afterword

I am happy to share this little collection with you, and hope that perhaps in some way the book has inspired you to explore some of your own favorite dishes as well.

I also hope you don’t follow the recipes slavishly, since improvisation and ad-libbing are always part of a good cook’s process—they make life in the kitchen much more interesting. Feel free to personalize these dishes, and use them as templates for versions that express your own idea of pleasure.

One word of counsel, though. A few ingredients and a sure hand can produce wonderful results. Most cooks tend to overcomplicate. Restraint can be admirable. Often, a dish needs less instead of more; sometimes just a squeeze of lime at the last minute is the perfect solution.