Has anyone tried the Black Garlic Yet

[The empressof all]

I've been trying to find it in the Seattle area but no luck yet. This company is distributing in in the SanFransico area. http://blackgarlic.com/tasty.html

I'm dying to try it.

[troubleinwinter]

1. Ever had "Thousand Year Old Eggs"?

I have several times.





They aren't a thousand years old, only several months old, having been packed in mud, ash and straw and buried. An ancient traditional Chinese method of preservation.

They are pretty much the texture and taste of a hard boiled egg. But they don't look pretty to me.

Will be interesting to hear from someone who tastes the garlic. Sounds not much different from roasted garlic in taste.

[The empressof all]

2. Those eggs gross me out....

I only recently started to be able to eat hard boiled egg whites. Something about the texture doesn't appeal to me. I can do Egg Salad and potato salad but things like deviled eggs or plain hard boiled eggs were not in my repertoire of foods. When I started Low Carbing I forced myself to eat more hard boiled eggs and I'm now at the point that I enjoy them. I do like Beet pickled eggs and those tea eggs are kind of cool when you are making deviled eggs. (Hard boil the egg...Smash the shell a bit and soak it in green or black tea. The White will stain in a pattern and make your deviled eggs more interesting---I do it with beet juice too)

I think those thousand year old eggs make me think of Balut which just turns my stomach.

[Richard Steele]

7. My ex-Sweetie picked up one of those for me on her last trip to China....

I said "no thanks";
it's currently spending it's next thousand years
in a NC landfill.

[AlecBGreen]

17. lol

my wife is Chinese and we ate those last night.

Huanggua Pidan (Cucumbers & Leather eggs)

She covers them in chili pepper & soy sauce. DELISH!!! Its the perfect Chinese combination of hot and cold, cruncy cukes and soft eggs, salty and savory & spicy. SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!

[eleny]

3. I see that it's a fermented garlic

I'll try it as soon as I see it. The flavor sounds interesting to me.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. That sounds really interesting!

I've never heard of it, but I'd surely give it a swing. I wonder how it compares to elephant garlic.

Lately, my appetite is returning, but all I've been craving - go figure - is garlic bread made with sweet butter, tons of chopped garlic, lots of salt, all on crusty French bread. I can't get enough, which I'm told is a good sign.

Garlic. It's heavenly in any form.....................

[eleny]

5. Now that's a healthy craving

I didn't read where you lost your appetite. I'm glad you're getting a taste for tasty goodies!

[The empressof all]

9. I've been a little worried about you...

I'm glad to hear you're hungry again...Just don't move on to the fried hot dogs too soon.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

15. Today -

just proof that the universe has a sense of humor, I guess - I was dying with a craving for (close your eyes if you're not constitutionally strong) fried bologna on white bread with mayonnaise and some lettuce.

I mean, I would have committed any number of illegal acts for one of those.

Chicken broth with saltines worked quite well, although my tears made it too salty (a JOKE!).

Foodies shouldn't get sick. It's really unfair, you know. Yesterday, I was at the hospital for an infusion, and I napped during the three-hour procedure, and I dreamed I was in a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa were at the next table. Before me, I had a huge plate of sesame noodles, and Patti leaned over and said to me that Bruce never wanted to try anything different in Chinese restaurants, but could she have some of my noodles for him to try?

I said Of course, and she took, like, almost the whole thing! But I didn't say anything. And then Bruce leaned over, and handed me his plate, and it was full of Crispy Hot Beef, and he said he'd trade me for my noodles.

I woke up happy, but there were no noodles, no Crispy Hot Beef anywhere. All the saltines and ginger ale I could handle, though..............

[The empressof all]

16. I totally get it...

I will occasionally call my sister and have her fed ex me a Taylor Ham overnight. For me it's Taylor Ham, a fried egg and a slice of pepper jack on Wonder Bread. Nothing like it. Thank god I only need it ever couple of years.

Funny, I dream about Bruce too...but usually foods not involved and Patti's just not in the picture.

[Warpy]

11. I'm not even craving that

and the only stuff I'm getting down is because I need something to keep the drugs company so I don't hurl them back up.

Being sick sucks.

[The empressof all]

12. You've been sick too....

I'm sorry, I saw that and forgot to post to you. All my C & B buddies are down for the count. Are you on the up swing at all now that you're home? Tab is right though, something about the protein and softness of the texture of the egg makes them easy to keep down. That and jello I guess. It's fricken scary to be ill like that.

[Warpy]

13. I made a joke about chicken soup and green Jello

and the doc wrote it as a standing diet order. Oddly enough, that was the first thing I could manage, that stupid Jello. It came up half an hour later but tasted better on the upswing than anything else had.

My problem was septic shock, a different animal from what anybody else has. It's got a 50% mortality rate with treatment and I'm still not quite on the mend. I might have to go back in tonight if I'm not better by then.

(I try to time those ER visits to 3AM-6AM to avoid that 8 hour wait in chairs.)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. Septic shock?

Oh, man, you sure know how to pick 'em. You must be taking antibiotics that would nauseate an entire small town. You're 'way past the "Eat a saltine first" stage, which still works most of the time for me.

I hope you're reading this and smiling - I didn't look to see when you posted the above - and feeling better. I hope you don't have to go back in. Hospitals are lousy for sick people - I battled a staph infection for almost a year after surgery.

Just easy does it and I am pulling for you, Warpy. Feel better................

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Oh man! I can get this locally. I'll have to ask at the nearest Whole Paycheck

but if they don't stock it the Berkeley Bowl is within range (and ANY excuse to go to the bowl is worth it for me.)

[The empressof all]

8. We expect a full report

Please try to use it several ways and give us the scoop. I'm also curious about how much it costs. I would think the best way to try it first would be mixed with some "good" butter on a "good" loaf of lightly toasted bread. At least that's what I'd do before I moved on to a pasta application.

Oh you gotta eat a clove whole too and tell us about the texture. Is it like a prune?

[Gormy Cuss]

10. If I have to go to the Bowl it will be a few weeks since I'm heading out of town soon.

I WILL report once I acquire it.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. First report on black garlic..

It was stocked by my local Whole Foods. Cost is $4.99 for a two bulb bag. It's probably cheaper at the Berkeley Bowl but they have cheaper prices on just about everything.

The texture is similar to roasted garlic and I must say that I had an immediate negative reaction to it because my brain was interpreting the texture,color, and odor as rotted garlic. For that reason I didn't start out by trying it plain with bread and butter.

I did use it in a pasta sauce last night. The garlic is so soft that chopping it was a challenge. I ended up flattening it in the pan with the back of spoon and sauteeing it with onion. The aroma coming from the pan was not at all like garlic and onion. It was a richer, earthy smell. The final pasta sauce was fresh artichoke hearts with crumbled Italian sausage and I'm afraid that the black garlic didn't stand out with those flavors.

This morning I took a clove and mashed it with a fork and mixed it with some mild olive oil then spread this mix on a cracker. The taste was sweet with a hint of garlic (much more subtle than roasted garlic) and again had a faint musky, earthy character.

[The empressof all]

19. WOW

So would you buy it again?

I hear you about the negative reaction. I think I'll need to work through the exact same thing. It sounds like it almost has a "mushroom" quality.

I haven't seen it yet here.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. I need to try it out a few more times.

After the initial reaction I started to think of it as similar to salted black beans and got over my aversion. The little bit on a cracker made me think that it would be good in a salad dressing and in a simple pasta or rice dish where it has the chance to stand out. I think your idea of mixing it with butter is one that I'll try too because the flavors should complement each other.

The cloves are very soft and look like prunes without skin or fresh fig flesh.

[Gormy Cuss]

21. Finally! A dish where the distinct flavor made a huge difference.

I was making a sort of vegetable napoleon after a tapas served at Iluna Basque in San Francisco. My version had
a base of a flat piece of Romaine lettuce, then
a 1/2 inch high circle of eggplant puree,
a slice of red tomato,
another smear of eggplant puree,
arugula leaves to cover,
a slice of yellow tomato,
a teaspoon size dollop of goat cheese,
topped with ground pepper and a light drizzle of aromatic olive oil.

I made the eggplant puree from roasted, skinned and seeded eggplant pulse in the FP with black garlic and chopped parsley. I made the puree the day before to give the flavors a chance to meld. The puree was delicious -- the garlic complemented the smoky eggplant in an earthy, aromatic way with a clear but not pungent flavor. Much better than roasted garlic or sauteed garlic in this dish.