I plan to give you an idea of what the new pantry of the 21st century should look like. Some of it will seem exotic (hearts of palm), some of it is a matter of personal choice (only Tellicherry black peppercorns, please) but all of it will enable you to fix something delicious fast. Let’s be honest—life in the kitchen is mostly about, “I am so hungry right now I could eat that tuna right out of the can with my bare hands” and “Have I really spent $100 on take-out food this week?” You need a PAR list of foods that have a long shelf life and can be combined to serve up something delicious on short notice.
I am inspired by my long time friend, NA, who has always said we should write a cookbook together. She and I have had hour-long conversations on the phone about what a well-stocked pantry must contain. She speaks from experience. She is the first person I had ever met that always had heavy cream in her refrigerator “just in case.” A little background: NA came of age in New York City during the Swingin’ Sixties. With a husband in advertising and her job as a booker for one of the top modeling agencies in the country, every evening held the potential of a party and she was always prepared. I imagine her hosting many an impromptu cocktail party at their apartment on Riverside Drive before departing for dinner at La Pavilion. In her honor, we are going to start with the dessert pantry for two reasons. NA and I are both confirmed chocoholics and who couldn’t use a little sweetness during tax week?
The Dessert Pantry: Even the most basic cookbook will tell you that you need basic ingredients like flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in your pantry if you plan on baking. We agree. But you also need some ready-made ingredients that can be combined to create last minute desserts. This list of ingredients will give you the tools to create something sweet that is more than a candy bar but not as elaborate as a four layer cake.
Non-perishable:
- Sweetened condensed milk, 2 cans (makes fudge fast and easy. See recipe below.)
- Dark chocolate chips, 2–12 ounce packages or at least 1-1/2pounds Purchase the best quality you can afford and as far as we are concerned, the darker, the better! Chips come in handy for eating out of hand or for topping ice cream. Sometimes I just melt a quarter cup in the microwave and pour on top of a scoop of plain vanilla ice cream.
- Lemon curd (Can be spread on or sandwiched between shortbread cookies for a quick treat.)
Shortbread cookies (Good dipped in melted chocolate.) - Raspberry jam (Can be warmed up to use as a topping for premium vanilla ice cream.)
- Unsweetened chocolate
- Cake flour
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract, Bourbon or Tahitian
- The recipe for “Bittersweet Chocolate Cake” from the first Silver Palate Cookbook, page 291.
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