Burnt
It's been a hard time. Jonathan Gold's death has been so shocking and terrible, I haven't been able to think about much else. It's a huge loss, not only to those of us who knew and loved him, but to the entire world of food.
I was in Italy when he went into the hospital. When I told Massimo Bottura, he burst into tears. And then he fed me the dish at the top. Could anything be more appropriate?
It's fish two ways: the black biscuit is a smush of raw sardine. The liquid is the most intense, most delicious broth. Jonathan would have loved it.
Other dishes I wished Jonathan had been there to share with me:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc69efad-bd48-412e-8d0b-c0444ffa9112_3024x4032.jpeg)
Eel swimming up the Po River: we shared this dish last year, when we were in Modena together. The eel is flanked on one side by polenta, on the other by a wonderfully acetic apple reduction.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffc1efbf8-3590-4d30-8318-052bbc86f9f1_4032x3024.jpeg)
The yin to the yang of Burnt: Sole.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd89acfb2-8719-46e4-af35-925da9249e3a_4032x3024.jpeg)
Five ages of Parmesan in different textures and temperatures.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffce05f81-1bce-4b1f-8a59-afe79c8ee584_4032x3024.jpeg)
A new dish: tortelloni of snails, hare and herbs. I cried eating this because Jonathan will never get to taste it.
Zuppa Inglese