The Flavor Bible

For those of us that have ever wondered, “What the Hell am I going to do with this piece of pork?” Dornenburg and Page, the culinary equivalent of Batman and Robin, are here to help us out.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are a husband & wife combo that have written other such tasty treats as What To Drink With What To Eat and Becoming A Chef. Their writing tends to be from the outside in. That is to say, these aren’t simple how-to’s of cookery, but rather books that concentrate on looking at food from the point of view of eating and experiencing. It’s a bit touchy-feely when you first approach the style, but after a while it begins to feel less like a visit to group therapy in the 90′s and more like inspired words from true persons of inspiration. Whatever that means.

The Flavor Bible is a great reference guide for flavor pairings. Inside is an overwhelming (though much welcomed) deluge of ingredients cross-referenced with ranked flavor combos. Classic combos get bold font, and even more classic combos, such as beans with savory, get a *BIG TIME ASTERISK AND BOLD. This helps you go beyond pork and sage, for instance, and maybe check out what chili peppers can do.

Give this book, as well as the team of writers, a peek. The pair are so prolific, I’m sure they’ve done something you’d find agreeable.