Thursday, July 23, 2009

Mangosteen



Sweet, refreshing, delicious -- straight from Thailand. Never thought I'd get these at a market here in SF, the world is definitely getting smaller.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Black Garlic



HM was kind enough to share some of her black garlic with me. It is similar in texture to roasted garlic -- soft and ready to eat. Eaten plain I found it savory sweet with a more tempered garlic bite, a distinct umami flavor and a pungent roast garlic scent. HM gave the perfect description: roasted garlic with a balsamic flavor and a slight tamarind note.

To get an idea of how to use it, I tried it five different ways on bread: butter, brie, goat cheese, tomato, tomato and basil. I liked all the applications except for the butter, my favorite was with the goat cheese to spread out and carry the flavor and balance the sweetness with a salt and acid.


Thursday, July 9, 2009

Hetch Hetchy Soda


Last week, I had a lot of leftover candied fruit and syrup that I made for my fruit ice creams. Because my belly would explode if I turned all this sweet fruitiness into ice cream, I left it sitting in the fridge. After a couple of days, I started mixing it with fizzy mineral water and lemonade. R and HM advised me to get this contraption to turn tap into soda. (HM makes her own delicious rhubarb soda.) Thanks to them, I'm now drinking my own cherry limonata. Cheers!