**The Art of Combining Flavors: What Foods Don't Go Together**

When it comes to experimenting with new recipes, flavors, and methods, there's no such thing as an untryable combination. However, there are some foods that simply don't go together, and understanding why can help you create harmonious and delicious dishes. According to Sonia, who posed the question, "what foods don't go together?", the key is to understand the flavor wheel and near-opposites.

Flavors that complement each other when placed near each other on the flavor wheel are often referred to as polar opposites. Fish and lemon, for example, are a classic combination that might not be the first choice for everyone. Rich meats and berries are another pair that might seem like an unlikely match. On the other hand, flavors that don't work well together include potato and orange, as they're two vastly different ingredients with distinct textures and tastes.

**Experimentation is Key**

However, Sonia notes that experimentation is key to discovering new recipes and flavor combinations. "You won't find new recipes if you don't try and explore different methods and different flavors," she emphasizes. By stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, you may stumble upon a combination that's truly unique and delicious.

One such example is a cake made with two seemingly incompatible ingredients: meringue and almonds. In this recipe, the meringue provides a light and airy texture, while the almonds add crunch and depth to the dish. By combining these elements, the creator of this dessert has managed to balance flavors and textures in a way that's both surprising and delightful.

**The Science Behind the Meringue Cake**

So what makes this cake so special? According to the creator, it all comes down to understanding the science behind the ingredients. The meringue is made with air, which provides a light and fluffy texture. When combined with whipped cream, which also contains air, the result is a dessert that's almost like eating a cloud.

The key to this recipe lies in the construction of the cake. By cutting the merengue slab in half and layering it with chocolate cake, whipped cream, and almonds, the creator has managed to balance flavors and textures in a way that's both visually appealing and delicious. The double cream is used as an adhesive to hold the layers together, while the almonds provide a crunchy contrast to the soft meringue.

**A Delicious Balance of Flavors**

So what does this mean for foodies looking to try new recipes? According to Sonia, it means being open-minded and willing to experiment with different flavors and ingredients. By understanding how different ingredients work together and using techniques like layering and contrasting textures, you can create dishes that are truly unique and delicious.

In the case of the meringue cake, a combination that might seem unlikely at first glance, comes together in a way that's both surprising and delightful. With its light and airy texture, crunchy almonds, and sweet whipped cream, this dessert is sure to be a hit with anyone looking to try something new and exciting.

**Question Time**

But it's not all about the food itself – sometimes it's about understanding what makes a person tick. Hanisa asked Ben, who hosted the show, which life he'd rather live if his was swapped with either Barry or Jamie's. According to Ben, he wouldn't want to live as Mike's because of Mike's ties and commitments.

"I don't want to be tied down," Ben said. "I want to be free to try new things and see where the road takes me." He notes that he already enjoys his life and doesn't want to stray too far from it, but the prospect of experiencing life as a free man is tempting.

**A Conversation about Pets**

The conversation also turned to pets – or rather, the lack thereof. Ben mentioned that he's not really a cat person and prefers dogs, while Hanisa joked that Ben might be able to learn how to play chess in his new life as Mike's. The conversation was lighthearted and entertaining, but it highlighted the idea that sometimes, swapping lives with someone else can provide a unique perspective on our own choices.

**A Conclusion**

In the end, what foods don't go together is often a matter of personal preference. However, by understanding the science behind different ingredients and flavors, we can create dishes that are truly unique and delicious. Experimentation is key, but sometimes it's okay to stick with what you know and love. And who knows – you might just discover a new favorite recipe in the process!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's big night and night big night in night and me and Jamie are on our way to bazes where he and Ben are cooking up well it it's a chocolate mering cake or chocolate a mering and a cake either way we're going to well we're looking forward to it yeah I'm not complaining at all staying in is the new going out but only if you've got great food and Jes with you unfortunately we don't have any other friends but the food is incredible in each of these episodes two of us cook up something awesome to share and to Kickstart Our Big Night right there you go look come on how good do that look that is not just mer it's not just chocolate cake it's a chocolate merang cake well get me a plate then what are we waiting for Cheers Cheers Ben sorry let's begin the judgment to be fair I'm not sure what to judge there's chocolate cake there's cream there's mering and there's almonds you've just put them together that is perfectly balanced it's not over sweet because at the end it was it was natural cream but the whole thing started with the chocolate sponge for the second and fourth layers of our chocolate mer cake we need to make a chocolate sponge so whip up softened butter with egg yolks and sugar until it's light and fluffy then fold in plain flour baking powder and cocoa we're going to loosen the whole mixture up with milk winner you'd make a really good wrapper wouldn't you all the hand movement spread your cake batter into a lined tin you're so good not even cooked yet but it will be quite a thin layer I w't bother cooking it for you obviously my job wasn't good enough so B goes around and again you have to get this bit on camera I'm just making sure it's level no it's on camera mate it's rolling you can't you can't avoid that it is important it's level all the way around good thank you so what part of this did you have to play Basel best bit morang I took over Ben's leftover egg wise whis those up some sugar in it bu it on top of the cake mix and that all goes into the oven and this is where it starts to get interesting with this recipe because we're now going to bake both together so cake in the bottom uh mer on top both baked same tin same oven same temperature same time easy you've done it again you've taken two things that shouldn't be together and made it work they is amazing well as cake cake and sponge and Mero and cream always go together beautiful combination that's obvious but this is the shortcut bakon together all we're going to do is scatter it with toasted almonds or almond flakes they'll toast in the oven and bake them off so here's a question what foods don't go together question from Sonia go I don't think there's anything you can't ever not do because it's all about experimentation you won't find new recipes if you don't try and explore different methods and different flavors but there are some things you should just stay clear of such as the like you know the flavor wheel flavors that compliment each other with the near each other on the wheel fish and lemon or Rich meats and berries what Polar Opposites they're the ones that don't work in my eye so but potato and orange they're just never going to come together in a nice way right well I've got some I've got some orange I've got some potato chips you're an idiot you telling me they don't go together DK one and the other it's fresh it's Tangy it's healthy it's healthy I think we' proved you wrong B but this is an awesome it's two different methods cake and Mer both going into the oven 180° C for 20 minutes then let it cool I am loving I'm loving this I'm surprised how light it feels but you got to remember every layer is packed full of air so the chocolate cake has got baking powder in it that's the raising agent mhm the mer has got air in it that's kind of the bit makes it like fluffy and the cream isn't just cream it's whipped cream so you're whipping air in it so it's just air upon air upon air with a load of sugar so one of the main ingredients in this is air which I have heard is quite healthy yes it's the airiest dessert that's ever existed what was a joke oh sure I just laughed for politeness so this is the bit where it could all go terribly wrong it's the construction yeah you got to be a bit careful with it but basically you need something to stick it all together and that's double cream whipped up it's also good to hide in the cracks so for the construction you want to take your mer slab and cut it in half that way and then the top layer of merang becomes layers 1 and five whereas the bottom layer of chocolate becomes two and four and cream in the middle boom so you want to flip the bottom half over so it's merang on the bottom and then peel back the paper that is a good looking sponge then a generous amount of cream sploded in the middle it looks like a lot of cream but don't forget you've doubled up everything else there two layers of cake there's two layers of Mer there's only one layer of cream and it's unsweetened because there's so much sugar here already we want to balance these flavors there we go now it needs some tidying up so we're going to wipe around all the edges dust it with icing sugar and serve it with our awesome almond lure coffees they're going to love this right as a put out of 10 what's I get um I'd give the cake a nine and the mer is sitting around a six for me so it evens out somewhere to about seveni I think the mer makes it the mering and the armonds make it cuz you need the crunch as well otherwise it's all just gooey you need the Crunch and the texture it does have a really good balance to it before we have seconds can I ask a question Question Time hanisa wants to know Ben yes oh dear specifically Ben oh no if your life was swapped with either Barry Mike or Jam's whose life would you want to live as and why it's such a great question what you thinking about that can you pass me the coffee I'm not yet ready to settle down marry with a kid so it couldn't be Jamie that's I'm not I'm not I'm not mature enough for that I would you Jamie would you Barry's got a cat and I'm not really a cat lover I'm more of a dog kind of guy so therefore it's going to have be M you haven't got any pets or a dog but it's going to have to be I've got nothing TI me down that's basically what you're saying you are a free man you are a free man with no commitments I will happily step into your shoes out of that what what is so different from your life well I quite like my life and I wouldn't want to stray too far from it Ben doesn't have the ties but he just gets to have this so have interest is it a double swap if you get Mike's life does Mike get yours it depends whether Mike would like mine or whether we have to find a third party to switch between oh don't want to seem rude but going to pass where would you go no so I've always wanted to learn how to play chess soit's big night and night big night in night and me and Jamie are on our way to bazes where he and Ben are cooking up well it it's a chocolate mering cake or chocolate a mering and a cake either way we're going to well we're looking forward to it yeah I'm not complaining at all staying in is the new going out but only if you've got great food and Jes with you unfortunately we don't have any other friends but the food is incredible in each of these episodes two of us cook up something awesome to share and to Kickstart Our Big Night right there you go look come on how good do that look that is not just mer it's not just chocolate cake it's a chocolate merang cake well get me a plate then what are we waiting for Cheers Cheers Ben sorry let's begin the judgment to be fair I'm not sure what to judge there's chocolate cake there's cream there's mering and there's almonds you've just put them together that is perfectly balanced it's not over sweet because at the end it was it was natural cream but the whole thing started with the chocolate sponge for the second and fourth layers of our chocolate mer cake we need to make a chocolate sponge so whip up softened butter with egg yolks and sugar until it's light and fluffy then fold in plain flour baking powder and cocoa we're going to loosen the whole mixture up with milk winner you'd make a really good wrapper wouldn't you all the hand movement spread your cake batter into a lined tin you're so good not even cooked yet but it will be quite a thin layer I w't bother cooking it for you obviously my job wasn't good enough so B goes around and again you have to get this bit on camera I'm just making sure it's level no it's on camera mate it's rolling you can't you can't avoid that it is important it's level all the way around good thank you so what part of this did you have to play Basel best bit morang I took over Ben's leftover egg wise whis those up some sugar in it bu it on top of the cake mix and that all goes into the oven and this is where it starts to get interesting with this recipe because we're now going to bake both together so cake in the bottom uh mer on top both baked same tin same oven same temperature same time easy you've done it again you've taken two things that shouldn't be together and made it work they is amazing well as cake cake and sponge and Mero and cream always go together beautiful combination that's obvious but this is the shortcut bakon together all we're going to do is scatter it with toasted almonds or almond flakes they'll toast in the oven and bake them off so here's a question what foods don't go together question from Sonia go I don't think there's anything you can't ever not do because it's all about experimentation you won't find new recipes if you don't try and explore different methods and different flavors but there are some things you should just stay clear of such as the like you know the flavor wheel flavors that compliment each other with the near each other on the wheel fish and lemon or Rich meats and berries what Polar Opposites they're the ones that don't work in my eye so but potato and orange they're just never going to come together in a nice way right well I've got some I've got some orange I've got some potato chips you're an idiot you telling me they don't go together DK one and the other it's fresh it's Tangy it's healthy it's healthy I think we' proved you wrong B but this is an awesome it's two different methods cake and Mer both going into the oven 180° C for 20 minutes then let it cool I am loving I'm loving this I'm surprised how light it feels but you got to remember every layer is packed full of air so the chocolate cake has got baking powder in it that's the raising agent mhm the mer has got air in it that's kind of the bit makes it like fluffy and the cream isn't just cream it's whipped cream so you're whipping air in it so it's just air upon air upon air with a load of sugar so one of the main ingredients in this is air which I have heard is quite healthy yes it's the airiest dessert that's ever existed what was a joke oh sure I just laughed for politeness so this is the bit where it could all go terribly wrong it's the construction yeah you got to be a bit careful with it but basically you need something to stick it all together and that's double cream whipped up it's also good to hide in the cracks so for the construction you want to take your mer slab and cut it in half that way and then the top layer of merang becomes layers 1 and five whereas the bottom layer of chocolate becomes two and four and cream in the middle boom so you want to flip the bottom half over so it's merang on the bottom and then peel back the paper that is a good looking sponge then a generous amount of cream sploded in the middle it looks like a lot of cream but don't forget you've doubled up everything else there two layers of cake there's two layers of Mer there's only one layer of cream and it's unsweetened because there's so much sugar here already we want to balance these flavors there we go now it needs some tidying up so we're going to wipe around all the edges dust it with icing sugar and serve it with our awesome almond lure coffees they're going to love this right as a put out of 10 what's I get um I'd give the cake a nine and the mer is sitting around a six for me so it evens out somewhere to about seveni I think the mer makes it the mering and the armonds make it cuz you need the crunch as well otherwise it's all just gooey you need the Crunch and the texture it does have a really good balance to it before we have seconds can I ask a question Question Time hanisa wants to know Ben yes oh dear specifically Ben oh no if your life was swapped with either Barry Mike or Jam's whose life would you want to live as and why it's such a great question what you thinking about that can you pass me the coffee I'm not yet ready to settle down marry with a kid so it couldn't be Jamie that's I'm not I'm not I'm not mature enough for that I would you Jamie would you Barry's got a cat and I'm not really a cat lover I'm more of a dog kind of guy so therefore it's going to have be M you haven't got any pets or a dog but it's going to have to be I've got nothing TI me down that's basically what you're saying you are a free man you are a free man with no commitments I will happily step into your shoes out of that what what is so different from your life well I quite like my life and I wouldn't want to stray too far from it Ben doesn't have the ties but he just gets to have this so have interest is it a double swap if you get Mike's life does Mike get yours it depends whether Mike would like mine or whether we have to find a third party to switch between oh don't want to seem rude but going to pass where would you go no so I've always wanted to learn how to play chess so\n"