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:
My favorite dinner is a good ole rib eye steak,baked potato and green salad. This book looks so interesting. Thanks for the chance.
Pot roast with oven roasted potatoes and carrots, a crusty french bread and a glass of red wine.
Terri, how are you feeling? I noticed that you haven’t posted in a while and have been thinking of you!
You know I’m a total recipe tinkerer! That’s why it’s so hard for me to bake…. I hate to follow directions half the time. I’m the gal that will build a shelf without looking at the directions… just the pictures. It drives my hubby crazy. 🙂
Even in my recipes… I always leave the salt and spicy seasonings (pepper, red chili powder/flakes) up to the person’s palate. I like thinks “dragon” hot… so if I give my actual chili quantities, some folks would faint. LOL! 🙂
My favorite meal… that’s hard for me. I love rice and curry… then again I also love spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread. That’s why my blog is Curry and Comfort… I have to have both in my life to make it complete. 🙂
The cookbook sounds great! I’m so excited about your giveaway. 🙂
This is hard because my “favorites” change with my mood and the weather… but I can never go wrong with a really good pork roast!
Homemade mexican chicken soup is one of my personal favorites, very flavorful and great to eat for dinner and then lunches for the next few days!
My favorite meal is pot roast, mashed potatoes and carrots. Cornbread also. Great dinner. Would love to have this book!
Can’t go wrong with mac and cheese!
Favorite meal? Hard to narrow down to just one…how about “comfort food”; whatever that may mean on a particular day varies. Today it’s pot roast (that’s what I’m making–your recipe; so yummy), other days meatloaf, oven-roasted sesame chicken, porcupines, chili, macaroni and cheese… I could go on and on and on!
One of my faves is to roast chicken using cranberry juice and apple juice in the cavity. Then add veggies to the same pan. Absolutely delicious
For my family nothing beats steak on the grill with a fresh green salad as a side but I do love to experiment with different marinades and dressing flavors.
My favorite meal is scrambled eggs with country ham, red eye gravy, my mother’s biscuits and fried potatoes. I’m hungry just thinking about it!
I pretty much like any kind of food that is put in front of me. Especially like Italian and Mexican.