#72: Sichuan Peppercorns

So far, #72 sichuan peppercorns are the most fun ingredient I have tried from Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to try in 2007 list. Not because it is unique like the truffle teas or funky like the charcoal peanuts. The fun part is that your tongue goes numb when you eat one of these peppercorns. And in a really different way. It's like only the top layer of your tonque goes numb, not like getting a novicane shot or anything like that.

Sichuan pepper is one of the most ancient Chinese spices and it is know for its tongue-numbing and lip-tingling effects. I only had one and it must not have been enough to tingle my lips, but I am intrigued! I have seen this ingredient all over the place lately but I am not sure if that is because I have just started paying attention to it or if it is becoming more popular in food. Sichuan pepper doesn't taste anything at all like black pepper. And it's not very hot like a red chile pepper or something like that. But they are fun and I look forward to making more recipes with them. So far, I made Numbing-and-Hot Chicken and it was super yummy!

#105: Charcoal Peanuts

I just had to try these. When I saw Charcoal Peanuts listed on the web exclusive list of 15 extra Tastes to Try in 2007 I had no idea what they were. Now that I have ordered them and tasted them, I still don't know what they are!

About the size of a large olive, charcoal peanuts are black and airy. Inside is a peanut, but it is wrapped in the crunchy black coating. At first taste you only notice the peanut and don't get the point for the black coating, but a slight sweetness is noticed once you finish eating it. For some reason it reminds me of the black sand beaches in Hawaii. They are not Hawaiian however, they are from Japan. They are available at Grateful Palate for $9.95 and you get about twenty in the package.

Since I know I won't make all 100 of Food & Wine's Tastes to Try, I am borrowing some from this web list to try and make it closer to 100. One of the neatest things about trying to hit all 100 is finding unique food like these.

#96: Peperoni Cruschi

I received these dried Italian peppers from Zingermans several weeks ago but have not been quite sure what to do with them. I never would have thought to order them on my own, but it is my foodie duty to check them out since they are listed as #96 Peperoni Cruschi on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try.

Very mild chiles from the Massimo family in Basilicato are dried in the sun for a few weeks, fried in a bit of the farm’s own olive oil, then salted. The result is a sweet, smoky, salty, crispy sensation that’s quite habit forming.

I love roasted peppers, especially covered in olive oil and salt. But these are dried and I was not quite sure what to expect. I am told then can be eaten straight, maybe as part of an antipasti platter. And indeed I did try them this way. Honestly, they are just okay. They have some crunch, which is nice, but I don't really associate crunch with roasted peppers. As you can probably tell, I much prefer regular roasted peppers over these. And they should not even be compared because they are not even the same thing. But I just love roasted, oily and salty peppers so much . . .

My love of roasted peppers aside, these Peperoni Cruschi are a good way to add a unique bit of pepper flavor to food. I crunched them up and sprinkled them over some pasta. The flavor isn't over powering and it added an interesting texture to the dish. So they do have their unique place in the foodie world. But at $19 for about 15 small peppers and a $10 shipping charge, I will not be ordering them again.

Tortino Gorgonzola

Everyone who cooks has at least one cookbook that they turn to for comfort. Maybe it is their latest find. Maybe it is a comprehensive cookbook with a lot of recipes. Mine is my first cookbook. I received it as a gift for my bridal shower when I was 21 years old. I lived at home until I got married and never cooked a meal for myself until I moved out. I love Italian cooking and I registered for Trattoria by Patricia Wells and made my first several dinners from that book.

I happened to pull it off of the bookshelf the other day. When I was flipping through it I found a recipe for Tortino Gorgonzola (Individual Gorgonzola Souffles). I immediately thought it would be a good choice to make for this month's Hay, Hay It's Donna blogging event hosted by Running with Tweezers. The theme is Souffles. I have never eaten, let alone baked, a souffle before. So it seemed fitting that the recipe I chose is from the same cookbook I cooked my first official dinner from.

This recipe challenged me a bit. First of all, it serves 8 and I am only 1, so I decided to half it. Actually, when I saw that the Gorgonzola is sold is 4 ounce packages, that confirmed my decision to half it. But 5 eggs are called for! I had to half one egg! And not only that, I had to separate the yolk from the whites of this half egg. It was amusing.

Also, I do not have 1/2 cup ramekins, I have 1 cup ramekins. So I had to double the amounts in the ramekins of my half recipe. More amusement. Of course the cooking time needed to increase, but I just watched until "the souffles are well risen and the tops are browned" as instructed and they came out fine. The souffle was well risen but I just didn't get a picture of it fast enough. There is a good reason 1/2 cup ramekins are suggested however. The souffle is VERY RICH! I could only eat about 2/3rds of one until I absolutely had to put my fork down. So the doggies got what was left from that one plus the whole other souffle. For future reference, do souffles reheat well? I assume they do not.

I enjoyed the individual souffle with a small salad and a wonderful 2004 Dierberg Pinot Noir from Santa Maria Valley that my wine guy suggested when I told him what I was making. He told me it would be good but it was great. Definitely one of the best Pinot Noirs I have ever tasted, and I have tasted many because Pinot Noir is my favorite red wine. I almost choked on it when I was reading the back of the bottle as I sat enjoying my dinner. It was at that time I noticed the price tag: $42.99. The wine guy kept me too busy talking about the souffle I was going to make and I forgot to ask him about the price point of the wine! What a trickster. I'm going to have to watch him from now on. And at that price I figured it might not taste as good if I saved any of it, so I drank the whole bottle and made cupcakes!

Tortino Gorgonzola (serves 8) Ingredients: Butter for preparing the ramekins 2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt Fresh ground black pepper to taste 3/4 cup (100 g) unbleached all-purpose flour 5 large eggs, separated 5 ounces (150 g) imported Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature, crumbled

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Thoroughly butter the bottoms and sides of eight 1/2-cup (125-ml) ramekins.

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, salt, and pepper, and scald over moderately high heat, bringing the mixture just to the boiling point. Reduce the heat to low, and add the flour all at once, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. The sauce will thicken almost immediately. Remove from the heat, and stir in the egg yolks one by one. Then add the Gorgonzola, and stir until the cheese melts into the cream mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites until still but not dry. Whisk one-third of the egg shites into the souffle mixture and combine thoroughly. (Do not be concerned about deflating the egg whites at this point.) With a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites. Do this slowly and patiently. Do not over mix, but be sure that the mixture is well blended and almost no streaks of white remain.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling them three-quarters full, and smoothing out the tops with a spatula. Place the ramekins on a heavy-duty baking sheet and place in the center of the oven. Bake until the souffles are well risen and the tops are browned, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and place each ramekin on a small salad plate. Serve immediately.

#4: Biolea Organic Olive Oil, Imported from Greece

Sometimes I question all the different types of olive oil out there. When a recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil, what difference does it make where it comes from? I usually use a high quality Italian olive oil. But after doing a little bit of research online I find out that there is an entire foodie universe dedicated to olive oils.

For me, I only can really taste the difference when I am eating something simple that shows off the taste of the oil. When adding it to recipes, I have a hard time noticing any difference. I am not a big fan of dipping oils. After a visit to Napa Valley in California several years ago I got into some dried herbs that you add to the olive oils for dipping. They are really great. But that phase passed and now I usually only dip bread in oil when in an Italian restaurant and the oil is piled with freshly grated cheese.

My favorite food to eat with olive oil is tomatoes. I absolutely love sliced tomatoes with olive oil and salt. Sometimes I add balsamic vinegar. When I'm ambitious I add fresh basil and fresh mozzerella to make a Caprese Salad. Lately, I have been eating more of a greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives and feta cheese.

I purchased Biolea Organic Olive Oil since it was the brand suggested as #4 Greek Olive Oil on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. It cost $30 and I ordered it from Kaliroi Imports. The Food & Wine taste-testers gave this organic olive oil high marks. Biolea olive oil is made with olives grown at the Astrikas Estate in Crete. Only their olives are used and it is not blended with olives from anywhere else which makes it stand apart from several other olive oils on the market.

Like Kristen at Dine and Dish, I tasted this Greek olive oil in a variety of ways. The very first was to dip my finger into the bottle as soon as I opened it. But as I mentioned above, I don't really get into plain olive oil. The smell is amazing though it it is quite different from the Italian and Spanish olive oils I had right next to it for comparison. Next, I dunked a few pieces of bread into each of the three oils and tasted it that way. The Spanish was the lightest, barely with an olive flavor. The Italian was the strongest as the olive flavor hit you right away. And the Greek olive oil was in the middle. At first it has a very light taste and the olive flavor comes through subtly, but you definately get the olive taste at the end. It seemed to have the most sophisticated taste of the three.

I had to taste it with some tomatoes to really get the full effect. I made Tula's Country-Style Greek Salad. I'm not sure what it was, but using the Greek olive oil instead of the Italian olive oil that I used last time really made this already awesome salad absolutely amazing. The olives, feta and Greek olive oil blended together perfectly. I also used the Biolea olive oil when making the Eggplant Ricotta Bake. In this dish the olive oil is used to brush on the eggplant slices before roasting. I tasted the roasted eggplant before I put the entire dish together and it was really nice. So I can see a high quality olive oil also being used when roasting vegetables. But when I took a bite of the finished lasagna, there were so many complex tastes I could not pick out the olive oil. So this confirms my theory about not using the super-expensive olive oil in recipes with a bunch of strong ingredients.

#97: A Spoonful of Honey

"The only reason for being a bee is to make honey.
And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it."

Winnie the Pooh

Did anyone know that the bees from Africa make honey? When I think of African Bees I think of Killer Bees. One too many late night movies I suppose. Well, I'm glad they do because Zambezi Organic Forest Honey is really something special.

Hidden in a lush forest at the source of the mighty Zambezi River lives a special honeybee that feeds only on flowering trees. Gathered using sustainable methods, our traditional beekeepers help to preserve the forest as well as the bees.

I do not know much about honey and I am certainly no honey connoisseur. I purchase a bottle of honey from the local grocery store from time to time, mostly when it is called for in a recipe. When I have it in the house I sometimes add it to tea. The only reason I bought this special honey is because it is part of my project to taste each item on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try for this year. #97 on the list is African Honey. Zambezie Honey was the recommended honey from Food & Wine.

I used this honey when I made Corn Bread with Scallions. However the honey flavor was not very noticeable in that recipe. So to really try it, I had to be like Winnie the Pooh and just stick my paw in a take a taste. It is so good! Ever since I have been having a finger full each night, straight out of the jar.

Honey has become all the rage lately. It is coming is all sorts of flavors and from all parts of the world. In fact, I just ordered some Lavender Honey from Spain at Tienda.com earlier today. Zambezie honey is made in Africa. I purchased this 16-ounce jar online from Zambezie's website for $9.95.

Zambezie Organic Forest Honey honey has so many things going for it. It's organic so it comes from pure sources. The bees live wild in the forests near the Zambezi River of Africa. Since the bees are in their natural habitat, they do not feed on anything except their natural diet of wild flowers. Their website describes the taste: "You first discern a pleasant woodsy aroma, with hints of toasted caramel. The taste is slightly spicy, with subtle tangs of red currant. The warm amber hue is reminiscent of sunrise over the African forest." Doesn't that just sound delicious? I'm not the only one who thinks so . . . Kate from Kate in the Kitchen also gave it a positive review.

Have any of you tried or heard of any other interesting honey's lately? Also, does anyone have any creative uses for honey?

Gordon Ramsay Makes Dog Food

Gordon Ramsay's 'F' Word was hysterical tonight. First, he decided to enter a dog food contest. So to determine which recipe to submit, he took one dish from each of his four chefs down to the dog pound. He then picked out a dog that looked like each chef and let the dogs pick the winner. One dog ate the fastest and cleaned his plate while one didn't even touch the food at all. That determined the winner and loser. So off went his submission to the contest.

Later he has some sir guy do a blind taste test with wine. There were three rounds and he had to pick which was the expensive wine and which was the "celebrity" wine. Bob Dylan, Olivia Newton-John and someone else were the celebrity wines. The sir guy got the first one correct but picked Olivia Newton-John's wine and Bob Dylan's over the expensive one. The Bob Dylan wine went up against his own which which he makes and sells so he even failed against that. I didn't even know Bob Dylan and Olivia Newton-John had their own wines.

When he ventures out to a single father's house to teach him how to cook for his two children he can't get a cab. Not because there are none available, but because he said something nasty about London's cab driver a few years ago and now no cab driver will pick him up!

In his restaurant he has three stock brokers as the amateur chefs this week. At the restaurant they served Sautéed potatoes with red mullet and anchovy (all 50 customers paid), Saddle of lamb with apricot and cumin stuffing (21 customers refused to pay), Summer pudding with lime crème fraiche (12 customers refused to pay). All goes pretty well, but Gordon doesn't trust them to make the dessert which is donuts. Below is a clip of him getting all frustrated with the amateurs (there is ALOT OF SWEARING) and it is the maddest he gets all episode, but it's classic Gordon.

Top 50 Things Every Foodie Should Do

The UK's Observer has a section called Food Monthly. I just stumbled upon an interesting list that they published a year an a half ago in May of 2005. While celebrating their 50th edition they enlisted several high-profile British foodies such as Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater to help devise the list of The Top 50 Things Every Foodie Should Do.

It's a quite comprehensive list. There are some good traditional standards that every cook should partake in such as dismembering a chicken and boiling a freshly laid egg. But the fun comes in with some of the more adventuresome suggestions such as diving for sea urchins or making love in a vineyard.

I feel a bit empowered since I have already done a handful of items on the list. My absolute favorite is #15 stomping grapes. That is always something I have wanted to do even though I know I will look just like Lucille Ball. It has to be an amazingly good time. And I bet it's much harder than it looks.

I can think of a few things that aren't on the list. If I were asked to contribute, I would have added "Eat from a street vendor in a major American city." It doesn't matter if it's a hot dog on the streets of NYC or a tamale from the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, our culture lies in our communities.

#15: Salty, Sugary, Crunchy. . . Popcorn!

I knew Aspen Kettle Corn was the first thing I wanted to order when I saw it listed as #15 on Food & Wine Magazine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. I love popcorn and it seemed more comfortable and familiar to me than other items on the list. I placed my order on a Sunday evening and received my popcorn the following Thursday. It arrived via U.S. Priority Mail. Their website mentions a two-bag minimum but somehow it allowed me to order only one. I wasn't paying attention, I thought I would get two. I wish I ordered six. Each bag is $6.00 and the shipping to Florida cost $7.50. And it is very, very much worth the price. I could smell it while I was carrying the box into my house and my mouth started watering while I was opening up my other mail.

Be warned if you try this: it is ADDICTING. You will CRAVE this. I couldn't stop eating it when I "tasted" it before dinner. And then I went at it again after dinner. Between those two sittings I ate half the bag. Just me, by myself. Well, my little parrot snuck a few kernels out of the bag and he loved it too. And of course I had to toss a few down to the dogs, but that only totalled about a handful. The rest was all me and I enjoyed every piggy bite of it. This is so good I'm going to be ordering it for my friends as housewarming presents and maybe place a few orders next Christmas.

Kristen over at Dine and Dish is spot on as she describes the back and forth between sweet and salty which you will experience. My first impression was that it reminded me of carmel corn. Very, very light and fresh carmel corn. And then the salt hit me and it reminded me of really good hot air popped popcorn. It is not greasy at all. And there is barely any corn syrup on it, just enough to give a nice, subtle sweetness. So it is still really healthy. There is no nutritional information on the package so I am not positive, but I think it is a pretty safe snack. I'd say it's great for the dieters out there to get a sweet fix in a healthy way, but I know there is no possible way to enforce any type of portion control because it's just too damn good.

So what are you waiting for? Go order some. Now. SOMEONE in your life has to like popcorn (if not you) and you will impress anyone you get this for. I know I'm going to be placing another order very soon.

#25: Mmm... Cheese!

I love cheese. All kinds of cheese. Some people say they like cheese, but they really just like food smothered in cheese. I like just plain cheese. I enjoy cutting a little chunk and nibbling on it with some grapes. I don't even use crackers.

Today I received a package from Formaggio Kitchen. I ordered two Artisanal Swiss Cheeses so I could taste #25 on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes To Try in 2007. I ordered the two cheeses suggested by Food & Wine: Gruyere Vieux and Bündner Bergkäse Andeerer. The shipping to Florida was $20.49 for two-day delivery which I had to do since the cheeses are perishable.

I've learned a little bit about cheese through this process. When I tasted them I knew that I liked them both, but was having a hard time finding words to describe them. So I read about the cheeses a bit as I was tasting them. I paid attention to what kind of milk they were made from, their consistency, and while chewing I tried to find the flavors which the cheese company described. It's funny how when someone tells you something has a "medium-strong" flavor you can try and look for it and understand what they are talking about - but only while it is still in your mouth.

Both of the cheeses are made from cow's milk and come from Switzerland. Neither is a "Swiss" cheese with holes in it like we Americans are used to. They might be considered "organic" to some because the cows are fed in their pastures and the entire process seems quite natural and traditional.

Gruyere Vieux ($11.95) is my favorite of the two. It's a hard cheese that reminds me of manchego. I fell in love with manchego about five years ago when someone at a wine store suggested I try manchego cheese with my pinot noir wine. The combination is magical. And since then manchego has been my favorite cheese. But what I discovered today is that it's not necessarilly the way that manchego tastes that attracts me to it, it's the consistency of the cheese. It's solid but when you take a bite it kinds of crumbles or flakes as you chew it. There is almost a grittiness to it. The crumbles kind of dissintegrate on your tongue like salt does which I think is really interesting. Gruyere Vieux acts the same way. And I didn't realize it on my own, but while reading the description of Gruyere Vieux on the website, I do notice a nutty flavor. That must be why I like it so much.

Bündner Bergkäse Andeerer ($16.95) is softer to the touch than the Gruyere Vieux. I have never tried any other cheese that has a similar consistancy so I have nothing to compare it too. But the end result is a creamier texture while tasting it. There is an interesting story on Formaggio's website about this cheese. Apparently it is created by one of the only female cheese makers in Switzerland. The milk comes from one of only 5 small farmers and maybe these special touches are why this cheese has won several awards in the past few years.


note* 1 ounce of cheese is 3 Weight Watchers points.

#67: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For . . . Curry?

When I saw that Exotic Ice Cream was number 67 on Food & Wine Magazine's 100 Tastes To Try in 2007, I was a bit suspicious. There seemed nothing new about exotic ice cream. I have been seeing mango and coconut ice creams on menus for years. But apparently mangoes and coconuts just do not cut it in the exotic category anymore.

Vosges Haute-Chocolate has now added ice-cream to their list of sweet treats. Probably best know for their truffles, Vosges has been playing with unique flavor combinations for years. I remember the first time I walked into the purple Vosges store in the Bloomingdale's building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It was such a small shop. I think this was in 1994 because my cousin had taken me there to sample chocolates we were going to give away as party favors to the guests at my bridal shower. Not only do they offer top-quality chocolate, but the flavors are so amazing they seem almost crazy the first time you read them. Try an Absinthe truffle that tastes like licorice and is sprinkled on top with ground Chinese star anise. Or their Sal de Mar which has sea-salt and caramel. You can even get your Italian fix with one of their truffles such as the one made with balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate and hazelnuts.

As soon as I discovered that the Exotic Ice Creams I needed to taste as part of my undertaking of Food & Wine's 100 tastes were from Vosges, I got excited. They have taken four of their best-selling truffles and have turned them into ice cream! Naga and Red Fire from their Exotic Collection and Pandan and Wattleseed from their Chocolate Chakra Collection are the four flavors Vosges selected to begin their foray into frozen treats.

Naga - Sweet Indian Curry and Fresh Young Coconut in a creamy custard ice cream.

Pandan - Pandan Leaf Extract, similar to vanilla wafers with a touch of pine nut, and dark chocolate

Red Fire - Ancho & Chipotle Chillies, Ceylon Cinnamon and dark chocolate

Wattleseed - Aboriginal Wattleseed, which tastes like chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and vanilla all in one, with macadamia nuts

I was so excited when I came home from work today and a box from Vosges Haute-Chocolate was sitting by my door. I knew the collection of Exotic Ice Creams were waiting for me. I ordered them from their online store since there is not a Vosges shop near me. I know, ordering ice cream to be delivered seems crazy, but the package arrived safe and sound and completely frozen. Inside the cardboard box was a silver type of cooler with two pieces of dry ice. The ice cream was frozen SOLID. So solid that I almost bent my spoon trying to taste one before it softened up. I had to wait for over an hour with them sitting out on my counter before I could get my first bite.

This item is a splurge. I could not just purchase one flavor, I had to buy all four. The ice cream cost $45 and over-night shipping was another $31. But once that first bit of ice cream melted on my tongue, I decided it was worth every penny.

Right off the bat I'd say that two of these ice creams are like no other ice creams you have ever tasted before. The best way I can describe Red Fire is to say that it tastes like Big Red chewing gum. You are hit right away with cinnamon, but the chiles give off a heat that lasts in your mouth for alot longer than you expect. I think Naga, with it's curry flavor, has to be the most interesting. This is the only one out of the three that is yogurt-based. At first it is sweet and coconuty. Then the curry comes through and lingers a while. This is the one out of the bunch that doesn't necessarily remind me of dessert. It is much more elegant. Like you should have some at tea-time with a glass of champagne.

The Pandan and Wattleseed flavors are more familiar, and yet the are both difficult for me to articulate. (hee hee, I just had to get up and taste them both again. are you jealous?) I suppose Pandan tastes similar to a hazelnut. It definately is richer and nuttier tasting than something like green tea (which is what I expected a Pandan Leaf to taste like for some reason). I don't know what a Wattleseed is, but I think it may be one of the best natural flavors on earth. Vosges is spot on with their description of this spice/nut: chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and vanilla all in one. And what could be better than that? Vosges Wattleseed ice cream delivers the ultimate indulgence for someone with a sophisticated sweet-tooth.

Am I happy with this splurge? Yes. The flavors are so complex that I can not imagine sitting down and eating a bowl of this ice cream like I would with mint-chocolate-chip. A spoonful or two really wakes up the tastebuds. So I think these ice creams will last me a long time.

note* a half of a cup of any of the flavors of ice cream is 8 Weight Watchers points.