Blogging By Mail: Little Things

I got my package today! The Blogging By Mail theme this time was "Little Things". I created mine on a "little things from Chicago" theme. I received an amazing mix of teas, chocolates and spices! I am a HUGE tea fan and this stash will last me a while. As for the spices, I received some really interesting Indian spices which I would not have purchased myself. I'm so excited to play with it all.

# 53: African Spice - Harissa

Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 lists African spices and tea as #53:

What happens when intellectuals get together to save native plants, develop local business and help impoverished communities in Africa? They launch a line of spices and herbal teas called Mpuntu. The vanilla-scented mondia whitei spice is exotic; the lemongrass tea from Zambia is soothingly familiar (asnapp.org).

I could not figure out how to order anything from the listed website but I was lucky to find several African spice mixes in The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson. I made a batch of Harissa which Marcus describes as "a fiery red paste that can be found in virtually every Tunisian kitchen. It's the hottest spice mix in the region." And spicy it is! I used it for his Harissa Roasted Turkey and Stuffing recipe. I'm not sure what else I would use it for - the cookbook suggests an accompaniment to couscous or as a flavoring for spice and stews.

Harissa (makes 1 1/4 cups) 3/4 cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. ground caraway 1 cup mild chili powder 1 Tbsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. chopped mint

Heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and saute until golden, about 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the caraway, chili powder, coriander, salt and mint and stir to combine. Let cool.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous

I haven't made anything from Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine in a while. I found this recipe for Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous in the April, 2007 issue. This recipe was part of a feature in an article about buying in bulk - like at Costco or Sam's Club. I'm a big fan of roasted chicken legs and also couscous so I knew I needed to try this out.

I chose to marinade the chicken over night because that is just easier since I have a full time job and hectic work weeks. So it ended up being pretty quick to throw everything together. I love when quick and easy dinners during the week end up having so much flavor - and this definitely did. Using yogurt as a marinade is new to me, so that was fun to experiment with something new. I ended up halving the recipe and I had enough food for dinner, leftover lunch and a bit for the dogs.

You can find the recipe for Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous on the Every Day with Rachael Ray website.

Spiced Egg Salad

Oh man, this is ANOTHER really surprising recipe. I don't eat egg salad. And I surely don't make it. But I just cracked open The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson and this recipe for Spiced Egg Salad jumped out at me. This cookbook is filled with recipes for African cuisine. I am still very unfamiliar the spices, cooking techniques and even common foods. I think I have only tried African food one time and I let the waiter suggest something. It seemed like a perfect starting place for me because it is full of ingredients that I am familiar with (except for the bird's eye pepper, but I just used a jalapeno). There are no special sauces or spice mixtures I needed to make.

This is not your typical egg salad! No yellow creamy and tangy sauce. This is made with fresh global ingredients. The tomatoes make it refreshing. The eggs make it fulfilling. Peanuts add crunch and the spices add flavor. The cilantro and lime add the perfect finish. I hard-boiled the eggs the night before to save some time, but it is pretty quick to put together (buying fresh tomatoes and onions already diced would make it even faster). I love that it is served a room temperature. I think it's going to taste even better when I bring it for lunch tomorrow because the flavors will have been melding together a bit more.

I'm sure you can make a sandwich out of this, but I just ate it plain. I didn't want the bread to dull any of the flavoring. But I think it would go really, really well with a whole-wheat pita.

Since my first recipe turned out so well, I'm really excited for this book. Yesterday they announced that The Soul of a New Cuisine has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in the International category (I wrote an article listing all the nominees at PaperPalate.net).

Spiced Egg Salad (4 servings) 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 1/4 cup unsalted blanched dry-roasted peanuts 1 bird's eye chili, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped 2 small red onions, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon soy sauce Juice of 1 lime 1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat. Add the peanuts and saute until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chilies, onions, and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, ginger, and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Gently fold in the eggs, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce, lime juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and the salt. Serve at room temperature.

#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!

#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.

Top 10 Flavor Pairings of 2007

I first read about this over at slashfood. Each year, McCormick, the well-known spice company, creates a list of the top ten flavor pairings (press release) for the upcoming year.

Along with the flavor experts at McCormick, some of America’s top chefs, television personalities, and cookbook authors contributed their thoughts to the Flavor Forecast.

Supposedly, these are the tastes we will be finding on the menus of our favorite restaurants and in new recipes. This year, their predicted flavor pairings are:

* Clove and Green Apple
* Thyme and Tangerine
* Tellicherry Black Pepper and Berry
* Sea Salt and Smoked Tea
* Lavender and Honey
* Crystallized Ginger and Salted Pistachio
* Cumin and Apricot
* Toasted Mustard and Fennel Seeds
* Wasabi and Maple
* Caramelized Garlic and Riesling Vinegar

The all sound interesting to me. Looks like alot of sweet and salty - my favorite combo. I can see sea salt and smoked tea or wasabi and maple flavoring some kind of fish. Lavender and honey sounds like dessert or tea. What does lavender taste like anyways?

UPDATE: McCormick has created a Flavor Forecast 2007 page on their website with further descriptions and recipes.