Frame: Simplicity

mushrooms from Ad Hoc at Home

I now proudly own two Thomas Keller cookbooks, Ad Hoc at Home and The French Laundry. And I’m surprised that the main lesson I’m learning from both of them is “simple is better.” That’s one of those tenets that I generally accept, but it feels nice to be reminded now and again.

Last night I made mushrooms from Ad Hoc at Home. The ingredients were mushrooms, 1 shallot, butter, chicken broth, and a tiny bit of red wine vinegar. They were probably the best mushrooms I’ve ever made, and they were incredibly simple. True, Keller’s method has something to do with it – choosing the right size pan for the mushrooms, cooking them in batches if you need to, whisking in the butter to emulsify. But still, nothing crazy.

So just remember, simple is better.