The Golden Rules of Spices by Ethné & Philippe de Vienne

When I’m flipping through cookbooks I like to imagine all the aromas and flavors of the ingredients and dishes described. Here’s a cookbook that truly brings that sensory experience to life. The Golden Rules of Spices by Ethné and Philippe de Vienne comes with 6 spices, 20 spice blends, 60 recipes, and 4 “golden rules” that demystify the world of spices and teach readers how to be creative and confident in the kitchen.

• Who wrote it: Ethné & Philippe de Vienne

• Who published it: Extempo Media

• Number of recipes: 60

• Recipes for right now: Berbere Roast Chicken, Ramen with Singapore Curry, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Panch Phoran, 8 Pepper Chocolate Maniac Cake, Stir-Fried Sesame Potatoes, Five Spices Sweet Potato Gratin

• Other highlights: Ethné and Philippe de Vienne are spice traders who have traveled the world researching spices and blends. Through their experience they have developed four “golden rules” that can help cooks understand spices based on the basic tastes: bitter, sour, hot, sweet, and aromatic. Spices in the same taste category are interchangeable, so if you’re missing a spice called for in a recipe, or you want to get creative, you simply need to determine the basic taste and then you can choose the right spices to bring balance and enhance flavor.

In kit comes with six spices along with exercises to hone your understanding of the different tastes. Then, there are sections describing how to make and cook with 20 international spice blends, from Ethiopian berbere to Cajun blackening spices, Benjali Panch Phoran, and French fine herbs. Sprinkled throughout are colorful stories and pictures from the authors’ travels.

• Who would enjoy this book? Anyone who wants to learn more about spices and being creative in the kitchen.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: The Golden Rules of Spices by Ethné & Philippe de Vienne

• Visit the author’s website: Spice Trekkers

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.