GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
The winner was announced on this post.
Are you a recipe tinkerer? Are you the kind of cook that just has to tweak almost every recipe you make? Oh good. I thought that you all might be adventurous kinds of cooks. That’s why I want to introduce one of my favorite books, The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.
The Flavor Bible is not a cookbook in the traditional sense. There are no specific recipes, simply suggestions for what flavors go well together. It contains an alphabetical list of thousands of ingredients. Each ingredient has a separate list of complimentary ingredients, thereby providing a multitude of flavor combinations!
Take carrots, for instance. The entry looks something like this:
CARROTS
Season: autumn – spring
Botanical relatives: celery, chervil, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnips
Function: cooling
Weight: medium
Volume: quiet – moderate
Techniques: boil, braise, grill, raw roast, saute, simmer, steam, stir-fry
allspice
almonds
anise hyssop
apple juice
bacon
basil
bay leaf
brandy
butter, brown
BUTTER, unsalted
carrot juice
celery
chervil
chicken…
+ 70 more ingredients!
Recipe development is an interesting process. Some recipes come together easily and others get a one way ticket to the garbage can. I’ll bet you’ve had similar experiences with recipes when you tweak them. Sometimes a masterpiece unfolds and other times you may find yourself weeping and wailing and gnashing your teeth. Those are called weepwailgnasher recipes (WWG’s).
When I am developing or merely tweaking a recipe, I give a lot of consideration to flavor, particularly when it involves an entrée. As is true with all foods, entrees rely heavily on flavor and texture. Achieving an appropriate texture in food is a learned skill and so is the ability to flavor foods correctly. Beyond knowing how much seasoning to add to a dish, it is extremely important to add the correct seasoning.
Whenever I have a question about what might go well with a given food element, I immediately reach for The Flavor Bible. My daughter introduced me to this book a few years ago and I quickly found that I could not do without it. This wonderful book is all about creativity and options and possibilities. It is a great book for cooks who enjoy adding “a little of this and a little of that” …the kind of cooks who don’t want to be boxed in by a recipe.
Got a pound of hamburger or a chicken and you’re tired of the same old same old? Look in The Flavor Bible and find some new herbs or spices that you may not have thought of. What about that jar of Chinese five spice powder which you used for one recipe and can’t think of any other way to use it? Again, The Flavor Bible can come to your rescue. Want to add a little ooh la la to your Berry Cobbler? The Flavor Bible gives you dozens of suggestions for complimentary ingredients for various berries. For instance, there are 49 different flavor ingredients that go well with blackberries, 60 for blueberries, 73 for raspberries and more than 80 for strawberries! (Just in case you were wondering — The Flavor Bible contains 39 suggested flavor affinities for Chinese five spice powder.)
Berry-Mint Sippers, Strawberry Dumplings, Strawberry-Banana Cake Batter Ice Cream, Blueberry Lemonade Muffins, Strawberry Sorbet, Blueberry-Pecan Salad, Mixed Berry Cobbler, Strawberry-Banana-Orange Smoothie, Blueberry-Mint Salsa, Raspberry Vinaigrette
Also included in The Flavor Bible are quotes from chefs from all over the U.S. in which they talk about specific foods and the elements used to bring out the food’s best flavor. Each quote fills me with confidence and inspires me to get into the kitchen and start cooking.
Be sure to visit this link to learn more about The Flavor Bible. Take the opportunity to browse the “look inside” option on the page. Read the five-star comments, too!
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
And, one more thing before you go…THIS IS A GIVE AWAY!
One lucky reader will win a hardback copy of
The Flavor Bible.
Only one entry per person, please. The give away closes Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST). The winner will be chosen through Random.org and announced here on That’s Some Good Cookin’ on Friday’s post, February 20, 2015 at 12:00 noon MST. Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored solely by That’s Some Good Cookin’ and is not affiliated with The Flavor Bible authors, publishing company or any other type of promotional for this book.
To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this post telling us your favorite dinner.
I’ll get you started — My favorite dinner is spaghetti with homemade sauce, tossed salad and garlic bread.
Here are some other VERY flavorful ideas for you to explore:
What a wonderful book! That would definitely take the guesswork out of what goes with what, that’s for sure. Thank you for doing the giveaway, Terri.
Gee, my favorite dinner? I’d have to say anything Mexican….I love Homemade Chicken Enchiladas and Mexican Rice. Both Bob and I love that chili powder, cumin, cilantro combination of flavors in all kinds of things.
I must say though, your German Pot Roast is right up at the top of the list too…that is one amazing meal….lap the plate clean delicious! 😉
lentil soup with crusty bread or chicken livers with lots of cooked onions and celery with a small salad.
What an awesome giveaway. It sounds like a really wonderful book. Thank you so much for the opportunity to enter!! My favorite dinner is eggplant parmesan. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day!
I would have to say my favorite is anything Mexican. Probably Chile Verde would be #1 right now, as that is what I fixed yesterday for dinner.
Sounds like a very helpful book, so thanks for the opportunity to add one to my cook’s library.
Oh! What a great book! I usually use recipes as a springboard, not a strict set of rules (except in baking!).
My favorite dinner is chicken soup, loaded with any veggie I have on hand in the fridge bin, cooked low and slow all day, with lots of wide egg noodles sopping up that goodness the last half hour.
I love a good pasta dinner, salad and garlic bread the best.
My favorite meal is a grilled steak, baked potato, salad and fresh bread right out of the oven! On special occasions we also have bacon wrapped green beans which are delicious!
My favorite has to be chicken and dumplings.
WoW!
What a wonderful book to have, thanks for the chance to win it Terri!
I am one of those cooks who has to tinker with my recipes, not sure why, but I must.
Once I get the right combination of spices I never really play with a recipe again.
Well, maybe once or twice more! LOL!!
After all, that’s why cooking is so much fun for me!
I do have some spice jars that have only been used a couple of times.
This book would really help me with other uses for the spices.
One of my favorite meals to make for my hubby is meatloaf, he loves meatloaf.
I make it with a side of mashed potatoes, corn, brown gravy and homemade bread.
For dessert, with this meal, it has to be a homemade pie, he likes his pie, any kind of pie will do for him.
This is a simple meal, I found out that making a meal like this, comfort food, makes him the happiest, so that’s what I make him.
Nothing fancy or wild, sometimes I do make something like that, I like variety, but simple comfort food is tops for my hubby.
Looks like an awesome book. I like to make chili for my hubby, which takes tons of spices!
So many favorites. Halibut with asparagus and new potatoes
My favorite dinner is baked chicken and sweet potatoes
Looks like a fantastic book
a juicy pot roast with mashed potatoes and carrots
What an interesting book!
My favorite dinner is fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy with green beans picked from the garden…..just like my Mom used to make. Rest her soul….
We always loved the Ham with Pinto Beans, Fried Corn Pone (hot water cornbread), and a big green salad our Mother would make on a cold winter day. It’s nirvana to butter each and every bite of hot cone pone. The Flavor Bible must be a wonderful reference for any home cook – experienced or beginner.
My favorite dinner is: spring pea soup followed by seared scallops, then citrus creme brûlée for dessert!@@
Favorite going out for dinner, dinner: lets start off with a shrimp cocktail, then salad with bleu cheese dressing (including bleu chess crumbles), a lovely steak (depending on my mood which cut I’d choose) cooked medium rare, with a baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives with a side order of sautéed mushrooms. Favorite home made dinner: pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots cooked with/in the pot roast and red cabbage on the side………Not that I’ve put too much thought into this…..teehee
Oh boy, this time of year I have so many favorites — cold weather and comfort food, ya know! I guess as of this moment, I would say it’s a toss up between spaghetti with my homemade sauce OR a good hearty beef stew (my Busy Day Beef Stew that cooks in the oven a good portion of the afternoon!).
I know it’s boring but I love sushi, the real deal. I am also quite picky since I grew up in Japan. But, this is my favorite dinner!
Thank you for the opportunity. What a great website and amazing photos.
Favorite dinner: grilled Chinook salmon, cornbread, blackberries, green salad.
My favorite dinner would probably be a really yummy chicken curry with lots of veggies in it or a really great salad.
This is the way I need to learn to cook. I’m a line-by-line recipe girl.
I LOVE fried chicken and I would LOVE to win this cookbook!
Oysters to start and then a dinner of grilled lobster, no butter just lemon!