HOMEMADE HAUTE CUISINE

HACKS ... 
Knowing is winning: with a few basic rules, you too can create complex dishes.

SENSUAL SAUCES
The common and delicious thread that unites first-class kitchens is: the sauce. Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato sauce and hollandaise are the five French “mother sauces.” Those who master their preparation will have haute cuisine under control.

QUEEN BUTTER
If you’re a calorie counter, the realms of decadent pleasure probably don’t interest you that much. But for the hedonists among us, here’s the true secret of divine taste: fat. More precisely: butter. If you've been generous with this creamy carrier, it's usually time to add a little more. 

HIGH HEAT
To work successfully with cookware, do not shy away from heat. A common cause of unhappy cooks and sticky ingredients is cold equipment. To ensure everything goes smoothly, heat your pans five to ten minutes before using.

DISCIPLINED DETAILS
It’s true what they say: order is half the battle and it’s especially true in the kitchen. Searching for ingredients when preparing complex dishes that require meticulous timing could mean trouble ahead. So: mise en place, as the French say. From spices to dishes to cleaning utensils — everything has its own (tidy) place.

... AND TOOLS 
Of course, know-how is important in fine cuisine, but having the best tools is also the key to success. Here are three tools we couldn’t live without.

SLICING POETRY: THE MANDOLIN
There are mandolins that make music and those that cut vegetables so easily and perfectly that it borders on art. Whether carrots or potatoes, lettuce or gratin, a good mandolin makes kitchen life more lovely. Warning: never play the hero and always use an attachment.

ELEGANT TASTE: THE TORCH
Caramelized goat cheese, flamed Wagyu Nigiri or classic crème brûlée: none of them would be anything without a flambé torch. For home use, you need a good handheld burner that is easy to use. Warning: always keep the flame pointed away from your face and flammable materials.

LOVE BEFORE FIRST BITE: THE CHARGERS
We all know you eat with your eyes first. In haute cuisine, an aesthetically pleasing presentation is “de rigueur.” Especially with starters and desserts like tartar and trifle, plate chargers add visual appeal to the plate before your first bite.

RECIPE 

BLITZ-MAYO
Take a tall mixing bowl and add an egg, 250 ml of neutral-tasting oil, a tablespoon each of mustard and lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and sugar. Mix the ingredients with a hand blender until you get a creamy mixture. Voilà: your homemade mayonnaise is ready.