A Note About the Recipes

All of the recipes in this book are based on the notes that I took

while cooking alongside each chef and home cook over the course

of this journey. When adapting and testing each recipe in my

modest-size (read: tiny) home kitchen, I took into account such

factors as affordability, practicality, and whether or not a specific

step that a chef taught to me was realistic to re-create at home.

The end result is recipes that retain all the excitement and brilliance

of the original chef recipes but with a slightly more down-to-earth

approach.

All of the recipes are annotated (see words underlined) to

include my own discoveries and helpful chef tidbits to ensure

success. Organization-wise, the easier recipes come at the

beginning and the slightly more difficult recipes come at the end.

So yes, Jonathan Waxman’s Arugula Salad with Heirloom

Tomatoes is much easier to execute than Naomi Pomeroy’s French

Onion Soup made with homemade veal stock. But just because

something is easier to execute doesn’t mean you should be sloppy

or careless in making it. In some ways, the simpler stuff is more

difficult because each distinct element resonates louder. So bring

your A game to all of the recipes in this book and you will be

richly rewarded.