Over the last few weekends, I’ve been trying something new to help me experience the flavors of the season or to use up extra produce: consulting a bible. This particular bible is The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg¹.

After a short introduction into how we taste and how chefs create successful flavor combination, the book lists ingredients alphabetically, with each ingredient followed by notes about its season, taste, “flavor weight,” volume, typical preparation techniques, and by a list of compatible flavors. For example, the flavor list for bell peppers begins with “anchovies, anise, arugula, bacon, BASIL, bay leaf, …” (ingredients in bold or caps are especially recommended). In info boxes near some ingredient headings you’ll find comments from great chefs about the item and example dishes using the item.

It’s proving to be a useful tool for kitchen improvisations. The other night, for example, I had a leek and some pieces of winter squash that I wanted to use up. For the sake of simplicity, I settled on a soup. I sweated the leek in some oil for a few minutes, then added the squash, thyme and water. When the squash was tender, I blended it until smooth. That’s an OK soup, but a little dull, so I consulted the winter squash entry in the Flavor Bible and chose apple and Gruyere as flavor boosts, cutting them into 5-10 mm dice and dropping the cubes into the hot soup just before serving. The Gruyere was a great success, holding its shape² in the thick orange soup and bringing its rich, sometimes pungent flavor in bursts. The apple was less successful, as the flavor didn’t come through as much as I’d like (perhaps a different variety would have been better). A recipe that approximates what I made is at the bottom of the post.

Another Flavor Bible experiment was less successful, in which I combined roasted rutabaga and cooked white beans with an herb-mustard vinaigrette (mustard and rutabaga were a recommended pairing). The flavors were too muted and I couldn’t decide whether it should be a hot dish or room temperature one.If you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen or need new ideas about what to do with the farmers market seasonal bounty, it’s a great book to have around.

Notes

1. I’ve often wondered whether someone has written – or is working on – “The Bible Bible,” a tome that catalogs the myriad “bibles” that are in print. My cookbook shelf now has three bibles: The Flavor Bible and Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Pie and Pastry Bible and Cake Bible (she is also the author of The Bread Bible).
2. The cheese near the rind of most aged cheeses is drier and ‘heartier’ than the center, so for this garnish it might make sense to used edge pieces instead of middle pieces.