Celebrate National pepper month with this black pepper, Balsamic vinegar and strawberries recipe

November 4, 11:20 AMTampa Inspirational Cook ExaminerJoseph Granato

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tampa Inspirational Cook Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Mama mia, this a looks goods!
Williams-Sonoma New Flavors for Desserts, by Raquel Pelzel (Oxmoor House, 2008).

November gets to be a little spicy and that is good, since it is getting cooler in most parts of the country.  Even here is sunny FLA, the temperatures have dipped just a little, taking the edge off of the "heat factor".  In the food world, November host a variety of food holidays, but one notable one celebrated throughout the month is National pepper month.  That could be confusing somewhat, do you mean like peppers that are fresh varieties such as Habenero or Jalepeno's... or something like peppercorns and dried spices like black, white or cayenne pepper.

Well, from what info I could uncover, this month is celebrating the dried spice variety of pepper.  The peppercorn world is a "budding" new discovery, even though it has been around for centuries (black peppercorns come from the berry of the, Piper Nigrum, a tropical flowering vine).  Peppercorns are very much like coffee, in the fact that there are over 20 different varieties of peppercorns.  Depending on where you are in the world, you will find its own unique variety of peppercorn.  Each one produces their own distinct aroma's and flavors, creating an endless yet bold difference in recipes, making it a new "excitement" in the food world.  Plus, with all of its great flavor attributes, pepper is also something that enhances food without enhancing the calories.  In fact, pepper speeds up the metabolism so it helps you to burn calories.

That makes pepper a double bonus... flavor bonuses and health benefits.  Remember that my "MJM everyday seasoning mix" has black, white and cayenne pepper in the mix.  Now that is "peppering in some excitement" right there!

We recently covered a blackened blue cheese burger recipe that was "spot on"!  Then, if you are in the brunch kind of mood with something a little more luxurious, try this blackened fillet of beef Benedict... it is a classic with beef infused, Cajun twist... garontee' that this will create a multitude of "MUM Mouthgasms"!

Today we will dive into a simple and interesting dessert type recipe and you can still purchase strawberries.  This classic is Italian in style... it is fresh berries with balsamic vinegar and cracked black peppercorn and sweetened marscapone cheese.

For the sweetened marscapone cheese you will need to buy marscapone cheese or you can use light cream cheese whipped then fold in whipped cream to make it even lighter.  That will be as close as you will get to Italian marscapone cheese.

Recipe for sweetened marscapone cheese

1 - 8 oz. tub of marscapone or (1 - 8 oz. light cream cheese and 1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped)

1/2 cup or to taste, 10 x sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with 1/4 cup 10 x sugar, sifted

Whip the marscapone cheese until light and fluffy.  Add in the sugar and vanilla and whip until smooth.  In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream and sugar together until nicely whipped.  Fold into the marscapone cheese.  Cover and reserve in refrigerator until service.

For the strawberries...

1 quart of fresh straw\berries, if using frozen, slice frozen and keep frozen right up to the marinating part...

1/4 cup or to taste, sugar (you can use raw sugar, 10x sugar for sweeter or brown sugar for a more molasses taste

2 to 4 Tablespoons good quality from" Modena" Balsamic vinegar

10 to 20 good grinds of fresh pepper, to taste

Clean, slice and mix all of the above ingredients together and let marinate overnight.  Take your macerated strawberries and spoon them over your marscapone cheese mixture.  Do this in a nice wine or martini glass with a chive sprig for garnish (the garnish will add another "bite" to the dish...).

Ora che è buono, now that is good!  This is fun, too, learning a new recipe and getting a little love from another culture and sharing with one another!   That is what life should be all about.... sharing, caring and not being to over bearing!  Be kind to everyone you meet, especially yourself.

The holiday season is upon us, many different cultures have or are getting ready to celebrate.  Learn about each others traditions... it makes the holiday season even more festive.  Plus, just think of all of the new recipes and foods that you will get to try out.  Here at the Examiner, we will be savoring some of these fantastic recipes, so stay tuned in and until next time... may everyday be filled with adventure, excitement and some good food too!

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.  By Anne Frank