Perfume and Wine 香水和美酒

There is a saying that perfume is the secret weapon for a beautiful lady. Then, wine would be the soul within the food. A beautiful lady catches people's eyes with her looks, the taste of clothing or accessories by her taste. But, perfume is quite silent. You can't see it, but definitely it exists somewhere. Great food is like that. It starts from plating, the color choices for ingredients, cooking technique...... These are all the sparkles to grab people's attention, but what makes people stay is that wonderful aroma in the air.

Wine and perfume share the same performance. They all release its own fragments by alcohol, gradually sneaking into to our body, wake up our sense, and connect with our heart. Sometimes they even take a spot in our memory before we get any noticing.

I normally like to keep myself clean and smell good too. Because of my sensitivities about scenes and skin, I usually choose fragrance free product for most of my cleansers or lotion. Therefore, I won't get that weird and complicated smell. Of course, I am very picky and precise, when I choose and use perfume. The smell should be there but not there, blends in with weather, tells how I feel and suit my personality well. I don't have many perfumes, just couple of them that I use them all the time. My hubby and my kids would recognize my senses. I do the same thing when I cook with wine.

The common rice wine, sake, white wine are usually lighting up the dishes. Yellow wine such as Shàoxing and Rum both have very similar personalities. These wines are all mild in flavor and long lasting. I love to enhance their own characters in food. Wines are with fruity flavoring, such as Limoncello, Orange Cognac, and the nutty flavor like Dissaronno, Kahlua. These are perfect to mix with any juice, cocktail, tea or coffee. It is also a great flavoring for baking. You can also use them as Vanilla Extract. Sweet with a hint of sour plum wine and Masala wine, I enjoy them to make some salad dressing or dipping sauce. It is not just balance the acidity, but bring in more fragrances. Red wine has its own different acidity level. It is lovely with meat stew, mix drink with a touch of sugar by adjust, or the sweetness from the fruit, even the fat content is one the key ingredient to balance the beautiful dish.

All these wine, you could just simply enjoy it by its own elegant flavor, but you also could hide them in the food and make them to exist without any trace, gently express its charming. Remember, white and red wine is better to be cooked a while, let the alcohol evaporate but the aromatic remains. Yellow wine is bright but it won't get any conflict with others food, just simply let it shine. The rest of wine which in vivid characters, you don't need much. Add in few drops or a teaspoon right before the food has been done. Let the fragrance dance in the air, back and forth in your mouth ...... You will remember them ! Be playful like a kid and always have fun !!! ~

如果說香水是屬於漂亮女人的秘密武器, 那麼使用醇酒在美食扮演的角色, 便像是它的靈魂. 漂亮的女人令人們的眼睛停留在她的身上, 欣賞她的容貌, 身上穿戴的衣物及配件的品味. 然而, 香水它卻是一種看不見既又存在的東西, 而且默默散發出另一種芳香的氣息. 美食亦是如此 ! 從擺盤的設計, 材料的配色, 烹飪技巧等等的. 這些都是另人吸睛的亮點. 但唯獨香氣是另人流連忘返的 !

醇酒和香水有著一樣的展現方式, 都借由著酒精緩緩的散發所有的芬芳至於空氣中, 挑起你其它所有的感官與知覺, 甚至悄悄跑進了你心底, 有時, 還在記憶裏佔了一席之地. 但我們都還來不及查覺呢!

我平常也喜歡保持乾淨, 香香的. 因為對味道和皮膚特別的敏感, 所以平常的清潔用品也都是沒有香味的, 所以不會有氣味雜陳的問題產生. 相對的我對香水的選擇和使用很是挑剔的. 使用時它的味道必須似有若無的存在, 順應氣候, 配合我的心情, 像我的個性. 我的香水不多, 常用的總是那幾瓶. 老公和孩子們都能記得我的氣味. 我做的菜時用酒亦是如此.

常用的米酒, 清酒, 白葡萄酒總是另菜色多了一個清新的味道. 黃酒像是紹興與蘭姆酒, 性甘醇其實有很雷同之處. 我喜歡在食物中強調它這酒本身的特色. 果香類如檸檬酒, 香橙白蘭地, 和堅果香的義大利杏仁酒及咖啡酒, 都非常適合拿來調配果汁, 飲料, 茶或是咖啡. 更是烘焙糕點的芳香劑, 就像是香草精的用法一樣. 帶點酸甜的梅酒和義大利甜葡萄酒則非常適合拿來調做沙拉醬或沾醬, 不只平衡了酸氣還添增了些許風味. 紅酒的酸度則是不一, 取來燉肉, 可以用點糖或水果的甜, 甚至是脂肪的含量度都是關鍵是否能決定一道菜是味道的融合順口與否.

這些美酒可以單獨品嚐, 欣賞它的迷人之處. 也可以悄悄的放入食品裡讓它無型無色的存在, 溫柔的展現魅力 ...... 記得, 紅, 白酒需要點時間烹煮, 去了酒精留下香味, 黃酒醒目卻不唐突, 所以就讓其顯特色. 香氣獨秀一枝的, 使用上不用多. 在食物熟成, 起鍋之前, 輕輕的點一下. 讓所有的香味在空中起舞, 然後在你的嘴裏徘徊 ...... 你會記得它們的 ! 永遠像小孩一樣愛玩耍, 享受樂趣 !!! ~