Black garlic is a new ingredient to our pantry. It is tender like roasted garlic, with undertones of malt and molasses, and an overall sweet garlicky flavor without the acrid bite of raw garlic. In trying to research this ingredient, we stumbled across a number of roadblocks and oddities. There’s a definite lack of information on the process available. It is produced in Japan, China, Korea, and California. It seems that in some modern cases, the process is patented using specially designed machines and controlled temperatures, although it appears that early versions were as simplistic as storing the heads in earthenware jugs in caves or other cool areas for a few months until the transformation is complete. We were recently informed that the garlic we have is air-dried for forty days over aged soy sauce. It’s an ingredient that is slowly gaining ground in the culinary arena. Apparently, in some circles, it is now trendy to dip the black garlic cloves in chocolate for the true garlic lover to enjoy.
Initially, we smashed the garlic flat. While it was an interesting visual and a great way to transfer the flavor to different components of the dish, the beautiful individual cloves have a distinct personality that we want to keep intact. That is not to say we will not be smashing this garlic again, just that we are not convinced that it’s the best way to highlight the unique qualities of the ingredient.
Today produced more failures than successes, although these early attempts have helped fertilize our blossoming ideas. The black garlic has provided some fresh inspiration. Tomorrow, we’ll see where it takes us.
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