Flavor Translations

This is where your knowledge of flavors and backgrounds, basics and accents all comes into a practical play of the cooking game.  If a certain mix of savory, piquant, spice, sweet, salty, and heat works with one mix of ingredients, then why not ‘translate’ that mix and proportion unilaterally into another blend of similar ingredients.

In a cake, the basic flour and fat, dairy and leavenings – all work great to make a nice, rich texture – then why not alter the flavorings a bit to bring a whole new final taste to the table?  If you have a spice as a base, then translate and go for a fruit flavor as a base instead, or why not try a nut base? Add some ground nut ‘flour’ to the AP mix, or add flavored oils or extracts to the liquids?  Note your fluid proportion alterations in your additions, and work from that.

Vegetables are a rich source of translation.  In mashed potatoes, there are a huge number of varieties one can try for that wonderful mashed, rich, buttery side dish.  Mashed winter vegetables like turnips, parsnips, celery root, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, legumes (limas, boiled peanuts, butter beans, fava beans and sweet green peas - yes!) – can stand in for or a portion (usually about one-fourth) along side the usual potato.  Instead of butter, try thickened yogurts or nut sauces, or a modest amount of duck or chicken fat, bacon or roast beef or lamb drippings – again instead of or along side.  Wow, you’re getting it.

BBQ introduced the Asian/Tropical translation of sweet with hot, sour and savory to western cultures.  We have no problem with that now, but imagine the first time!

Or with a great salsa, I translated my Salsa Sorpresa from a traditional basil pesto.  And with the well-known salsa fresca, I simply translated the ingredients to become a ‘sweet/pickled/pungent’ from ‘fresh’ in the final taste, as with Plum Loco.  Your experimental fun with the flavors you know and minor ‘chemistry lab’ thinking is all you need.

TRANSLATIONS IN GOOD TASTE

GREEK YOGURT

Instead of the savory association with Greek yogurt, why not use it as you’d use cream cheese and create different ‘schmears’ for toasts and bagels, toppings and fillings.  Add to the much thickened yogurt, a richer idea such as diced fresh and dried fruits and fruit preserves and juices, toasted nuts, nut butters, chopped olives, sun dried tomato and basil mix, sweet onion and dill mix, caramels and chocolates, coconut, and butterscotch.  A better way to be bad.

SANDWICHES

We’ve demonstrated many diversions of the standard sandwich throughout this book.  As has been offered, many things can replace the form of the two slices of bread, and the beloved interior sandwich makings can be presented in a myriad of surroundings – tortillas/crêpes/pitas, French toast, a sealed encasement of crust/pasta/dough or steaming parchment, rolled and baked or braised in flattened meats, rolled in cooked beaten eggs, served between sliced fruits/ vegetables/ roots, rolled and steamed in banana/grape/cabbage leaves, stuffed in roasted peppers/tomatoes/squashes, and baked in packed salts/clays/stones.

CASSEROLES

Layering vegetables, meats and starches and baking them all together is nothing new.  With pasta we have lasagnas, then trade out the pasta with tortillas and you have enchilada pie.  Add any of several forms of potatoes and you’ve made shepherd’s pie.  Layer sautéed sliced squashes, eggplant, seeded/stemmed roasted peppers, edible leaves etc as you would pasta with cheeses and rich vegetables/meats in yet another type of lasagna.  Incorporate rice, rice noodles or fried rice and it becomes again something new, related to stuffed cabbage/grape leaves, summer rolls or spring rolls. 

           

POTATOES

Knowing that there is about a thousand and one ways to prepare potatoes, what can I say?  Well, you can always supplement part of the taste and texture of the potato with another contrasting or harmonious great taste and texture.  When making mashed, grilled, fried, au gratin, hash or whatever, use three quarters of the mass in potatoes, with Yukon Gold being the most favorite for fluffy, ‘soft’ dishes, and ‘new’ or young potatoes being used for fried or ‘firm’ potato dishes.  The other quarter can be a myriad of choices.  When frying hash browns, try grated zucchini, grated onions, sweet potato, carrot, turnip and/or radish.  For a twist on mashed, try roasted or steamed celery root, parsnips, cauliflower, eggplant (can you imagine mixing some baba ghanoush with mashed potatoes or potato salad?), ground roasted nut ’butter’, and/or roasted peppers. 

BREAD PUDDINGS

Most expectations of bread puddings are sweet, but consider translating the idea of a moist flavorful bread-based dish to the savory, like a loaf dressing or quiche.  Instead of fruit bits and sweet spices, translate it over to small cubes of cheese and cubed prepared meats (salami, pepperoni, kielbasas, chorizo, ham, Italian meats, Spam etc.), fish/shellfish, favorite veggies, fresh herbs/spices, nuts, small pastas, diced squashes along with the rustic bread cubes and custard base.  Bake and top with a crunchy finish, and serve warm or room temperature, with a cream sauce or gravy.

BUTTER

We love butter, and having it top just about anything is a lovely thought and taste.  To bring that rich taste without as much of the fat and cholesterol is also always a lovely thought and taste.  Sometimes, just replacing some of the content with a ‘safer’ ingredient is a good start.  Herbs, small diced flavor components savory or sweet (anchovies, dried tomatoes, mushrooms/truffles, tofu, miso etc. or honey, fresh and/or dried fruits, citrus zests, crushed candies etc.), dairy (hard boiled eggs, cheeses, dried cheeses, Greek/thickened yogurt, etc), or liquids (hot sauces, fruit juices).  Some of the content of the butter mass may also be replaced by ‘safer’ neutral/flavored oils such as canola, peanut, safflower, sunflower, sesame, hazelnut, olive, soy etc.   Or try nut butters, rich and delicious – and unexpected.