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Well, for some reason my title bar won't let me type anything without transforming it into a language I don't recognize. Anyway, this one is called:

READING MATERIAL

After one of my visits to Harmony (see below for review) the chef allowed me to borrow a cookbook from his lounge library. It is called "The Elements of Taste" by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky.

The book follows a basic theme that tastes can be broken down into various catergories, and these can be broken down even further, to make it blunt. It mentions tastes that push, pull, and punctuate. The flavors that do this are outlined along with specific dishes that explore each. The main theme is harmony among dishes and full-coursed meals.

I found this to be quite enlightening. There was always a reason to season (see what I did there? ZING), but never why certain seasonings do particular things to our palate. The book touched on the fact that some parts of food are aromatic (take a bite of beef, don't exhale, and chew. Then exhale, and notice what you taste then). Some are purely reactions to pain receptors (even black pepper, put a bit on your tongue and notice the feel and flavor).

This book has given me a new platform in which to cook; one that combines balancing a dish thoroughly through simple yet tedious seasoning, and particular timing to aspects as far as seasoning and creation goes. I recommend the book to anyone interested in cooking more than hamburger helper, as the recipes are simple (however, finding Chinese chili oil and capers in Walmart may be easier said than done), but they are bold in flavor and plating. My two favorite recipes that I have seen (have not been able to cook yet) are two chilled soups. One is a strawberry soup with champagne ice (looks AWESOME), and a two-tomato 3 basil coulis. The two-tomato coulis uses yellow and red cherry tomatoes to make purees, and as you plate, you pour them into a bowl to create a yin-yang type effect, and it looks and sounds delicious. This picture is from a google search, I have not made it yet.



At any rate, the book is about $40 on Amazon, but if you're into E-books, it's about $8. I would recommend that since while the book has definite merit, but saving a few bucks to get the same information all legit like that? Awesome!

That's all I have for today. Thanks for checking us out.

-Tim