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So what exactly is Black Garlic?
From Wikepedia: Black garlic is a type of “caramelized” garlic (in reality, browned by the Maillard reaction rather than truly caramelized) first used as a food ingredient in Asian cuisine. It is made by heating whole bulbs of garlic (Allium sativum) over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves.
The garlic came, already peeled in a plastic pot. It looked a bit like garlic clove shaped black jelly babies. It was soft and slightly sticky. I tasted a small one just to see what it tasted like. It was only slightly garlicky, very mellow with an almost fruity balsamic quality. I could not wait to use it.
Makes 225ml (1 cup)
A delicious vinaigrette for use with salads or marinating meats.
6 peeled cloves of black garlic
65ml good quality balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp good Dijon mustard
1/2 s each salt and sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
180ml of good quality olive oil
Place the garlic, vineger, mustard, salt, sugar and pepper into a blender or the cup of an immersion blender. Blitz until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until completely imulsified. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.
Serves 4 – 6
If you have never tried Black Garlic, you are missing out on something really special. It has a sweet taste that is mild and very moreish. It goes wonderfully with potatoes and cheese.
1.5kg waxy new potatoes (about 3 pounds)
225ml cream
225ml whole milk
3 TBS butter
6 cloves of black garlic
145g strong cheddar cheese, grated (5 ounces)
fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
Peel the potatoes, halve and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Warm the cream, milk and butter together until the butter melts. Mash the cloves of garlic on a cutting board together with 1/2 tsp fine seasalt until the garlic is pureed. Drain the potatoes well and return to the pot. Place over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out a bit. Add te warmed milk mixture and mash together to combine. You don't want it as fine as mashed potatoes. You want some texture. Fold in the cheese and black garlic. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Note – If you cannot get black garlic, you may use plain roasted cloves of garlic. It will give you a lovely garlic kick without the umami flavour of black garlic. Still mighty tasty however. Do try to get the black garlic if you can however, as it is fantastic!
Black garlic is sweet meets savory, a perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture with a melt-in-your-mouth consistency similar to a soft dried fruit. Hard to believe, but true. It’s as delicious as it is unique. This is sure to become a pantry staple.
To find out more about Balsajo Black Garlic, be sure to check out their website.
Balsajo Black Garlic is available from www.balsajo.com and any good independent farm shops, fine food shops and delicatessens.
Many thanks to the people at Balsajo for affording me this opportunity to try something new! This has become a new favourite item in my kitchen! I can't wait to see what I can use it in next. There are plenty of recipes and tips on their site. That Black Garlic and Parsley Potato Salad is calling my name!
Note – Athough I was sent some black garlic for free to try out, I was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are my own.
Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/