I hate sweet and meat.

[Smarmotron]

I must say that I absolutely hate -- detest -- anything combining sweet with meat (or sweet with most vegetables). It seems I am in a minority by far, judging by the amount of sweet sauces that exist. I even had friends who would dunk fried chicken in honey. And I hate "honey ham" and "honey turkey" and "glazed ham" and "honey wheat bread: now with honey pockets". And today I helped myself at lunch to a steaming bowl of Mulligatawny soup -- and was horrified to find that it was sweet.

I can't help myself, I just hate it. And I consider myself a rather adventurous eater, too - I'll give anything a try, and like most stuff I eat.

Does anyone else detest the prevalence of sweet with meat?

[pixelchef]

Sorry, I'm playing for the other team on this one, bud.

How can you hate honey bacon, or prosciutto and figs, or apples/apricots/etc. with pork.

I guess I'm just a sweetie. (you like sweeties, right ladies? )

[Elissa]

with you Smarm, contra sweet: honey mustard most of all

Edited May 16, 2003 by lissome (log)

[jhlurie]

I'm in the middle. I think sweet and meat CAN work. Just that it rarely DOES work.

I've talked about it elsewhere but one of the few combos like this that I predictably like is Bacon and Pineapple.

[maggiethecat]

Sorry, I'm playing for the other team on this one, bud.

How can you hate honey bacon, or prosciutto and figs, or apples/apricots/etc. with pork.

I guess I'm just a sweetie.  (you like sweeties, right ladies?  )

I'm a sweetie too. Pork loin stuffed with prunes and apples and braised in cream and wine? Anyone?

[Al_Dente]

The name of the dish is escaping me, but I cooked it for an ex-girlfriend of mine. She loved it and thereafter referred to me as "sweet meat". When she called me that in front of others, I'd look around for the intrigued expressions on their faces.

Al Dente's Sweet Meat

Pork Tenderloin Medallions pounded out to an inch thick

Prosciutto

Fresh Sage

Toothpicks

Sherry or Madeira or whatever sweetish fortified wine you might dig

Slap a sage leaf or two on top of the medallion, cover it with a slice of prosciutto, lace a toothpick through to hold in place. Sear it on both sides, finish in oven if necessary, and deglaze pan with the wine until syrupy.

Voila, sweet meat. Actually, I'm cooking for a woman I've recently met tonight... it worked last time, might as well give it a go...

Edited May 16, 2003 by Al_Dente (log)

[Jinmyo]

How can you hate honey bacon, or prosciutto and figs, or apples/apricots/etc. with pork.

Like this:

Gah.

[KateW]

The combination of sweet and meat isn't one of my favorites either. I used to hate honey mustard but now if it's done right, it's pretty good on fried chicken fingers. I've never cooked a sweet sauce with meat myself and I rarely choose it at restaurants but I can't say I hate it.

[bilrus]

I know I just made a maple glaze for a pork tenderloin that was very good, but only because I included some cumin, salt and pepper (red and black). Straight sweet is a little too much.

It seems to me like every sweet / meat combination mentioned so far has included pork. Anyone know of (or like) combinations with other meats or fish?

[Elissa]

In Arabic and Moorish food one finds lamb and fish with dates.

Edited May 16, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I know I just made a maple glaze for a pork tenderloin that was very good, but only because I included some cumin, salt and pepper (red and black).  Straight sweet is a little too much.

It seems to me like every sweet / meat combination mentioned so far has included pork.  Anyone know of (or like) combinations with other meats or fish?

I do the best sweet and meat....

Pork Tenderloin marinated in Chipotle/Adobo with Bacon-Mango Sauce (use Neuske's--I should get check from that co.), and smoked mashed potatoes. You'd switch...

[Lady T]

I'm curious, Smarmotron: what do you do with/for/about vegetables with a sizable sugar component, like Vidalia onions or yams?

[sandra]

The name of the dish is escaping me, but I cooked it for an ex-girlfriend of mine. She loved it and thereafter referred to me as "sweet meat". When she called me that in front of others, I'd look around for the intrigued expressions on their faces.

Al Dente's Sweet Meat

Pork Tenderloin Medallions pounded out to an inch thick

Prosciutto

Fresh Sage

Toothpicks

Sherry or Madeira or whatever sweetish fortified wine you might dig

Slap a sage leaf or two on top of the medallion, cover it with a slice of prosciutto, lace a toothpick through to hold in place. Sear it on both sides, finish in oven if necessary, and deglaze pan with the wine until syrupy.

Voila, sweet meat. Actually, I'm cooking for a woman I've recently met tonight... it worked last time, might as well give it a go...

If you had used veal it would be saltimbocca - consider it a variation....

[tissue]

Then can you eat Thai food? It has sweet, spicy, sour, savory flavors all at once?

The French use a lot of fruits with meat/game.

Orange duck, pheasant with grapes, duck with cherries....

[tommy]

the Soup Dragons have a great song called "Sweet Meat", although i'm not convinced they're talking about duck and orange sauce.

i can't stand duck and "orange" sauce. so many people want to pair duck with sweet. i think it's a "fat/sweet" thing, actually. pork and sweet is over-done as well. i never order it.

as tissue says, lots of thai dishes have sweet components. however, i think that the balance of sour, salt, etc, works with sweet. which is probably why i love thai so much.

[Xanthippe]

I do the best sweet and meat....

Pork Tenderloin marinated in Chipotle/Adobo with Bacon-Mango Sauce (use Neuske's--I should get check from that co.), and smoked mashed potatoes.  You'd switch...

Would you consider adding your recipe to the archive, C/W?? Sounds mighty tasty . . .

No one should ever be allowed to pair the egregious mint jelly with lamb. No one.

Edit to add: I also loathe any chicken salad containing grapes, etc.; I go for savory each and every time.

Edited May 16, 2003 by Xanthippe (log)

[Varmint]

No one should ever be allowed to pair the egregious mint jelly with lamb.  No one.

Oh, but lamb and fresh mint. That's goooooood.

[aliwaks]

very into the sweet hot thing ( our duck is glazed with gooseberry perserves & bere bere) or sweet sour but can't do sweet sweet sometimes food gets a bit sticky & cloying esp meats w. a sweet creamy sauce can't do it but then I am huge anti fan of cream sauces esp. with meats ugh

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I do the best sweet and meat....

Pork Tenderloin marinated in Chipotle/Adobo with Bacon-Mango Sauce (use Neuske's--I should get check from that co.), and smoked mashed potatoes.  You'd switch...

Would you consider adding your recipe to the archive, C/W?? Sounds mighty tasty . . .

No one should ever be allowed to pair the egregious mint jelly with lamb. No one.

Edit to add: I also loathe any chicken salad containing grapes, etc.; I go for savory each and every time.

sure..

[Xanthippe]

Oh, but lamb and fresh mint.  That's goooooood.

No mint. Lamb.

Edited May 16, 2003 by Xanthippe (log)

[Xanthippe]

sure..

Thanks, C/W! Let us know once its been added.

[Suzanne F]

Smarmatron, if we're even out together, you can pass your portion of foie gras and glass of Sauternes or Mombazillac right over to me.

Honey mustard, gah. Orange sauce on roast duck, gah. Maple sugar on bacon, yum. Bastilla with a gamey bird, almonds, and, sugar, yum.

Have you haters considered that there are ways of doing it that work (foie + Sauternes) and ways that don't (meatballs in chili-sauce-grape-jelly)? Pulling off the balance of flavors is very tricky. Maybe you've just had examples of off-balance, poorly executed?

[tommy]

Have you haters considered that there are ways of doing it that work (foie + Sauternes) and ways that don't (meatballs in chili-sauce-grape-jelly)?  Pulling off the balance of flavors is very tricky.  Maybe you've just had examples of off-balance, poorly executed?

i *swear* it's a balance of fat and sweet. really i do.

[howard88]

I agree wholeheartedly with the sweet/savory conundrum. I love duck but detest any orange sauce or cherry drippings disguising the taste of the skin and the meat. If I wanted to eat a snickers bar I would eat it for dessert not with my duck.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

I agree wholeheartedly with the sweet/savory conundrum.  I  love duck but detest any orange sauce or cherry drippings disguising the taste of  the skin and the meat.  If  I wanted  to eat a snickers bar I would eat it  for dessert not with my duck.

If you've got finesse then you can make a raisinette taste good with foie gras....but if you cook like a bulldozer, rumbling over finite points with your heavy hand, then you'll probably hate raisinettes and foie for ever. You've got to cook for many years to get that finesse...It's not something that comes naturally to anyone besides maybe...nah, not going there.

But I agree that the duck a l'orange thing is played out. Sweet can be tremendously cloying done wrong, and I think that's what we're alluding to here. Usually when I do sweet with savory I bring some kind of liason in to the mix so there's a bridge, a counterpoint--I usually do this with smoke or spice--so that there's a necessary complexity involved. As my hero says, "It's all about finesse." It really is, but it's also about love and respect. If you respect your ingredients 110% percent, learn how they work, how they can be tweaked and combined with other ingredients, tasting constantly, not being afraid to try the outlandish then you'll eventually get at the heart of what works and what doesn't.

When you have a problem is when you try to be too outlandish. Stick with the basics, they always get you from point A to point B.