Classic flavour combinations
Some flavour combinations are made for each other. Think dill and cucumber, tomato and basil, cauliflower and cheese, lamb and rosemary, strawberries and cream – the list goes on and on. Get one of these lists, because if you find yourself looking for lost flavour in your cooking, the answer may be to use a classic flavour combination. By combining the right foods you can create flavour explosions far in excess of the flavour of each individual ingredient. Take an apple – it’s good – now taste a walnut – it’s also good; but eat them together and they taste amazing. Add celery and mayonnaise and you have a flavour explosion. Something the chefs at the Waldorf Hotel in New York discovered at the end of the 19th Century.
I was keen to put my own spin on the Waldorf salad – I tasted all types of nuts with apple and pear, but the apple and walnut combo won every time. Then I repeated the experiment with the addition of Roquefort and chicken (another great combo). Again apples and walnuts won. So I have my spin – and some great flavour combos – it’s a Waldorf salad without the mayonnaise but with the addition of chicken and Roquefort.