Kitchen Aromatherapy

Our sense of smell excites our sense of taste, and when both are excited, food tastes better.

The addition of an aroma can enhance flavor. In this recipe for beet soup, for instance, watermelon adds an aroma that makes the beets taste sweeter than they normally would. Beets add a flavor to what is really only an aroma--watermelon. But use it wisely or the soup will remind you of bubble gum.

White meats are too subtly flavored to pair with many strong ingredients. The recipe for blanquette relies on a classic background of onion, carrot, celery and bouquet garni for flavor roundness. Cream and butter add lusciousness to the dish but also coat the palate, making it more difficult to taste flavors. Adding lemon juice, nutmeg and cloves to the mix brightens all sauces, stews and soups made with cream. Add a hint of any or all of them to cream of turnip soup or vichyssoise and you’ll be happy you did. Lemon structures the flavors, and cloves and nutmeg confound the nose.

Sometimes an aroma saves a flavor. Palates unaccustomed to fiery foods tire quickly when stimulated by capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers burn mouths. Mexican and Central American cuisines use cilantro, also known as Chinese parsley or fresh coriander, to add aroma to some fiery dishes. When the mouth is on fire, the palate is out of commission and the sense of smell takes over so that we can still taste.

This chicken recipe calls for a hint of vinegar to pique the nose, enhancing the aroma of cilantro.

We often forget that desserts can offer more than simple satisfaction for a sweet tooth. The most interesting desserts are aromatic as well as sweet and flavorful. Spices like nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon are indispensable in many fruit desserts. In general, you can get away with using less sugar in a dessert if you add ingredients that tickle the nose as well as the palate.

BEET AND WATERMELON BORSCHT

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, sliced

1/2 pound beets, peeled and coarsely diced (about 2 cups)

4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups watermelon, rind removed, seeded and diced

Melt butter in stockpot over low heat. Add onion and cook slowly, stirring, about 7 minutes. Add beets. Cover and cook slowly until most of their water has been released and they have fallen apart, about 35 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking and burning.

Add stock and salt. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.

Strain soup and reserve liquid. Transfer beets to blender or food processor. Add watermelon and puree until very smooth. Return puree to pot and add reserved liquid. Chill soup well before serving, about 4 hours.

6 servings. Each serving:

86 calories; 959 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.58 gram fiber.

BLANQUETTE DE VEAU, SAUCE POULETTE (Cream Veal Stew With Mushrooms and Pearl Onions)

2 cloves

1 onion, halved

1 bouquet garni

2 celery stalks, cut into large chunks

1 carrot, cut into large chunks

3 pounds veal shin meat or clod roast, cut into 2-inch cubes

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Water

3 cups pearl onions, peeled

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 pound small mushrooms

Bouquet garni is a combination of parsley, thyme and a bay leaf tied in a cheesecloth bag.

Stick cloves into onion. Place onion, bouquet garni, celery, carrot, veal, salt, peppercorns and nutmeg in heavy casserole. Add lemon juice and just enough water to cover meat. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

Place pearl onions in skillet just large enough to hold them in 1 layer. Add water to barely cover, 1 tablespoon butter and sugar. Cook over medium heat until all liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cream remaining 1 tablespoon butter and flour in bowl by beating until fluffy and set aside.

Remove meat from cooking liquid and cover with damp towel. Strain liquid and discard solids. Return liquid to pot. Stir in butter-flour mixture. Add cream and cook, uncovered, over medium heat 15 minutes, skimming occasionally.

Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more. Add pearl onions and veal and heat through. Pour stew into serving bowl or tureen. Serve immediately, accompanied by rice pilaf.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings without rice pilaf:

347 calories; 1,000 mg sodium; 179 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 37 grams protein; 1.22 grams fiber.

CHICKEN MEXICANA

3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

4 large shallots, finely minced

1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season to taste with salt.

Heat butter over medium-low heat in heavy nonreactive pan large enough to hold chicken in single layer. Add chicken, skin side down. Cover and cook, turning once, 30 minutes. Turn pieces again, cover and continue cooking until all pieces are done, 10 to 15 minutes more. Chicken is done when juices run clear when piece is pierced with fork. Remove pieces as they are done and set aside on plate.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add shallots, red pepper flakes to taste and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir flour into pan. Add wine and bring to boil, stirring until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar.

Return chicken to pan. Cover and heat through. Mix in cilantro and remove from heat. Transfer to serving dish, scraping up all sauce, and serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving:

778 calories; 919 mg sodium; 254 mg cholesterol; 56 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 56 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or mace

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup Madeira

1 pound pineapple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

Cream granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter by beating with electric mixer until light and smooth. Lower speed and beat in vanilla, nutmeg, eggs and milk. Beat in baking powder and salt, then flour and cornmeal. Mix until fluffy. Set aside.

Cook remaining 1/4 cup butter, Madeira and pineapple in heavy 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat 20 minutes. (Pineapple will release a lot of liquid.) Using slotted spoon, remove pineapple and reserve. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced nearly to glaze, 3 to 4 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook until mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Return pineapple slices to skillet, arranging decoratively in syrup. Pour cake batter over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove cake from skillet by turning upside down over large plate. Let cool before serving.

6 servings. Each serving:

735 calories; 535 mg sodium; 137 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 104 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.66 gram fiber.