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7 gourmet versions of classic comfort foods you need to try

By Shannon Carroll
Published

It’s been a hard day at work, and all you want when you get home is something comforting, something delicious. So you grab your prepackaged ramen and add… caviar? You simmer canned chicken noodle soup… with meat from a chicken known as the Rolls Royce of the poultry industry? You slather your PB&J with… currant jam that was deseeded using goose quills?

Well, maybe you don’t. But it turns out that some people do go to extreme lengths to turn their favorite comfort food into something luxurious. And some people have even turned their twist on comfort food into something much bigger.

Chef Joël Robuchon took humble mashed potatoes and turned them into a global culinary empire. His dish became world famous, a symbol of his culinary philosophy: elevate the simple, master the fundamentals, and don’t compromise on quality. With his mashed potatoes leading the way, Robuchon earned 31 Michelin stars over his lifetime, making him the world’s most Michelin-starred chef. (His secret to perfect mashed potatoes? One part butter to two parts potatoes.)

So maybe what you cook up in your kitchen isn’t going to get you a James Beard award, but there are still plenty of ways to add a dash of luxury to your favorite comfort foods. Here are seven of them.

Lobster macaroni and cheese

If heaps and heaps of cheese isn’t decadent enough for you, why not add some lobster to the mix? Ina Garten’s recipe has 4.5 stars with more than 450 reviews on the Food Network’s (WBD) website — and calls for 1.5 pounds of cooked lobster meat.

PB&J with French red currant jam

Take cues from Chicago restaurant Pizza, Bar, and Jukebox and make your PB&J sandwich with currant jam from Maison Dutriez, which is produced using a 14th-century technique by which red currants are deseeded via a feathered goose quill. A 100-gram jar will cost you more than $26, but think of how fancy you’ll feel. If you want your sandwich to be even fancier, add some manuka honey and all-natural peanut butter.

“Rolls Royce” chicken noodle soup

Chicken soup may be for the soul — but chicken noodle soup made with Bresse chickens is for the taste buds. These chickens are known for their exceptional quality and are among the most expensive poultry in the world: a 3.3-pound chicken costs around $67.

A wagyu and lobster burger

You can’t order the $777 burger in Las Vegas anymore, but you can recreate it at home: a patty made from marbled Wagyu beef formed from a blend of rib-eye cap and chuck roast that is topped with aged American goat’s cheese, crispy pancetta, sliced lobster, two pieces of foie gras, and arugula — finished with a splash of 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.

Grilled cheese with shaved truffles

With truffles selling for over $100 per ounce, you might not want to dip this version of a grilled cheese in tomato soup. Shaved truffles pair particularly well with a creamy brie or Camembert, although most cheeses go well with the truffles’ earthy depth. If your truffle dealer is all out for the day, truffle oil can add a facsimile of the flavor in a pinch.

Ramen topped with caviar

Ramen, black-tie edition: Try your prepackaged noodles with a small spoonful of caviar. Milder caviars such as white sturgeon or osetra work best — especially in light, clean broths such as shio and shoyu. Then, just serve your dish at room temperature.

Shepherd’s pie made with a glug of Château Margaux

Julia Child is often quoted as saying, “I always cook with wine — sometimes I even add it to the food.” A glug of Château Margaux, which can go for hundreds of dollars, to a shepherd’s pie in place of some of the beef stock adds a lovely depth of flavor. And then you can enjoy what’s left in the bottle with your meal.

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