Review by Booklist Review
The art of combining one food with another to create flavor harmonies has challenged earnest cooks for centuries. A good deal of science underlies this attempt to codify the senses' reactions, but in the last analysis, flavors either taste good together or they don't. Segnit, who has made a career creating and marketing new products, has set down what she's discovered over the decades about which flavors harmonize with one another. She readily acknowledges the general success of such traditional pairings as lamb and mint, asparagus and mushrooms, garlic and basil, cucumber and dill, and bacon and eggs. But she goes on to explore more obscure and unusual combinations including watermelon and chili, horseradish and beets, Parmesan and pineapple, oysters and chicken, and even bacon and chocolate. Any aspiring culinary student will find this an invaluable reference work, and home cooks may find equal inspiration in Segnit's creative ruminations.--Knoblauch, Mark Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Like Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's The Flavor Bible, this volume aims to encourage cooks to be creative in the kitchen. While Page and Dornenburg used a panel of experts, Segnit, who's worked with companies such as Coca-Cola and Cadbury to develop products and flavors, relied on personal experience. Her intuitive approach produces a cozy collection of description, anecdotes, and recipes within the flavor combination entries. In an introduction, she describes what inspired the book (a cooking rut); the methodology used to group flavors into families such as citrusy, meaty, and earthy; and the subjective nature of classifying flavors. The main text is made up of descriptions of combinations and the elements of each (e.g., nutty, sweet) as well as how the two flavors interact with each other (enhance, blunt, complement, etc.). Segnit's intimate style makes the book enjoyable as well as useful. Verdict This handy little guide will be a wonderful addition for cooks trying to expand their repertoire.-Ginny Wolter, Toledo-Lucas Cty. P.L. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
