In developing recipes or new products, I believe most of us in the varying degrees of the chef world all work the same way. We begin with best of what is available and then turn to our intuition and memories to figure out what might be done with those ingredients.

A recipe or product may spring from surveying the pantry, a trip to the refrigerator, a walk through a farmers market, the memory of the smell of bacon on a Sunday morning or a garden after a morning rain. Taste memories are among our strongest and most evocative. A chef’s memory of taste lies at the base of any new product or recipe. Understanding taste and flavor, and which of these elements push or pull our senses in specific directions, is key to its success or failure.

One of my favorites flavors to use is, big surprise, BACON. I was reading a report recently published about bacon’s expected global growth — upwards of 4.2-5% globally over the next 5 years. Bacon is not a trend but a mainstay. As we get older our palettes do change, as do our diets for possible health and wellness issues. In our house, we aren’t eating bacon every day (sad face). It does make an appearance in main forms throughout the month in savory and sweets, however.

Several companies currently are attempting to augment bacon by infusing different types of marinades or brines to create the new latest flavor of the month. After substantial research and studying, I learned more about how and why certain flavors just work well together. Understanding how atoms bond together to create molecules which when heated or blended together create unique compounds and chemical reactions that triggering what we smell and tastes. Take peaches and cream – the lactones in these molecules complement each other, which creates a perfect match. It’s a truly fascinating science to dig into in order to understand how and why things work well together. For me it’s an ongoing work in progress.

I wanted to share a couple of good easy brines to try with pork, chicken or even shellfish: lemon, sage and madeira wine and for game a juniper, maple & black peppered gin is a unique combination. Try rabbit or pheasant with a bourbon mustard brine; it's perfect for fall. These flavors are great building blocks. It is easy to stick with the familiar, but I highly recommend broadening your horizons. You might be pleasantly surprised.

My query to you all this week is: Do you have in your repertoire a unique marinade, brine or rub that really makes your food pop! Please share; we all should be learning new stuff every day!

Live well…

Why does that taste good?

Join for free* to continue reading.