Tender Butter Cookies (Kurabie) : Flavor and Fragrance

As much as I love trying various unusual flavor combinations, from making forays into unfamiliar cooking traditions to sampling durian, a scent of warm butter invariably seduces me more than any other exotic spice or fruit. It is really a perfume in itself--sweet, floral, grassy, with a hint of milky almond and green apple.  Harold McGee in his treatise On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, quotes the Irish poet Seamus Heaney on butter, "coagulated sunlight... heaped up like gilded gravel in the bowl." ... 

MAC Naked Honey and Africanimal : Fragrance Review

Recently MAC has launched two new limited edition fragrances in the Creations Hue range: Africanimal and Naked Honey. Prepared as I was to find them perfectly pleasant and well-done as most MAC scents, I was taken aback by the beauty of Naked Honey. It took me from rainy New York to the sun dappled garden of my childhood, to the linden lined alleys of Paris, to the warmth and languor of long summer days… How did Harry Fremont of Firmenich who created Naked Honey know exactly what my idea of a perfect summer smells like? I could wax poetic, but please smell Naked Honey and tell me if this opulent linden blossom and honey fragrance does not evoke the smell of sun on warm skin, the heady lushness of green foliage and the profusion of summer blossoms.

Chanel Beige Perfume Review

A few years ago I had a revelation about Coco Chanel. Sure, I had read several books about her and her fashion contributions, but it was only at the Chanel exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that I could begin to comprehend her ability to reinterpret shapes and structures, to appreciate the novel construction techniques, as well was Chanel’s spectacular use of seemingly muted colors like white, black, ivory, grey… And of course, beige! …

Perfume Expo America New Dates and Invitation

Perfume Expo America will now be held on June 30th –July 2nd at the Hilton Hotel located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York. The day open for perfume aficionados and blogs is July 2nd from 9 AM to 3 PM. The entrance while free is by invitation only. I have more tickets to give away, so please send me an email at editor at boisdejasmin dot com.   

This year, Perfumery Event Perfume Expo America is taking place in New York City on June 9-12th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Blog readers can register for a free entry on their website at Perfume Expo America. The event is open to perfume aficionados, blogs and press only on June 11. The exposition is designed to showcase both classic and emerging niche perfume brands, in addition to select skin care and cosmetics lines. The exhibitors include Caron, Carthusia, Clive Christian, Kenzo, Lubin, Miller Harris, Molinard, among many others.

Pilaf with Apricots, Dates and Saffron Shirin Plov : Flavor and Fragrance

Describing the taste of shirin plov, an exquisite rice dish originating from Azerbaidjan’s capital Baku, is not unlike talking about a fine perfume. It has a bright top fruity note of apricots and raisins, a warm heart of rosewater and saffron, while the milky-popcorn notes of basmati rice and butter provide a sensual and lingering backdrop. It is a memorable combination that gives one a full taste of Azerbaidjan—the country on the Caspian Sea coast, whose history is a tapestry of influences. Indeed, shirin plov is not simply a delicious dish—its interesting manner of preparation and elaborate flavorings with Persian accents provide a glimpse into the rich mélange that is Azeri culture.

Ernest Beaux on Chanel No 5 and Scent of Snow

In his wonderful memoirs Souvenirs et Parfums Constantin Weriguine, a Russian emigre perfumer who worked with Ernest Beaux at Chanel shares some fascinating tidbits not just about the perfume industry of his time, but also about Ernest Beaux himself. Beaux was a man who admired Napoleon Bonaparte, searched for raspberry nuances in rose oils he used in Chanel products and had a tremendous passion for his art. Re-reading Souvenirs et Parfums on the plane last week, I noted down a passage, in which Weriguine shares a speech given by Beaux in 1946 about fragrance, chemistry and inspiration for Chanel No 5.

Back from Kiev

I am back from my trip to Ukraine, which was wonderful, from spending time with my family to enjoying the scents of chestnuts and lilac. The whole city was filled with flower petals and sunshine. I do not remember the last time I felt so inspired, rejuvenated and content, which proves that ties to one's motherland are much stronger than one sometimes believes. I made many interesting discoveries on this trip, olfactory ones included, and I will share them with you along with my photographs in the coming weeks.

The next article will touch upon the notes of apricots, dates and saffron...

Photograph of Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra and its golden domes amid blooming chestnuts © Bois de Jasmin. Click to enlarge.