So, I'm no cook. However, it has occurred to me that honing my culinary skills would be immeasurably useful. Sure, I can follow a recipe, but construct a meal sans-instruction and it's a hit and miss affair.
Browsing through Avenue Bookstore in South Melbourne (a somewhat dangerous endeavour, judging by the number of books I ended up purchasing), I stumbled across "The Flavour Thesaurus" by Niki Segnit- A gorgeous hardcover reference that contains descriptions of the qualities and resulting flavours of hundreds of food pairings. My first thought was 'Brilliant!". It's exactly what an aspiring, often-times clueless cook, such as myself, needs!
In order to create a vaguely edible dish, it obviously
helps to have knowledge of what flavours successfully complement each other and also to be aware of
the more unconventional and unexpected combinations that are possible.
(Chocolate and bacon, anyone?) Although I still may be lacking in
technique, I truly believe that this compendium brings me a step closer to
full culinary enlightenment.
It also just makes a rather interesting read. The author combines the more
serious, historical facts with personal anecdotes and witty
observations. Included are also handy recipes and cooking tips. Heston Blumenthal describes it as "An original and inspiring resource". Definitely a must for even the most adept cook.
And, what
kind of style-obsessive would I be if I didn't remark on the gorgeous
book cover design by Peter Dawson of Grade Design. It was, of course,
the pretty rainbow of colours on the cover that initially drew me to
the book. A beautiful gift idea.
Brains paired with beauty, just the kind of flavour I love!
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Note: This post contains a link to 'The Flavour Thesaurus' on Amazon. I am an Amazon affiliate which means that I receive a small percentage of any sales made when readers click on this link. This helps to keep this website alive. However, please note that I would only ever review and suggest books that I personally recommend.
{ all photos by Amy Moss }
