Flavor and Fragrance Classic : Chocolate and Orange

Classical oriental fragrances like Guerlain Shalimar (1925) used a large amount of citrus oil (30% bergamot oil in case of Shalimar) supported by a lush base of animalic and woody notes. The effect of this dramatic juxtaposition is unforgettable—the scintillating, icy chill of citrus melting into the languid warmth of the amber accord, rich civet and leathery castoreum. Such contrasting sensations not only serve to lend an intriguing and memorable quality, but also to lighten the intoxicating richness of the classical oriental notes—vanilla, benzoin, tolu, opoponax, civet, ambergris, castoreum, musk, sandalwood, and patchouli. The new generation of gourmand fragrances based on the chocolate accord has taken a similar approach—the heft of chocolate can be made more palatable when accented with bright and sparkling notes, be it the lemony jasmine of hedione and bergamot in Thierry Mugler Angel, the orange blossom in Missoni Eau de Parfum, or green ivy leaves in Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum. ...

Flavor and Fragrance : Floral Pleasures in Chocolate

by Michelle Krell Kydd

Chocolate is proof that happiness can be bought and there has never been a better time to be a chocolate lover. As the gourmet chocolate market continues to grow, the emphasis on what makes a particular chocolatier’s creations haute vary. For some companies, the focus is on varietals and cacao content, and for others the addition of natural flavor materials is equally important to pedigree and strength. For those who love perfume, some of the most interesting creations available today come from Michel Richart, a chocolatier who incorporates floral fragrance materials in his chocolates…

Flavor and Fragrance : The Magic of Sofrito Recipe

by Michelle Krell Kydd

As children we grow accustomed to the aromas and flavors of the kitchen as they are presented to us. They form a palette which we draw upon, coloring future experiences of taste. I recall the smell of my mother’s broiled chicken—the distinct mingling of garlic salt, sweet paprika, fatted chicken skin and fire. The scent would waft out from the kitchen, eventually sneaking out into hallway of our fourth floor apartment like a genie being slowly released from its bottle. Formative taste memories permit seduction by flavor repeatedly and sofrito teases and taunts like no other aromatic preparation I have ever encountered. …

Flavor and Fragrance : Kouign Aman ~ The Breakfast of Perfumers

by Michelle Krell Kydd

When it comes to eating, nearly every perfumer I’ve ever had the pleasure of dining with qualifies as a sensualist. Perfumers don’t just taste their food—they live in its aura and bask in the afterglow. If the saying “you are what you eat” is worth its weight, then it would stand to reason that what someone chooses to eat first thing in the morning says a lot about that person’s character. …

Flavor and Fragrance : From My Grandmother's Recipes

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,” said the great French epicure and gastronome, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. If I were to divine this via my great grandmother’s recipe books, the answer would not be simple. Contrary to the popular stereotypes of Eastern European food as dense and heavy fare of cabbage and potatoes, generalization are impossible to make. Certainly, 70 years of Soviet rule have made an impact upon the cuisine in all of the former Soviet republics, but even before the revolution of 1917, the regional differences were quite pronounced and the cross-influences distinctly felt. The picture is even more complex if one considers the class differences in terms of food preferences. The yellowed pages of the notebooks which my great grandmother kept ever since she got married in the 1930s contain a fascinating array: poppy seed rolls, plum stewed meats and sour cherry vareniki (boiled stuffed dumplings) reflecting classical Ukrainian fare; Sole à la Meunière (fried sole served with a lemon butter and parsley sauce) hinting at the Francophile tendencies of the aristocracy and the upper middle class; walnut cream tortes alluding to influences from the former Austro-Hungarian provinces of Ukraine; and spicy meat and eggplant dishes betraying the love affair with the vibrant cuisine of Georgia, an affair that started since Georgia became a part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. What better way to understand the culture than to eat through it! …

Aphrodisiac Dinner for Valentine's Day and Beyond

The aphrodisiac concept is quite ancient in its allure—a wondrous potion designed to seduce and enchant, though I confess to taking the idea with a grain of skepticism. After all, I started my studies as a chemist and the positivist philosophy instilled by the exact sciences is not easy to toss aside. Regardless, I firmly believe in the magic of food, from the visual, olfactory and gustatory standpoints. The seduction of food is in the unexpected juxtaposition of flavors and textures, in the temptation exerted upon the palate and the eye. The aphrodisiac dinner that I invite you to share captures the essence of this belief. …

Flavor and Fragrance : Love Potion #99

by Michelle Krell Kydd

Love potion. The word has the taste of alchemy, dry ice and witchery. The concept of food as a talisman is not a new one, but when it is attached to love there seems to be an unending string of incarnations. It is no wonder; every act of coupling has a unique quality and whether or not it is intended, the potential for creating new life is written into the physical expression of affection. In that tide of energy, identities are exchanged, traded and temporarily obliterated. Each person reemerges slightly different, yet more themselves than they were before. How could one not try to pierce that mystery by engaging the sense of taste? ...

Flavor and Fragrance : Saffron Cake

Michelle Krell Kydd ended her article Saffron : The Flavor and Fragrance of Joy with the promise of sharing the recipe for saffron cake. Although saffron lends itself to many preparations, both sweet and savory, I find that the nutty warmth of whole wheat and the piney freshness of cardamom are the perfect backdrops for the full range of saffron’s flavor. In Indian and Middle Eastern desserts, saffron is often paired with cardamom, rose and the velvety richness of milk. Whispers of this classical composition can be noticed in this quick-bread. It combines the lightness of the crumb with the delicately chewy texture of the toasted crust. The voluptuous flavor of saffron lingers beautifully, attesting to the perfect name for this cake—Saffron Kiss.…

Aphrodisiac Dinner for Valentine's Day

The idea of certain foods being aphrodisiacs is quite old. Ancient Greeks like Pliny and Dioscordes documented the power of certain foods to have an effect upon one's mood and libido, while The Arabian Night Tales are replete with allusions to aromas and flavors that incite desire and increase fertility. Whether one chooses to believe in aphrodisiac effects or not, there is no doubt that food prepared with love becomes special. Valentine's Day is often framed solely in terms of roses and chocolate, both of which are rightly praised for their seductive fragrance and flavour. Yet, as I am pondering the aphrodisiac menu to appear in Bois de Jasmin's Friday Flavor column, I would like to offer something that is somewhat more surprising.  Please return next week to see the first installment.  Needless to say, this shall be a marriage of flavor and fragrance!

Photo of kissing parrots from More Beautiful Wild.

Saffron : The Flavor and Fragrance of Joy

by Michelle Krell Kydd

Saffron is a spice that needs no introduction. It infuses whatever it touches with a distinct golden hue, adding an aroma that resembles the commingling of hay, honeyed musk, leather and almonds. To taste saffron is to know how unnecessary words are in the vocabulary of pure joy. From discovery to repeated exposure, the flavor and fragrance of saffron is continuously revelatory, like a great passion that leaves one yearning for more. ...

Flavor and Fragrance : Harold McGee on Taste and Olfaction

While working on a new project, I have been delving deeper into the chemistry, the science of olfaction as well as taste. During my weekend reading of Harold McGee's Food & Cooking: an Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture, I came across a quote that explains the relationship between taste and olfaction in a very clear and simple manner. "The olfactory receptors in our nasal passages can detest many hundreds of volatile molecules that are small and chemically repelled by water, and therefore fly out of the food and into the air in our mouth. The sensations from our mouth give us an idea of a food's basic composition and qualities, while our sense of smell allows us to make much finer discriminations" (270).

As a side note, I cannot recommend Food & Cooking: an Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture highly enough. I was given the book as a present by a fellow foodie to consult as one would an encyclopedia, that is, to read bits and pieces as the need would arise. Instead, I started reading this 800 page volume cover to cover, without losing my interest and all the while being amazed by McGee's incredible knowledge. The book also provides enough fascinating information to those who are interested in fragrance. Can you guess what Serge Lutens's Bois de Violette and Pinor Noir have in common?  Read on for an answer...

Flavor Friday: Mussels in Pink Pepper and Tomato Sauce

In fragrance as in fashion, there are waves of trends not only in terms of the style of a composition but also for certain ingredients. Pink pepper (often referred to as baies rose) is one such example. Its bright, resinous fragrance with an effervescent fruity sweetness lends itself to various arrangements, from the citrusy-woody elegance of Ormonde Jayne Isfahan (Isfarkand) to the animalic roses of The Different Company Rose Poivrée, among others. While I was familiar with pink pepper oil, I have never cooked with the peppercorns themselves. Unable to resist the temptation of something shiny and pink, I purchased a small packet and started to experiment. ...

Flavor and Fragrance: Green Oolong Teas of China and Formosa

by Michelle Krell Kydd

The joy of experiencing the connection between the olfactive and the gustatory is limitless. We are cognizant of the separate senses of taste and smell, but the two work together—if you cannot smell then you cannot taste. Drinking Chinese and Taiwan green oolongs illustrates the volley of sensation from tongue to nose in a way that can be appreciated by anyone patient enough to brew a cup of tea. …

Flavor and Fragrance : Persian Orange Blossom Cookies

The writer Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once said, “Smell and taste are in fact but a single composite sense, whose laboratory is the mouth and chimney is the nose.” I first heard this quote from Michelle Krell Kydd, who puts this philosophy into her deeds. Michelle organized the James Beard Foundation event with chef Bill Yosses and perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, during which the relationship between flavor and fragrance were explored in depth. As Michelle reflects, “Smell and taste hit us where we live—in memory and emotion, in the past and in the present, all simultaneously. This is what makes these particular senses so powerful.” Given the close link between the two senses, the discoveries one makes into the realm of cuisine translate into olfactory appreciation and vice versa. As an example from my own experiences, the beautiful note of bitter chocolate woven into Serge Lutens’s Borneo 1834 prompted me to create a cake that allowed the bitterness of chocolate to stand out. Similarly, a Thai basil stir-fry with bean sprouts had me craving a scent that pairs the lemony clove verdancy of this fascinating herb with vegetal musk. One passion never fails to feed another. …

Flavor and Fragrance: Pomegranate Cucumber Salad

The scent of pomegranate is as fascinating as its jewel box stuffed with rubies appearance. Biting into the small glossy seeds, one notices the velvety tartness, the floral sweetness, the woody sharpness of the seeds and the green powderiness of the white pith. It is an incredibly complex and appealing flavor that straddles the line between fruit and wine. In perfumery, the pomegranate is often paired with the citrus notes (Guerlain Samsara Shine, Dior Addict 2), florals (Annick Goutal Quel Amour!, Gucci Envy Me) and woods (Calvin Klein Euphoria and Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir), all of which present a great setting for the tartness of fruit.

Flavor and Fragrance : Chicken Arabie

Gourmand sensations provide plenty of inspiration for perfumers. Witness the savory darkness of truffles in Tom Ford’s Black Orchid, the caramelized popcorn note in Miss Dior Chérie and the milk chocolate notes in Elixir des Merveilles, the recent Hermès release. Likewise, chefs are taking an inspiration from perfumery. The restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain makes desserts that imitate the fragrance of famous perfumes. To be honest, the first time I read about the Gucci Envy scented dessert, the idea sounded outlandish. Yet I recently found myself staring at a package of chicken when a whiff of Serge Lutens’s Arabie which I wore that day inspired me to experiment a bit. Why not take the spicy-fruity idea of Arabie and twist it around a roasted chicken dish? ...

Flavor and Fragrance: Black Pepper and Potato Salad

Black pepper as a fragrance note (Armani Privé Bois d'Encens, Hermès Poivre Samarcande, Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum, by way of example) has a vibrant character — citrusy, resinous and ever so slightly smoky. It is not the rasping sensation of pepper powder, but the warm woody dryness of a dark glossy berry. When cooking, I often find myself crushing the peppercorns just to inhale their intriguing aroma. Needless to say, from steak coated in pepper to ripe strawberries dusted with sugar and freshly ground spice, black pepper finds its way into numerous dishes. One composition that allows me to enjoy its marriage of flavor and fragrance is a Spanish inspired potato salad. The preparation itself allows one to experience quite a diverse range of aromas, which is always enjoyable.…

Peaches and Cream : Quest for Ultimate Peach Fragrance

Few desserts can compete with the perfection of a ripe peach. Certainly, topping it with a dollop of crème fraîche would be akin to gilding a lily, yet if one seeks utter indulgence, it is the ultimate recipe. The melting sweetness of peach and the creamy tartness of cream were made for each other, resulting in a beautiful balance of flavours. In cooking, like in perfumery, an interesting sensation can be created by combining either two complementary notes or two dissonant ones. In the case of peaches and cream, the flavour of both is highly dependent on the presence of lactones, a diverse group of organic compounds that share creamy, milky and often coconut elements. If peaches and cream form a perfect gustatory marriage, nothing can serve as better inspiration for exploring peach notes in fragrance, especially when they appear as a luscious accent, rather than becoming part of a canned fruit salad. ...

Olfactory Desserts : Highlight from Archives

Perfumes enchant us when they create an illusion of transporting us to a place, real or imaginary. Yet, while traveling spatially and temporally is an important part of fragrance’s allure, there are times when teasing the senses and creating certain impressions is what perfume does best. Given the strong link between olfactory and gustatory perceptions, one would not be surprised to discover the smells of food appearing in fragrances. The gourmand trend initiated by Thierry Mugler Angel is certainly not novel--in 1956 Edmond Roudnitska created Diorissimo to counter the contemporary preference for the heavy, sweet notes. Nevertheless, Angel opened up new vistas and expanded the concept of gourmand. The exploration I offer below takes a somewhat different approach in trying to illustrate the more abstract gourmand ideas in fragrance. ...

Flavor and Fragrance: Saffron and Rose Yogurt Mousse

Whenever I reach for Keiko Mecheri Gourmandises, I anticipate the moment when its beautiful saffron laced rose begins to unfold. That aspect of the composition has such a delectable character that I cannot but think of other ways to enjoy it. Indeed, a perfect way to savor the lush, honeyed roses paired with the medicinal, leathery saffron is when they are embroidered upon the creamy canvass of yogurt. The ambrosial quality of shrikhand, an Indian dessert popular in Gujarat and Maharashtra, is addictive. ...

Green Mango and Coconut Milk

Given the fact that gustatory and olfactory systems are closely tied, it is not surprising that some of my early memories are of smells and tastes. The taste of the first summer strawberries, of apricot stolen from a neighbour’s garden, of warm rye bread for which I had to stand in line for half an hour, of mozzarella di bufala purchased from the store owner in Forlì who had secret intentions of marrying me to his son. It is difficult to imagine how to separate what came first, but the scents constitute the essence of my fascination, wherever they occur. ...

Tea and Candle review: Le Palais des Thés Thé du Hammam

One is sure to expect the love for all things scented from the one obsessed with fragrance.  If you add a cultural disposition to tea drinking by gallons to this mélange, then the result is a love for all kinds of scented beverages.  Although often a cup of smoky lapsang souchong, refreshing sencha or delicate white tea is perfect by itself, flavoured tea can be a nice treat, especially if the flavours are subtle and blended in order to accent the scent of the tea leaf, as opposed to scream “synthetic strawberry.” ...