Flavors unite!

I recently went into a bookstore looking for a technical book to have as a programming reference for work. I entered on a mission - and walked out with three books about food. I never even made it to the computer books area. On the bright side, I am pretty sure that I have used the food books more than I would have used the programming reference book.

For anyone who prefers cooking with a strategy or along general guidelines instead of using a recipe and following the directions verbatim, I absolutely recommend The Flavor Bible. I have read through large parts of it, and I always feel inspired to make something (or at least eat something) when I flip through it.

One suggestion that I followed from the book was simply a wine and cheese pairing. I wondered, more out of curiosity than a concern with propriety, which type of cheese "should" go with the Riesling wine I planned on drinking. The Flavor Bible recommended "cheese, esp. blue, soft, triple creme." I had none of those. But it recommended apples, and I remembered that when I was reading about cheeses earlier (because I'm a nerd with too much time, apparently), apples are supposed to go well with Gouda. So I grabbed some Gouda out of the fridge, cut it into little cubes, and it went wonderfully with the Riesling. In this case, I think that having read about several ingredients I already owned kept their potentials fresh in my mind.

The second suggestion I would not have thought of on my own involved kale. I love kale. It is simple, healthy, and it appears early and late in the growing season in New England, which helps extend the amount of time I can reasonably eat yummy, fresh, local veggies. I picked up some kale from Allendale Farm last weekend, and I needed to finish eating it. So I planned on sauteing it in some garlic and herb butter I made late last summer. While the kale was sauteing, I added some balsamic vinegar and flipped open The Flavor Bible to see what else I already owned that I could put with the kale.

"Ah-ha!" I thought, when I read the recommendation for Parmesan or cheddar cheese. I had some aged cheddar cheese in the fridge. When the kale was done, I grated some of the cheddar over the top, and it was Delicious, with a capital D. It was magically better than the list of ingredients would suggest. (I would like to point out that under the "Cheese, cheddar" entry, they list bacon...which would have been awesome crumbled on top).

I think this book is great as a reference and as a source of inspiration. This book is not for you if you are afraid to cook without a recipe. This book is for people who are willing to go with the flow while cooking and eat the results of their experiments. It will probably help you avoid some failures and push you to try new, delicious combinations.