Luxury Ingredients

Caviar, Foie Gras, Lobster, Sea Urchin, Kobe Beef, Blue Fin Tuna, Truffles…the list goes on to include many name farms that demand a premium for the meticulously hand groomed products.  As chefs we sometimes get carried away and try to utilize every single item at one time in the form of New Year’s Eve menus.  We try to figure out how to incorporate all of these ingredients while still presenting a menu that won’t be 15 courses and cost the same as a mortgage payment.  So this year as I sat down to write the menus for Zola and Potenza the first thing that popped into my head was “man I get to pack two menus chock full of these items… this is great!”  Once I got over myself and realized that was not the correct approach, I wrote menus that I felt would be true to who we are and represent what we do very well.  If some of these luxury items hit those menus great: however, if they didn’t, I was not going to try to figure out how to force them on it.

By taking this approach we have New Year’s Eve menus that will work not only for the restaurant but the guest will be able to have more freedom in their selection and have more options.  I will say that as we started tasting the menus over the past couple of weeks I truly did realize that, like everything else, we do we need to evolve the way we think of these luxury ingredients.  I found that just having the flavor of foie gras on a dish brings me to a good place. If I’m able to have a foie gras emulsion more frequently (because it is an affordable and healthier way to eat the fattened liver) then I can forego the 4 oz. chunk that cost me $28 as an appetizer.  I would also much rather enjoy a few thin slices of fresh truffle when they are in the height of season then to try and get my fill when they are at their highest price.  And then there is caviar.  I really enjoy that crisp pop of flavor. Why has it always been banished to one night a year so that we gorge ourselves by shoveling 1 or 2 ounces for that sitting?  Why not enjoy an ounce with friends as an enhancing element on an appetizer more often?

For me I know that I would rather enjoy these exotic and distinctive flavors more frequently so I will be taking the less is more approach to these ingredients so they are here to enjoy on a regular basis for those who want a little luxury every day.

Happy New Year!

Tags: caviar, foie gras, lobster, truffle