Perfume and Desserts ~ A Perfect Pairing

Do you ever come across something that is so very ordinary...and yet, you never thought of the it that way? I do...and I did, this morning when I saw this gorgeous photo taken at "The Perfume Diaries" exhibit at Harrod's in London. So not fair, the closest I ever got to Harrod's is a shopping bag my daughter, Brandi,  brought home from her three week European Tour when she was in high school. But that's another story. Look at this beautiful combination.

Photo courtesy of Chérie City

Really now, isn't that just an amazingly gorgeous work of art? Yes. One of the fun things at this annual event is the service of desserts. Famed pâtissier Eric Lanlard teams up with Harrod's pastry chefs to collaborate on recipes that infuse parfum ingredients into the beautiful selection of mini desserts.

Shot of St. Honoré (photo via Stylisa)

Chérie describes this fresh little treat as "a stylish shot glass dessert filled with vanilla cream, crunchy meringue, fresh raspberries and lychees and a rose petal mousse.  It also comes with a pipette of lemongrass and coconut." Cute huh?

Larmé de Jasmine (photo via Stylisa)

And this one is "a delicate dark chocolate tear covering a rich dark chocolate mousse and Italian amarena cherries, scented with jasmine." Love it!

Of course, after reading these posts I was dying to know what yummy ingredients were mingling in my favorite perfume bottles and I went running to the bathroom cabinet. My two favorite "scents d' jour" are Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist, for day time, and Chanel's Allure for evening.

"Clean and sheer, warm and sexy. Difficult to define. Impossible to resist."

When I went to Chanel's website to find their description I was a little disappointed to find that it said nothing about food. They described it as "Clean and sheer, warm and sexy. Difficult to define. Impossible to resist." Hmmm, I still like it and it would make an interesting description for a dessert. Like Champagne and a warm chocolate chip cookie . (Surprisingly sexy and delicious in the right setting :-) Another, 'nuther story though :-)).

Now that's a sexy little bottle

This soft fragrance is described as "An invisible layer of comfort, Cashmere Mist is a sheer floral, combining the essences of Moroccan jasmine, lily of the valley and the freshness of bergamot against a warm background of sandalwood, amber and musk. Soft and intimate, it is intended only to be smelled by the wearer and those closest to her" Fascinating, I would never have guessed this combination. I find that it is an interesting contradiction of soft, floral and powdery notes with a lively citrus energy. What fun to come up with a dessert combination that fits.