PEPPERCORN INFORMATION III/III

      Title: PEPPERCORN INFORMATION III/III
  Categories: Seasonings, Info
       Yield: 1 Info below
  
       1    Info below
  
                           - Peppercorns in Food -
   
   "Peppercorns are graded by size and provenance.  Large berries are
   considered premium, and those from the Tellicherry and Malabar
   districts in India, which are considered the most pungent and
   complex, command high prices.
   
   "Whole peppercorns keep almost indefinitely, but ground or cracked
   pepper (peppercorns that have been cracked, not ground) begins to
   lose aroma and pungency almost immediately after processing. The
   difference is quite noticeable, too, between freshly ground and
   commercially ground or cracked pepper.
   
   "...good pepper flavor merits the investment in a quality pepper
   mill... we keep a light-colored wooden mill for white pepper and a
   dark one for black pepper. Mills with high-quality, adjustable
   grinding mechanisms can last a lifetime.  With a mill, pepper can be
   ground into dishes at the stove or onto salads at the table. A heavy
   ceramic mortar and pestle is also useful for grinding pepper as well
   as other spices. Ceramic is far better than wood, which retains
   flavors and aromas, or metal, which can produce off-flavors and
   discoloration. Quantities of spices too large for the mortar can be
   ground in an electric spice grinder."
   
   "Besides stimulating the appetite and aiding digestion, pepper is a
   good flavor addition to most dishes. Black pepper is used with meat,
   fish, or poultry, in stocks, marinades, pickling, poaching, soups,
   sauces, stews, even in spice cakes and cookies. It is essential to
   the popular spice blend used for blackening meat and fish, and
   neither pepperpot soup nor steak au poivre could exist without it. We
   use whole peppercorns in our pickling spice mixture, in making stocks
   and marinades, and for poaching.
   
   "White pepper is often used in place of black where dark specks are
   undesirable or for a little less pungency. It is used in sauces,
   soups, mashed potatoes, omelets and other egg dishes, vichyssoise,
   and with fish and cauliflower.  Green pepper is used most often in
   sauces, dressings, and soups; it seems to go well in vinaigrettes for
   green and potato salads. Pink peppercorns are used in sauces and
   dressings and for garnish.
   
   "Remarkably, the flavor of fruit is heightened by a little pepper. The
   French and Italians grind pepper over fresh strawberries or
   raspberries, sometimes adding a splash of vinegar. When we want to
   gild the deliciousness of fresh pears, we mix a little blue cheese
   with cream, spread it on pear slices and garnish with a generous
   grinding of white or black pepper. Some people like a dash of pepper
   on cantaloupe or watermelon."
   
   "One of the nation's leading spice houses sells a 'pepper melange'
   which is a mixture of equal parts black, white, green, and pink
   peppercorns. A pepper mixture from France...obtained recently also
   included one part of allspice berries.
   
   "In France and England, we have seen recipes for 'mignonette pepper' -
   equal parts black and white peppercorns, ground coarsely..."
   
   From Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille's "Peppercorns Around the
   World" article in "The Herb Companion." Dec. 1992/Jan. 1993, Vol. 5,
   No. 2. Pp. 45-46.  Posted by Cathy Harned.
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