Table of Contents:

1. Regarding Aroma, Emotion and Memory
2. Recipes By Category
3. The Safe Use of Natural Essences
4. The Perfumer's Pantry
5. The Cook's Pantry
6. Refreshing Recipes
7. Herbal Recipes
8. Floral Recipes
9. Earthy Recipes
10. Spicy Recipes
11. Luxurious Recipes
12. Pantry Recipes: Basic Recipes and Stocks
13. Sources
14. Index

Book Excerpt:

"In the Kitchen where a stew simmers, in the living room where the dog curls up on the leather couch, on our skin where the perfume we wear mingles with body chemistry to create a scent as unique as a fingerprint, aroma imprints and vivifies emotional memory. While taste is just a handful of sensations -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami -- aroma has an almost unlimited palette. Sniffing food as it cooks, or when it is on the plate, gives us aroma in its purest and simplest form. Savoring it in our mouth, we experience the aroma simultaneously with the taste, in a complex intermingling of sensations we call flavor. Aroma both precedes and is bound with the way we taste food. Thinking about the emotional associations attached to the dishes and fragrances you make from this book will deepen your understanding and enjoyment." (From Regarding Aroma, Emotion and Memory, p. 11).

Book Review & Recipe Test by Donna Maria:

I am an avid book lover. No matter the topic, I can enjoy a book because I learn something. Even if I don't agree with what is between the covers and even if it does not interest me especially, I can still enjoy a book. So if I can enjoy a book on just "any old thing," imagine how much I would enjoy a book that combined two of my favorite activities -- cooking and working with aromatic oils!! Of course I have used essential oils in cooking previously and I have used food and aroma ingredients in numerous recipes which you will find right here at this website (check out Alligator Pear Facial Mask For Dry Skin or Cherry Rose Blossom Puree for example), it took this book to help me see the depth and breadth of possibilities when it comes to marrying "food and 'fume". The possibilities are interesting, endless and extraordinary.

Aftel's impressive backgrounds as a psychologist and perfumer marry well with Patterson's award winning experiences as a chef to create the feast for the senses, all of them. The experts were introduced by a mutual friend in the food world. Aftel discovered that chefs and food aficionados shared her passion for using high quality non-synthetic ingredients in the things they made. While neither of them intended to set about writing a book on using essential oils in food, the concept evolved naturally as they got to know one another and began to share common interests. They share the tools of their trade in The Perfumer's Pantry (beginning on page 19) and The Cook's Pantry (beginning on page 27). As you can see from the Table of Contents, the book divides the recipes by type of aroma, and then further contains a useful recipe index in the front of the book so you can choose by food category: fish, vegetarian, salads, appetizers and so forth. Sprinkled throughout the book are "In The Everyday Kitchen" references which help us regular cooks figure out the easiest ways to incorporate some of the ingredients for everyday use. 

As if those benefits were not enough, the photographs of "food and 'fume" in the book are works of art in and of themselves. The air bubbles and salt crystals are clearly visible in the picture of the Panfried Potatoes with Safron-Garlic Mayonnaise (photo on page 175). The photo spread on pages 146-147 of beeswax (both grated and block), lavender concrete, cumin essential oil, Cumin, Lavender & Oakmoss Solid Perfume (recipe on page 165), cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks and bark and ginger are also well lit and beautifully detailed. The color photography throughout the book is gorgeous indeed. Fresh vegetables and fruits appear with creamy custards, soups and richly hued essential oils and absolutes so that I gazed at the photographs as much as I studied the recipes. And while you cannot actually smell the aromas, the skilled photographers and food stylists created the next best thing. I really enjoyed learning how to choose different aromatics to complement different foods and vice versa.

I made the Tuna-Tomato Tartare with Lime Vinaigrette (page 51) because of all the oils used in the book, lime is one of my favorites and this recipe was quick with easy to find ingredients. My kitchen smelled wonderful after making this refreshing dish which I enjoyed for lunch two days last week. My husband is not a cold salad kind of guy so unfortunately, I was not able to get a second opinion. My daughter loves tuna fish salad, and while she loved the aroma of this dish, I don't think her taste buds are quite ready for the intensity of flavors.

Buy It Now

Click here to read about the Book Reviewer