My favourite composer in a cook book

This week I found a very appropriate book for an up-and-coming domestic goddess or god in the 21st Century. Entitled 21st Century Cook, it claims to be THE bible of ingredients, terms, tools & techniques.

Rather than being a traditional recipe book, it is purely a guide on how to use raw ingredients and would be great for students or newly-weds or indeed anyone wanting to learn how to cook from scratch.

It even covers smetana, which originates from Russia and Eastern Europe. "A soured cream with a tangy flavour, runny texture and fairly low fat content (around 10%). It can be used as a low-fat alternative to soured cream, or in place of natural yoghurt. Use it as a spooning or pouring cream, or for adding to sauces and stews at the end of cooking. It will curdle if overheated, and will not whip thick. If a recipe calls for smetana and you can't get hold of any, use whipping or single cream mixed half and half with soured cream or yoghurt".

Prompted by the name of this ingredient, I couldn't help opening Napster and writing this post along to Vltava, one of my favourite pieces of music composed by Bedrich Smetana.

Now I know the work follows the flow of the river Moldau through to the city of Prague and amongst others celebrates a folk wedding and water nymphs, but equally it could be used as a soundtrack to my dramatic cooking episodes in the kitchen, from the chopping of the ingredients to the celebration of the creative outcomes.

Coming back to food...apparently...smetana's good with blinis