Starters & Salads

Thirty seconds of basting is all it takes: the butter foams, the jam melts into it, and the scallops gleam. Maison Perrotte’s Citrus Limetta Jam, made from a rare citrus as fragrant as bergamot, lends a fresh, delicately perfumed finish.

Ten minutes of rest is all it takes for grated carrots to soften and soak up their dressing. Laurent Agnès’s White Wine Vinegar, from Bordeaux Sauvignon grapes, lends fruity, herbaceous notes to this humble French classic.

Lentils still warm from the pot, drinking up a dark, glossy vinaigrette before the goat cheese crumbles over them: Domaine des Terres Rouges’ Black Garlic Mustard, stone-milled with black garlic, brings mellow sweetness and deep umami to a humble dish.

Goat cheese soft and golden under the broiler, crisp baguette beneath, and a spoonful of something sweet, mellow and subtly tangy on top: Maison Perrotte’s Candied Shallots Chutney, slow-cooked with Coteaux du Layon wine and a touch of honey.

Goat cheese softens and turns golden on its toast just as the greens are tossed in a vinaigrette made with Granhota’s Honey Vinegar, mellow and sweet, with a gentle, candy-like sourness that recalls a summer walk through the hills.

Hot bacon fat, a splash of vinegar and a wooden spoon scraping the skillet: the warm dressing sizzles, then barely wilts the frisée. Laurent Agnès’s Shallot Vinegar, sweet and mild, brings its aromatic shallot character to this bistro salad.

Figs split open in the heat of the oven, their goat cheese hearts gone soft and warm. Hédène’s Thyme Honey, deeply perfumed with musky notes, pools around them in a rich, lingering sweetness.

A velvety green soup, hot in autumn or chilled in July, and a swirl of oil drawn across each bowl: Domaine Salvator’s Fresh Basil Olive Oil, fresh basil infused for days in organic Provençal extra virgin oil without heat, delivers the herb at full intensity.

To bring bitter frisée, crumbled Roquefort and a crisp slice of pear together, all it takes is Moulin de Maneyrol’s walnut oil, pressed in the Périgord Noir, rich and nutty with a warm, lightly toasted character.

This is a salad for the cold months, crisp endive and juicy pear under crumbled blue, dressed with Granhota’s Oak-Aged Walnut Vinegar, a light-bodied walnut wine vinegar slowly aged in oak barrels, woody and nutty.

Crisp, pale endive leaves, crumbled blue cheese and toasted walnuts meet an unexpected dressing, deep purple and herbal. It starts with Maison Perrotte’s Wild Blueberry, Mint & Green Chartreuse Jam, from Anne-Sophie Pic’s recipe, woodland first, then bright.

Thirty seconds per side in a scorching pan leaves the tuna ruby inside, ready for a sauce built on the Wasabi Mustard from Domaine des Terres Rouges, where a flash of clean heat gives way to the seed’s quiet sweetness.