McCormick Spice Flavor Forecast 2007
Grandma Annie always had a filled candy jar, especially this time of year, when Christmas leftovers were plentiful. More often than not, her jar was packed with little red-and-white striped pillows stuffed with peppermint creme.What I very soon discovered was that more goodies were tucked away behind the centerpiece on her dining room buffet: Salted peanuts.
At about age 6, I tried the two together — mint and nut — and a lifelong craving for salt and sugar combinations was born.
I still cannot resist an unusual combination. It need not be sweet and salty. Mustard is one of my favorites: When honey-mustard flavors became widely available in everything from pretzels to potato chips, I was ecstatic.
A recipe that features unconventional pairings is irresistible to me. Fortunately, they are all over the blogosphere.
In January, when McCormick Spices sends out its annual flavor forecast to food writers I am always intrigued.
This year the top 10 pairings are, according to McCormick:
• Clove and green apple
• Thyme and tangerine
• Tellicherry black pepper and berry
• Sea salt and smoked lavender
• Lavendar and honey
• Crystallized ginger and salted pistachio
• Cumin and apricot
• Toasted mustard and fennel seeds
• Wasabi and Maple
• Carmelized garlic and Riesling vinegar
Lavender and honey, of course, are old friends.
Clove and green apple I can imagine: A burst of fresh tempered by a bite. I dipped a dried apricot into cumin and was instantly transported to a Middle East bazaar.
Thyme and tangerine: A heady night in the Mediterranean. Mustard seed and fennel? Provence, sunny and sweet. Sea salt and smoked tea: Imagine this rubbed into a steak, grilled to perfection.
You can try these and the others in recipes offered by McCormick. (No, I am not paid by McCormick. But I do get a a lot of interesting food mail at my day job. The annual flavor forecast is my favorite.)
What's your favorite taste combination? Be bold — and unconventional. (I like apple jelly on soda crackers, another throwback to childhood.)
Comments
Have fun with your experiments!
A year os so ago, someone gave us some chocolates that were very layered in taste, lots of chile pepper, etc., but also hints of lime and herbs. It was like trying to identify the elements in a glass of wine.
Of course, I've loved chocolate and orange for years.
But, trust me, for the most part, middle America is not pairing clove with green apple.
I used to love soda crackers dipped in Coca-Cola. Fruit and any kind of poultry has been a favorite pairing for years.
I resolve to make 2007 the year of new and daring tastes.
Like Andrea, my strange taste combo involves Peanut Butter as well, but it is peanut butter and mustard sandwiches. Sounds gross, I know, but it really is pretty good!
Very good, very hearty, very Midwest. I think the dish would go well with corn bread.
I like jam on cornbread, by the way, preferably apple.
I like grapes and blue cheese.
Sel de fleur on carmels!