Flavour combinations.

A few days ago on Facebook, I posted as my status that I was researching new flavour combination ideas. If you take the time and trouble there is a huge wealth of inspiration to be found out there.

Anyway, still on the subject of Facebook, one of my musician friends on there mentioned last night that she was drinking a steaming mug of Maple and Walnut coffee and this kind of started giving me ideas about possibilities for using these flavours in a dessert.

On this I was thinking along the lines of doing two things with the coffee, using bean that are roasted to different degrees ( i.e...Medium and Dark) to offer some flavour contrasts. Maybe a Panna Cotta with the Dark roast and an ice cream with the medium roast. Then, for some crunchy texture, maybe a Tuille biscuit featuring the walnuts and some kind of foam or gelee with the maple syrup. These are just a few ideas that I've had. I'm still formulating and making notes on the potential possibilities for this one!

A few days ago I also someone drinking a Carrot, Apple and Banana smoothie. With this I was thinking about my Apple and Lancashire Cheese Lasagna, still featuring the cider sabayon but also with the addition of a Carrot sorbet and some roasted Banana with a rum and orange syrup.

Another friend that I have recently added at Facebook is a Tunisian based pastry chef by the name of ...Miao Yi Francois Seurin. He is doing some great dessert featuring amazing combintions of flavours that would really excite and tantalise the taste bud. A few ideas from him are:

Port, Figs, Orange, Cinnamon, Gorgonzola, Walnuts.

In the dessert that he does with those ingredients, he actuaally uses the Gorgonzola to make an ice cream. A great idea and something that could be served as a transition form the main course to the dessert course.

Another one features;

Pineapple, coconut, cucmber, mint and passionfruit.

Or how about something combining;

Vanilla, kiwi, pineapple, sage, sticky rice and Japanese Adzuki Beans?

I also had a great marketinf idea/concept the other day. Many of the dishes thaat I have propsed for the new menu where I work feature fruit and here are some examples.......

Peach and Water melon gazpacho, Italian meats and assorted berrie

Squid ink Spaghetti, Seared Tuna, Pink grapefruit and spring onions

There a few others, but I don't have my note book with me and can't remember them off the top of my head. But anyway, my marketing concept would be called.....FRUIT THE NEW VEGETABLES. Personally, I think that it's a pure stroke of genius.

Anothe way in which I get inspirations for falvour combintions is from reading restaurant revies in magazines and I read a really good one in one of the Sunday supplements for a restaurant in London called GALOUPET. I paid a visit to their web site and dwonloaded the menu. The restauran is doing a very interesting blend of Mediteranean/ Asian cuisine and it has offered a great wealth of new ideas and possibilities.

Anyway, a mjor part of my culinary vision is to find a way to be able to bring all of these ideas to fruition in some form. I will keep you posted on all developments with regards to this.