The new cookbook author of the forthcoming cookbook “Valentino: At The Emperor’s Table” dishes on dishes.
Amuse-bouche: “My mother was a nice cook but not the best entertainer. She would serve one kind of food. The next day you would get leftovers, and even the day after that. I don’t do leftovers anymore.”
Appetizer: “I was 28 when people started to know me and I became friends with some of my best customers. I was lucky to be invited to lunches and dinners at their houses. I even spent summers in Capri with Jackie Kennedy, from whom I learned that there’s more to style than the way you dress.”
Entree: “When I was young and living in a little rented flat in Paris, I made pasta and some steak. The most difficult thing to make is cacciucco. It’s the Italian version of bouillabaisse. I don’t make it myself, of course — we have a few people who cook for us.”
Cleanup: “I haven’t touched a dish since I was 22.”
“Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table,” to be released in November, is available for pre-order at assouline.com.
