If you're a fan of good food -- or of the show Top Chef, like my 16-year-old -- you know that great cooks make art every time they pick up a wooden spoon. In 1996, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg began collecting great moments of creative inspiration from culinary artists, and they turned the stories into a bestselling book called Culinary Artistsry. Recently, they came out with a new title -- The Flavor Bible -- that gives everyday cooks permission to experiment in the kitchen and the knowledge needed to do it right.
Here, Karen describes the genesis of their new book:
"The inspiration for our latest bestseller was a long car trip during which we mused aloud what the "ultimate cookbook" might be like -- which we decided would help readers turn any ingredient into something delicious. So, The Flavor Bible contains not a single recipe; rather, it catalogs every ingredient you'd ever want to cook with -- from apples to zucchini blossoms -- along with the herbs, spices and other seasonings that will best enhance its flavor. You can simply open the refrigerator or cupboard to see what you already have on hand, and consult the book to figure out what to combine with it to create a brand new dish."
How does it work?
"Andrew was making some cauliflower soup, and seasoned it with garlic and a little thyme -- but it still seemed to be missing something. He looked up "Cauliflower" in The Flavor Bible and was reminded of how well apple and cauliflower go together -- and was inspired to add some diced apple to the soup. It was the perfect sweet-tart note to pull this delicious winter soup together!"
Doesn't that make you want to do something creative in the kitchen?
1 comment:
Food preparation is most certainly a wonderful place to explore and be artistic. I have a friend that smells what she is cooking and smells her herbs and she can tell if she will like them together. I found this so inspiring!
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