I have a subscription to Food and Wine magazine and find myself perusing other local publications of the sort. They always seem to have a devoted section or ads throughout that feature a new, tasty item to try. In Food and Wine, they have a section called “news and notes” that usually has a theme for the products that are being showcased in that months issue. I’ve always been curious about the different offerings, but have never taken the time or given into the temptation to actually order it or go out and find the item at the market. Well, I’ve decided to give into my curiosity and start ordering at least one item per month to try. So, “Product of the Month” is born. It will work a little something like this. I will choose at least one item a month and feature it on the blog. Once I receive it and have had a chance to use, taste, consume, etc.. it will be reviewed. I will definitely focus on local merchants and food purveyors as well.
For this months choice I am going to go with something that was featured in last months issue of F&W. The theme was “Wood-Fired Flavor”. There were a few interesting choices but I am going to go with the smoked peppercorns by Vanns Spices. I love fresh cracked pepper on just about anything, but especially on eggs, potatoes of any sort, and mac and cheese. I can only imagine that the smokiness will just add to the goodness. According to their website:
Like our smoked cinnamon, the high volatile oil content of Tellicherry Peppercorns allow the smoke to penetrate deeply into the corns. The smokiness is released when ground, to give your dish a burst of intense flavor and aroma. The smoke lingers heavily in the peppercorns for more than a year.
So, the item has been ordered and I will follow-up soon.
mmmm fresh cracked pepper on mac n cheese is the best!