launch into after-dinner gaming... dominoes, anybody? |
I love the idea of the "kit." In my cooking I always do one thing at a time, but it makes so much sense to cut it all and lay it out in a kit. I am so looking forward to keeping in touch with your blog so that I might glean a small portion of your cooking knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth! This concept is traditionally referred to as "mise en place", or "everything in place". "Kit" is the inelegant nomenclature of the modern kitchen... either way, it means that you're not scrambling while cooking-- just like setting your props!
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