Experimenting with Flavors

When leading chefs experiment with flavors to out the ones that will tantalize us most, how do they approach the challenge?

Hubert Keller starts with a recipe on paper. “If you think about it, you can combine the flavors in your mind and envision how something will taste,” he says, referring to an ability that comes easier to more experienced chefs. Given the direction toward lighter food that Keller sees as having influenced cooking over the last decade, he also likes to demonstrate that food, even old combinations, can be updated. “Lamb has traditionally been served with a rich red wine sauce,” he points out. “Now I do it with a Merlot. Today when you say Merlot, everybody jumps! The Merlot has a hint of vanilla flavor in it, and instead of using butter to add richness and flavor to the sauce, I add some fresh vanilla, which emphasizes the vanilla flavor in the Merlot.”