Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Foods and Fragrance (Hardcover)

by Mandy Aftel (Author), Daniel Patterson (Author)
Key Phrases: tarragon essential oil, tarragon sabayon, cumin essential oil, Lavender Shortbread Cookies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This rather precious cookbook contains two kinds of recipes: those for food, and those for making fragrances, with the latter occasionally used in the former as well as to perfume the body. With a few exceptions, such as White Truffle and Blood Orange Solid Perfume, these sound lovely. However, preparation of both types is complex. The use of essential oils in place of the actual materials in food seems unnecessarily complicated (e.g., the suggestion that readers "add a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to melted butter, then use that butter to make cinnamon toast"). Fragrances are equally elaborate: Coffee Cologne Spray requires four absolutes and six essential oils. The food itself is creative American, like Lavender Roasted Chicken and Mint-Infused Asparagus Soup. Patterson, of San Francisco's Frisson, opening in May 2004, writes competent recipes, although some call for expensive ingredients. Aftel, who creates custom scents, easily guides readers through production of such items as Ginger and Juniper Body Oil, although her list of equipment is daunting. The real question is whether consumers want to see recipes for Coriander and Grapefruit Body Oil and Crab Salad with Coriander Vinaigrette on the same page. Photos.
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Review
"We sense the arrival of a new total body experience." -- O Magazine, July 2004

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Artisan; Presentable Ex-Library edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579652646
• ISBN-13: 978-1579652647
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #158,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking Work, August 4, 2004

By	Patricia West (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At last, someone has combined my two loves- food and natural essences.I have been interested in combining essential oils and food for some time, and this book is full of terrific creative ideas for doing just that. And as a dabbler in homemade body care products, I love the pairing of the food receipes with the body care recipes.

The food recipes are well within the skill level of the average cook. Some of the ingredients are a bit exotic and might be hard to find for some readers (e.g. shiso and saffron absolute- I finally found the saffron absolute at Liberty Natural). Otherwise most of the ingredients are readily available at your basic supermarket. The essences themselves can be ordered at a number of sites on the internet.

Chef Patterson's recipes are creative and provacative combinations that "go outside the box". Seared Scallops With Tarragon Sabayon combines tarragon essential oil with a sabayon sauce normally associated with desserts, but modified here to work in a savory dish. Wild Salmon With Marinated Cucumbers utilizes a cucumber hydrosol in the vinaigrette and the unusual technique of slow-cooking the salmon so that it is completely cooked through yet moist and delicate.

The "In the Everyday Kitchen" vignettes in each chapter offer quick and simple suggestions for using the essences in food. For example, "Mix a little lime essential oil with lime juice, simple syrup...and sparkling mineral water..." The lime EO adds a kick to the drink that it wouldn't have with lime juice alone.

Ms. Aftel's fragrances and body care recipes are glorious and most are relatively simple to do. The novice will need a little practice handling some of the more viscous essences, such as peru balsam and labdanum absolute in the Jasmine Liquid Perfume. I was quite surprised and delighted that Ms. Aftel chose to share with us the recipes for some of her own perfumes that she sells on her website and in retail stores. Parfum de Maroc and Cepes and Tuberose are two favorites. It is exceptionally generous considering that most perfumers keep their formulations under lock and key for obvious reasons.

I also want to add that the photography and food styling in this book is mouth-watering and drop-dead gorgeous. I almost wanted to eat the book! (Almost.)

Three cheers for Mandy Aftel, Daniel Patterson, and their creative team for giving us this beautiful work!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With a special focus on 27 concentrated aromas, November 11, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Mandy Aftel is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and custom designs one-of-a-kind blends for individuals and formulates fragrances for private labels. Daniel Patterson is a professional chef and the owner of Frisson in San Francisco. In Aroma: The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food & Fragrance, Aftel and Patterson effectively collaborate to reveal how aromatics play a critically important role in the perception of flavor in cooking. With a special focus on 27 concentrated aromas, recipes are crafted around the fragrant quality of a single ingredient providing such illustrative examples as enhancing a white peach sorbet jasmine, or augmenting asparagus soup a mint-infusion. Kitchen cooks are shown how to incorporate concentrated oils in their homemade dishes such as adding a bit of oil drizzled into the dressing to invigorate a salad, or sprinkling several drops into a batter to add an additional note to a dessert. The combination of basic information with aromatically enhanced recipes makes Aroma a highly recommended addition to any personal or professional cookbook collection.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enticing, November 12, 2005

By	Lilly "Lilly Spikenard" (Boston, Ma USA) - See all my reviews

A successful collaberation between a master natural perfumer and a master chef, with luscious results! The photographs are gorgeous---the formulas unique. Attractive enough for a coffee table, this book will be frequently used and treasured. Well worth seeking out for a present for someone special!