Roasted garlic. Garlic is divine. Few food items can taste so many
distinct ways, handled correctly. Misuse of garlic is a crime. Old garlic,
burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago, garlic that has been tragically
smashed through one of those abominations, the garlic press, are all
disgusting. Please, treat your garlic with respect. Sliver it for pasta, like
you saw in Goodfellas, don't burn it. Smash it, with the flat of your knife
blade if you like, but don't put it through a press. I don't know what that
junk is that squeezes out the end of those things, but it ain't garlic. And
try roasting garlic. It gets mellow and sweeter if you roast it whole, still
on the clove, to be squeezed out later when it's soft and brown. Try a
Caesar dressing, for instance, with a mix of fresh, raw garlic for bite, and
roasted for background, and you'll see what I mean. Nothing will
permeate your food more irrevocably and irreparably than burnt or
rancid garlic. Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in
screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic.
Chiffonaded parsley. Big deal, right? Restaurants garnish their food.
Why shouldn't you? And parsley tastes good, too. Just don't chop it in a
machine, please. Dip the picked sprigs in cold water, shake off excess,
allow to dry for a few minutes, and slice the stuff, as thinly as you can,
with that sexy new chef's knife I inspired you to buy. I promise you,
sprinkled over or around your plate it'll give your chow that striking
professional touch it's been missing.
Stock. Stock is the backbone of good cooking. You need it—and you
don't have it. I have the luxury of 30-quart stockpots, a willing prep
crew, readily available bones and plenty of refrigeration space. Does this
mean you should subject your guests to a sauce made from nasty
commercial bases or salty canned broth? Make stock already! It's easy!
Just roast some bones, roast some vegetables, put them in a big pot with
water and reduce and reduce and reduce. Make a few months' worth, and
when it's reduced enough strain it and freeze it in small containers so
you can pull it from the freezer as needed. Life without stock is barely
worth living, and you will never attain demi-glace without it.