Thursday, December 1, 2011

Pine Sugar?

A culinary craze this holiday season is pine sugar. Meant to give a waft of tannenbaum as you bite into whatever it's riding, I can't see ever using this stuff. The SNL skit of , "It's a floorwash! It's a dessert topping!" comes to mind. Care for a dash of Pine-Sol on your pudding?

Not that I can criticize the inventor. Cooks are always looking to make something new. I've made some doozies, like chocolate-covered bacon in 1999. One of those 2 great tastes that taste great together? Not really. It seemed like a good idea at the time but my boss and co-workers quickly corrected that. I hear people actually eat it now. The maple-covered bacon was a hit, though.

I'm not huge on tree flavors, maple aside.

But these are the daring ideas that change cookery. It isn't easy to find new combos after all this time of human eating.

Me, I'm sticking with mincemeat. And yes, Stevil, I'm making mincemeat. It won't be entirely a White Trash Christmas. ; ) 

6 comments:

sdt (a.k.a. stevil) said...

My dear, mincemeat (originally made of venison) with a proper amount of rum is the apotheosis of white trash culture.

Austan said...

RUM? Blasphemy! Venison? White trash.

I would use venison, but it's too dear.

paulg said...

2 great opposed flavors together? Beer and chocolate fudge.

What? I like it!

Austan said...

You're not alone. I know several guys who like beer and chocolate together... though it doesn't do it for me. ;)

Eric said...

Actually loved the mince pies with pine sugar I found (quite by accident) last year when I was raveling in London for work. But I can't seem to find pine sugar on the web, or even any references to it, beyond the aforementioned Heston Blumenthal mince pies. Wish it were easier to find the stuff... It's delicious and fragrant!

Austan said...

Eric- well now you have me intrigued. I'd think a reasonable facsimile would be to add gin to white sugar, as juniper is close to pine in smell. Try stirring a spoon of gin into a small cup of sugar. If too wet, spread it on a sheet of waxed paper to evaporate. Let me know if this works. In theory, it should...