Using Black pepper

[guzzirider]

Hi folks,

New gullet member here. I was browsing through the topics and this one caught my eye. I've always considered using pepper in food sort of like using salt in chocolate chip cookies - you may not think you need it, and if you use the right amount, you may not really *notice* it in the final result, but if you omit it entirely, you probably won't like it.

The dish that really opened my eyes to what pepper can do was probably Marco Carrozza's deviled strawberries here in philly a while back. If memory serves, on the bottom of the plate was a basalmic reduction. On top of that were a couple small scoops of blood orange sorbetto, and some fresh sliced strawberries. Then it was finished with chocolate shavings and cracked black pepper. I had no idea what to expect, but it blew me away. In this context, the black pepper gave the dessert a sort of spicy quality - similar to using cinnamon, or something of that nature.

Gave me a whole new respect for pepper!

__Jason

Edited May 26, 2004 by guzzirider (log)

[Marlene]

I adore pepper. I have several different pepper grinders in my house I actually started using it when I gave up using salt a few years ago, and now, I can really taste the difference without it.

I put salt on cantaloupe though

[eunny jang]

I love melon and pepper.

While some may think that "salt and pepper" in recipes is ubiquitous and perhaps unnecessary, salt and pepper, alone, is a whole flavor that is underappreciated. Utz Salt and Pepper potato chips. Steak au poivre, or peppercorn-crusted anything, for that matter. A properly baked potato is wonderful to eat with nothing but salt and pepper.

[Enzian]

I can't wait to try the salt and pepper on watermelon, this summer.

Am I the only one who thinks that a nuked "baked" potato is nothing more than a pepper delivery system? A little fleur du sel, and a ton of black pepper.

For the record, I have a 12" Mr. Dudley for black pepper and a small mill for white pepper.

I like the flavor of white pepper; it seems more subdued to me, and I use it at the table - but not on baked potatos. However, when I grind it, I get a strong scent of, well... a barnyard. Matter of fact, that's what my wife calls it - "The Barnyard", as in, "Please pass The Barnyard."

I've chalked it up to the "aromatic" quality of white pepper, and have grown to enjoy it's scent, to a degree. I can't help but feel like I'm playing the part of Townsman #5234 in "The Emperor's New Clothes"...

Is this the normal aroma of white pepper?

[andiesenji]

I also use various types of pepper, although my favorite black (at present) is the Tellicherry extra bold from Penzey's.

I have a small shaker in which I mix fresh ground pepper and kosher salt and carry in my pocket when I am meandering around my garden just in case a ripe tomato should happen to fall into my hand. And of course there are the Persian cucumbers that are coming along just fine.

Apricots from my old heirloom tree also benefit from a judicious application of pepper and salt, not to mention the ripe peaches which will be coming along in July.

Much of this goes back to my childhood when my cousins and I used to sneak out of the house with a salt shaker and visit the apple orchard. Green apples with salt.....lovely, as long as one remembered that there was a limit, otherwise a tummy ache. The green corn, the little ears that were entirely edible, cob and all. Nothing like the rather tasteless canned baby corn that shows up in salad bars... Geez, now I am hungry. You guys are a bad influence.

[bobmac]

I have wondered the same thing. I have often added it "cuz you're sposed to" and wondered why or, couldn't see that it added anything, or could see that it added inappropriate black specs but didn't do anything for flavor.

Black specks sounds like pre-ground pepper. My wife laughs at me for carrying my own small pepper mill to restaurants that might not have one, but I add pepper because I like the taste.

[faronem]

At a recent dinner, I had some questions about how to properly season.

I mostly focused my answer around salt and gave a demonstration with salted vs. non-salted tonic water I saw in cooking school.

However, one friend then asked about the role of black pepper, that is the final step of any savory recipe she's seen: "salt and pepper to taste".

I talked about black pepper's spiciness, pungency, and sharpness but never felt like I was able to really answer her question.

Since then, I've been thinking more about the role of black pepper as a flavor enhancer (as opposed to as an ingredient).

Although I find I have an intuitive sense of how to use it, I find I'm still lacking the words.

How would you describe the role of black pepper, including how it changes one's sense of taste and flavor?

Can anyone recommend a simplistic demonstration?

[mr drinkie]

I think black pepper also enhances the smell and that makes it more appealing. White pepper (the inner seed) just doesn't have that same aromatic 'pull' for me, though it has great flavor. When restaurants take that big pepper grinder and grind it right in front of you, I think they are also enhancing the air around your food and you get that fresh ground woodsy smell to enjoy. Then the cracked pepper (and aroma) sits on top of your food and continues to provide aromatic assistance.

Outside of the aroma, once the spice is added into the food it adds 'hotness'. I think one of the problems for we in the west is that we traditionally thought of four basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Then the Japanese added savory (i.e., umami) and countries within China's area of influence also have a fifth basic taste: piquance or hotness.

I think your question is a good one, but I also think we just aren't culturally used to discussing 'hot' as a taste.

Of course, I could be very wrong about this. I'm humble enough to just love pepper in ignorance.

k.

[BeeZee]

another uneducated opinion, but I think pepper brings a certain "sharpness" to the flavor...think about strawberries with balsamic and black pepper, vs. a pepper crusted tuna steak. Different flavor profiles, but in both cases the pepper brings something deep out of the flavor.

[Darienne]

another uneducated opinion, but I think pepper brings a certain "sharpness" to the flavor...think about strawberries with balsamic and black pepper, vs. a pepper crusted tuna steak. Different flavor profiles, but in both cases the pepper brings something deep out of the flavor.

Never tried strawberries with pepper, but popcorn without pepper is now unthinkable.

In the last few years it seems that many more foods/dishes feature pepper than I can remember from before. Pepper in potato chips...very nice. Orange-Szechwan Pepper ice cream from DL's The Perfect Scoop...exquisite. My new absolute favorite: oranges and pepper.

[djyee100]

I can't remember where I got this idea (a cooking teacher?) but when I tried this experiment on myself, it answered my questions about black pepper.

Put a black peppercorn in your mouth and chew on it. What does it really taste like? That's the flavor you're adding to the food. To me, black pepper not only tastes hot, but also sweet, fruity, and umami. (BeeZee, I think the umami explains why black pepper deepens flavors.) Keep water and a paper napkin handy! At some point you will want to spit out that peppercorn and rinse your mouth!

Try the experiment with a white peppercorn, too. For me, the difference between the two peppers was striking.

[mr drinkie]

That is interesting you say fruity because I also pick that up. Actually peppercorns are dried pepper fruit, so it makes sense.

Btw, I also love putting cracked pepper on cantaloupe and watermelon. I did it once, and now I never eat melons without fresh pepper.

[Shalmanese]

While it's properties as a spice cannot be ignored, I think a large part of the puzzle can be ascribed to historical accident. Pepper went from something prized & highly sought after to something relatively inexpensive in a relatively short amount of time. As a result, it became the default spice to add a bit of downscale luxury to a dish for the middle class. This, I think is why the western palate has grown accustomed to pepper as a default flavor in food.

Personally, I think that while pepper is great and I use it a lot, there are a number of other flavor pairings from around the world that I also frequently draw upon for the same role that pepper plays.

Salt & Szechuan Peppercorn, Tabasco, Cayenne, Gremolata, Fish Sauce & Japanese Furikake are all things I've used to give a similar boost.

[nakji]

A friend just came back from Sarawak with a bottle of reasonably fresh peppercorns for me. The smell off of them is incredible: you can smell the oil almost like pine resin. I'd like to make a recipe that really shows off the flavour, but I'm interested in your opinions.

Salt and pepper squid/shrimp are out, since my husband doesn't eat any seafood. (*sigh)

I was thinking about a cacio & pepe, but I don't have any particularly good pasta right now.

Any other ideas?

[andiesenji]

I add black pepper to shortbread and make other cookies with it.

Look at these recipes

It's not an uncommon flavoring - it was very popular in medieval times and during the Elizabethan era in all kinds of sweets.

Boiled honey confections flavored with black pepper were common.

[rarerollingobject]

Yotam Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu makes incredible use of black pepper, 5 Tbsp worth (though I bump it up more, maybe 7 Tbsp).

The recipe is here, but I have to say the pic in his book and the actual result look nothing like the photo on that page, more like the photo on this one.

[Mjx]

I was thinking spice cookies, but if it smells so good fresh, I'm thinking that incorporating it into a dish right before serving it would really show it off.

I also add it to ginger tea, even when I don't have a cold.

[Pierogi]

OHHHHHHHH, Mjx just lit a brain cell or 2 for me.

Pfeffernusse ! They're a German spice cookie usually made around the holidays. Some recipes don't use black pepper, but most do. They're sort of hard & crunchy and rolled in powdered sugar. An aquired taste, but if you like spicy, and peppery, they're quite good.

I don't have a recipe, but just pulled up a bunch from our buddy Google.

[Blether]

It's a shame you'll miss carbonara, but egg dishes, in general, I'd say. Or strawberries, if you get them in winter as you'll remember having done in Japan.

Otherwise, one of =&chefs[]=&programmes[]="]these ?

[Doodad]

Our favorite local Chinese place has a menu item called Black Pepper {insert protein}.

I am not sure it is authentic in any way, but it sure is good. The meat is treated like General Tso's with the batter chock full of pepper. The sauce is less sticky sweet than Tso's and has pepper in it as well. It really is good.

Other than that, a good Steak Au Poivre makes me happy.

[Darienne]

Popcorn with olive oil and black pepper is one. Pepper ice cream is another. Both wonderful!

[Lisa Shock]

You can infuse vodka with it for a tasty drink.

[Tri2Cook]

One of my Thai books has a recipe in it for a black pepper pork dish. I don't remember which book and don't remember the name of the dish but I've done it. It's tasty if you like heavy on the pepper (which I do). I'll have to browse through my books and figure out where I saw it. It's a book I've had for at least 15 years so it's not new. For some reason I'm thinking it was really simple with cracked pepper and fish sauce featuring prominently but I could be wrong, it's been a while.

[nakji]

It's a shame you'll miss carbonara, but egg dishes, in general, I'd say. Or strawberries, if you get them in winter as you'll remember having done in Japan.

Otherwise, one of =&chefs[]=&programmes[]="]these ?

Yeah, we do get strawberries in February too - but they taste like February strawberries - tasteless. The pan-fried figs with black pepper and yogurt from the BBC site looks seriously delicious, however.

One of my Thai books has a recipe in it for a black pepper pork dish. I don't remember which book and don't remember the name of the dish but I've done it. It's tasty if you like heavy on the pepper (which I do). I'll have to browse through my books and figure out where I saw it. It's a book I've had for at least 15 years so it's not new. For some reason I'm thinking it was really simple with cracked pepper and fish sauce featuring prominently but I could be wrong, it's been a while.

Oh, that sounds excellent and quite up my alley. Was it minced pork or strips, maybe?

[Kerry Beal]

Roast those February strawberries with a bit of sugar and add the pepper. I made a roasted strawberry crumble (or crisp - can't recall which is which) while I was up north a few weeks back and added lots of pepper to it.