This is one post I haven’t planned – rather unlike me!
While making Friday night’s dinner, using some young, fresh garlic, I realised that I had some ‘regular’ garlic and some not-so-regular black garlic – thus the idea for this post was born! (From L – R : young to old)
Sing along with me, for I love to ‘discover & do’.
In my first ever ‘dauphinoise’, the fresh garlic was a wonder – lightly fragrancing the creamy sauce with its oniony perfume.
If you’ve never had dauphinoise aka potato gratin – think again. This dish of potato layers, thinly sliced in the food processor (or a mandolin for those who possess this kitchen utensil) is a stunning weekday/night dinner, which refrigerates well, requires no sauce and is amazing in its soft, creamy texture (with just enough bite).
I lovingly served mine up with some rib-eye…
….and a salad. Much enjoyed by the husband and I. Sometimes my kids won’t eat what I make :-).
And when its tasty flavours are required on day two, simply reheat in the oven or pop in the microwave for a quick warm up. Outstanding.
But I made a lot of it and tomorrow, I will puree the leftovers to make a bowl of soup for lunch. Perhaps spiked with some sharp tarragon, or made citrusy with lemon melisse – at the moment, I’m not sure. I’ll let you know what happens eventually.
Anyhow, it all began with my bulb of fresh garlic, which I got at Sligro – I had never seen fresh garlic before and so had to try it. Unsure of what to expect, I sliced it open to discover cloves wrapped by sheets, a bit like onion rings, except studded with young shoots. I removed some cloves and put the sheets in some stock. The flavour? Very fresh. Very garlicky and easy to pass through a press, without stringy bits left behind.
And very moist, a little bit sticky but with the unmistakable presence of Allium sativum. At €1.25 per stalk though, this wasn’t on the cheap, considering that my regular garlic (and yours), costs the same for 5-6 bulbs. Never mind, the value was in the experience.
Bringing me on to that which I almost always have by the mini-cart load – my dried garlic bulbs. Of course, the skins are dry and papery, unlike the young sapling. The sheets in between the bulbs too are dry, a mere decorative cover for the mature bulb and not the protective sheets of the previous stage. This is the most common version in the kitchen, going in soups, stews, stocks, rice, stir-fries and more. Sometimes when I pass some cloves through my garlic press, I end up with some tough bits, unlike the fresh garlic which was really soft and watery.
With both of these garlic types, the unmistakable, evil-banishing smells are present when consumed in excess. I won’t say anything about kissing but surely you get the point.
Unlike with black garlic – a version at the complete end of the spectrum which is devoid of the pungent smell with reportedly twice the amount of anti-oxidants! I got a pack of 2 bulbs for close to €4 – not cheap but well worth it for its umami-rich, toffee-like flavour even if the texture is almost as tough as black treacle.
Essentially, this is white garlic aged and fermented, transforming its cloves from light-coloured and ‘crisp’ to black and soft and without garlic’s characteristic smell, not to mention the somewhat bronzed nature of its papery skin. If you want to know more about how black garlic is made, read this.
And then a bit more, from Wikipedia:
…The taste is sweet and syrupy with hints of balsamic or even tamarind. Black garlic’s popularity has spread to the United States as it has become a sought-after ingredient used in high-end cuisine. It is unrelated to a genetically unique six-clove garlic also called black garlic and used in countries such as Korea, or with the ornamental plant Allium nigrum).
…It was first introduced by a Japanese researcher in 2005. Although many think it has a long history in the cuisine of Korea and Thailand, it is relatively a new product and it was never used in Korean cuisine until recently. In Korea, black garlic was introduced as health product and it is still perceived as health supplementary food. Black Garlic is prized as a food rich in antioxidants and added to energy drinks, and in Thailand is claimed to increase the consumer’s longevity.One interesting use is in the making of black garlic chocolate.
In the United States, black garlic entered the mainstream in 2008 when Le Sanctuaire in San Francisco began selling it. It was written up in the Spring 2008 “Design and Living” special section of the New York Times as a “new staple” of modern cuisine (and incorporated into a recipe, “Black Garlic Roast Chicken”); the NYT author, Merrill Stubbs (of my beloved food52), noted it was being used by chef Bruce Hill of Bix Restaurant, San Francisco. Hill soon found his way to the entrepreneur Scott Kim, who in 2005 had started to import garlic from Jeju Island, Korea, to process in the United States. Scott Kim started a company ‘Black Garlic, Inc.’ in 2008 and start producing black garlic in Hayward, California. Scott Kim’s Black Garlic, Inc.is the only black garlic manufacturer in the United States. He ferments garlic for a month, at high temperature, and sells them throughout the United States. Black garlic’s fame grew from there. Soon, Matthias Merges, executive chef at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, listed black garlic as one of his top five food finds in Restaurant News, December 2008. The rise of black garlic in the US was called “sensational,” and other trade publications besides Restaurant News have noticed the trend.
All said and done, I think it is pretty. Beautiful. Interesting even.
And yes, it really is black.
What I like are the various descriptions for it – ‘taste of the earth’, tamarind, liquorice and/or balsamic notes, the consistency of jelly – sticky sweet and chewy texture. I passed it through my garlic press and memories of road ‘tar’ where dredged up. This is sticky stuff!
What did I do with it?
I made a black olive tapenade. Which I ate alone. It was nice and quick – a bit too much anchovy paste but still delectable. I’ve included a sensible amount in my made up recipe!
Black olive tapenade
Ingredients
1/2 cup black olives (I didn’t use Kalamata olives) 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry roasted 1 clove of black garlic 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon anchovy paste 4 basil leaves 1 teaspoon capers Olive oil to loosen
How to
Put all ingredients in a food processor or mortar and blitz till you get the required texture.
I left mine chunky.
But then I used my mortar and pestle – getting it smooth would have been an all-night task which I wasn’t prepared for.
And then its ready – in all its gloriousness!
It was lovely on some French bread – plain and toasted. (I think the cumin is an overkill and not needed too!)
Have you tried black garlic before?
Would you like it in a dessert :-)?
Don’t worry, I can’t promise you a black garlic chocolate tart, or pot, or any sort of dessert just yet. Boldness is not my middle name.
Night night!
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Black & White – All you need to know about garlic – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
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[…] Black Garlic Tapenade […]
[…] Black & White – All you need to know about garlic For the food photographers out there, I found this great post from Camera Kitchen. I’ll warn you now, if you’re a DSLR user (like me) this probably won’t help you too much, but for those of you using a point-and-click, here’s an ingenious way to get some great first-person action shots. […]
Wowee this is an informative post filled with beautiful photos (I especially love the shot of the black garlic squeezing through the garlic press).
Well done!
[…] plan to test some more and things like Cottage pie come to mind and dauphinoise! We shall […]
Oh wow great post!! thank you! i heart garlic!!
Hello Ozoz!!
What a very informative post & thanks for the recipes too!
Excellent reading!
Prior to this I have never heard of black garlic. If it does indeed taste like tamarind then I am sold:-)Thanks for the most useful info
Great information. I haven’t run across black garlic around here yet, but now I will know just what it is when I do.
Mimi
Wonderful post! I love all types of garlic. Beautiful pictures.
Thanks, I hope you get to find and try black garlic. Take care
I never knew black garlic existed.
nice run-down on garlic. sometimes fresh garlic is called ‘green’ garlic. nice photos in the tapenade recipe!
Superb, I didn’t know fresh garlic was called green, so we can talk about green, white and black garlic! Thank you!
such and interesting post!!! I have no idea there was black garlic..plus that potato recipe looks so tasty.
I’m going to have to keep my eyes peeled for different kinds of garlic from now on
Great post. Lots of details. Never knew about black garlic until now. I’ll have to watch for it.
Now _that’s_ a dauphinoise!
Black garlic? I must find this exciting and intriguing ingredient!
I love garlic and use it almost in every I dish I prepare! And thanks to you, I can variate cloves!
Excellent post daaaahling, lots of interesting information. I wonder if I can find black garlic here in the UK. I’m going to keep my beady little eyes out for it.
*kisses* HH
What a superbly laid out post. I believe some of our best work comes out of not planning and letting it all lose. You certainly did it beautifully. Thank you for all this enriching information. More garlic please;o)
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
awesome and informative post as ever don’t you just love finding new foods, thanks for the kind words
Thanks so much for teaching me all I need to know about black garlic; I will look for it from now on, sounds like an amazing food. Love regular garlic of course but black garlic has some properties that are too good to ignore.
Wow, never seen or heard of black garlic before! You’ve got me intrigued now, and I’m very glad to have read about it here =)
Super informative post, Ozoz! I can practically smell it from here! YUM.
I have never tried black garlic, nor have I ever seen it in the market, but you have convinced me to look for it!
garlic is my right hand man, love him..hmmm black garlic I must find these..great post
sweetlife
I am a huge fan of garlic and have yet to try these black garlic. How interesting!
I have not tried black garlic yet but you’ve certainly inspired me to seek it out at the market. Your photos are stunningly beautiful.
We use a lot of garlic…but have to admit that never seen the black one…
I haven’t tried black garlic yet! Sounds like a neat ingredient and the tapenade looks terrific with it!
Great examples for uses of each garlic — very illustrative of the colors and flavors. I too have never heard of the black garlic. What an interesting item!
Ozoz, this is one of the most fascinating posts you’ve ever done! WOW!! I love it. 🙂 I’ve never heard of black garlic, but your description is amazing, I simply have to try it! Your photos are magnificent, rather Old World and splendid. 🙂 Hope you’re having a lovely day! 🙂
Oh wow, the black garlic looks amazing. I haven’t seen it anywhere, will have to be on the lookout for it now! Lovely photos.
That black garlic looks amazing, how I wish I knew where to buy it here. I love the shot of it oozing through the garlic press!
Dauphinoise potatoes are one of my favourites.
Now I’m curious. I saw a package at my grocer who specializes in imported foods but I was leery because it was in a pack reminiscent of astronaut food and it was from Korea so I was a bit worried about its freshness. I think I’ll have to try it now!
Also, you can grow your own garlic by taking a couple of bulbs and in the fall stick them in a pot of soil. Come spring you’ll have your very own windowsill garlic!
Thanks Ms Whiteplates, come the fall I will be growing my own garlic – promise.
Looks so tasty! Black garlic..fantastic!:-)
Greetings to you and your family,
Piroska
Oz, I’m fascinated. I’ve never tried black garlic – only read about it just a few weeks ago. Thank you…
This really blew me away because a friend just sent me an article on black garlic that is used in a restaurant in Harlem, NY and I believe they ferment it. I have not had a chance to look into it. This post is quite interesting and as usual, beautiful.
I had never even heard about black garlic. `i may just have to try it sometime. Thanks for the info.
I am a big garlic fan. I’d love to taste black garlic, but have never seen it here…
Great dishes! One cannot cook without that special condiment…
Cheers,
Rosa
Well, so many interesting things to view in this post. I know that the price of garlics soars recently, but would not have expected that the black nobles cost so much in your place.
Check out this dessert with black garlic! http://blackgarliclove.com/recipe6.aspx
Thanks, it looks fascinating!
Garlic! I love it so much. Black garlic? I am now fascinated.
We are the garlic fans too! Never saw black garlic…would really want to try!!
Stunning photos and fascinating post. Keep up the fantastic work!
Black garlic… that’s exactly what I love to try in the world! Thanks for sharing the info 🙂
Ooooh, black garlic, how loverly. Really nice post on garlic, love it! Never tried black garlic but I will keep my eye out for it.
Love black garlic, and you’re right about the umani taste without the intensity of regular garlic. How about a black garlic ice cream? Or maybe combine with a strongly flavored fruit?Loved all the photos and your tapenade looked delicious
Scared to try the ice-cream but I am thinking hard….planning. You’ll be the first to know if I come up with anything sensible!
Most interesting read and amazing photos. I would love to get my hand on some black garlic!
I love your photographs on this post! And I love garlic but I’ve never tried black garlic. I will though, soon.
Magda
Thanks for such an informative post! Oh garlic, how I love you!