SHALLOTS

SHALLOTS REMIND ME of my firm and nurturing culinary instructor in Paris (think Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan). He told us of his apprenticeship in a classic French kitchen called La Grande Cascade, where once a year in the late spring, they would buy a specific variety of shallot called échalote grise, also known as griselle, that’s famous for its flavor. They’d treat those shallots as prized possessions, peeling mountains of them and preserving every last one in white wine vinegar to last through an entire year of vinaigrettes, beurre blancs, and béarnaises. Shallots really do impart deeper flavor and longer-lasting aromatics in cooking, without the harshness of onions. I took so much away from that teacher’s experience. His way with shallots inspired me to celebrate modest ingredients; to learn the varietal names of the foods I cook; and to try to keep an open mind and an eager palate, always searching for distinctive flavors.