New flavor from the Farmer’s market
Traveling to farmer’s market this season, Brian Wetzstein photographed an interesting new type of garlic, known as black garlic. The garlic, from a new vendor, is dried over the course of many weeks resulting in a black, rich and sweet resultant taste to the garlic that is delightful. This treatment of garlic has evidently been around for a long time present in many Asian cuisines where the hints of tamarind and balsamic vinegar have been enjoyed though elusive to recognize for those with a Western palate. This garlic which is rich in antioxidants and it’s lovely molasses like flavor has been making waves as a recent trend in American cuisine. It wasn’t terribly inexpensive at $3.00 a bulb, but the flavor adds an instant pop to creative sauces that is very alluring. A puree of black garlic simmered with shallots, red bell pepper, olive oil and heavy cream, is a sauce that has a flavor all it’s own, but could almost be compared to a mole sauce in richness, texture and flavor. As the secrets of the Orient open to us, so now we have a gout nouveau to play with in the kitchen.
