During an average month I will scan 100+ recipes and cull a few and give some of them a try. If any of these make it out my printer or maybe a bookmark in one of my cookbooks, then they stand a strong chance of making it into my "test kitchen".
Once in a while a recipe will really strike a chord with me. This time the winner was "Black Garlic", it even sounds cool!
Fermentation (low and slow) has always intrigued me and when I came across this concept I thought; "I've gotta try this"!
I have a deep set fondness for low and slow. The preparation, anticipation, wait, smells, and the final reward make me complete. The appreciation of finding a new way to cook, possibly off of the beaten path? or a forgotten style of cooking is my reward. Adequate to carry me forward into a new day, or maybe another gastronomic event.
After completing my initial research into Black Garlic it showed promise, or maybe an assurance of reaching a new culinary level. I am always searching for the ever elusive nirvana moment that only truly remarkable food can produce.
Traditional recipes for black garlic showed that you need to ferment it at a very low heat, for a long period of time. After reading various recipes I came across one for using a rice cooker to "ferment" the garlic, intriguing! As I am an avid rice cooker chef, this recipe was a no brainer. My rice cooker "coconut Pancake" and "Ham Stock Grits" are becoming legendary, at least in Marg's mind...
The process of making rice cooker Black Garlic is actually quite easy. Although you'll need to have patience as it takes up to 3 weeks to get the desired results.
Black Gold!
To get started I used standard store bought raw garlic heads and found that 7 (average size heads) would fit in my 5 cup rice cooker perfectly.
I used the "steamer" rack to keep the garlic off of the pan and closed the lid and set the cooker to warm. Nothing else is added to the cooker, just the raw garlic with the outer skins intact (brushed to remove any dirt).
Next take a look at your calendar and count out 21 days then sit back and wait, and wait and wait.
*Please note, each rice cooker is different, check results after 10-14 days. Remove one clove from a head and check doneness, then decide how long to finish cooking. Experiment with your cooker(s) and types of garlic then adjust times accordingly.
The various rice cookers I use (5 cup and 10 cup versions) are the simple "warm and cook" style. Meaning that the cooker only has one button that switches from warm to cook, nothing else. These cookers make excellent rice (other than brown rice), grits, gluten free pancake and gluten free cakes. They have also proven to be very reliable over the years.
During the first week of my latest culinary journey our garage smelled like an Italian heaven. The unbelievable bouquet of garlic was impressive if not overwhelming.
Thus the main reason for putting the cooker in the garage. The cooker vents and well you know garlic...
After around 10 days the aroma in the garage started to change, altering slightly in a pleasant aromatic way. The garlic essence started to mellow, barely giving off a hint of this wonderful spice. The scent took
on a slightly sweet impression, easy like a really good Aceto Balsamico.
As I got closer to the 21 day finale my desire to open the cooker increased, I just wanted to take a peek, okay patience my friend.
The grand reveal just happened to be on my brother Steven's birthday. This was not planned just happened, so I am dedicating the results to him, love you bro!
*Please note, each rice cooker is different, check results after 10-14 days. Remove one clove from a head and check doneness, then decide how long to finish cooking. Experiment with your cooker(s) and types of garlic then adjust times accordingly.
Marg & I were giddy with anticipation as we went out to the garage to see if I had laboured long enough and produced something remarkable, or maybe it was a bust...
Here are the results:
Our surprise turned into joy as we sampled the first fruits of my labor. Each of us tried a small portion of one of the cloves and our first impressions were like; "WOW, this is amazing". The flavor profiles were off the charts, still a hint of garlic but at a much deeper level. There was also a sweetness present that can not be described, though it compares to Balsamico. The texture of the cloves were somewhat chewy almost like a licorice, though firmer.
Cleaning the skins off the cloves was somewhat tedious, yet needed and worth the effort.
We even tried using a toothbrush (new), nevertheless your fingernails work the best. Once you are done with the clove cleaning your fingers look like a mechanics that had been working on your car for hours...
To test the "Black Gold" I finely chopped a couple of cloves, mixed in some dried chopped regular garlic and soaked them in EVOO (olive oil) for an hour. I then used this in the caramelization of 1/2 a white sweet onion, putting that over a grilled marinated Beyond Beef patty (you can use regular beef) served with mashers and homemade mushroom gravy.
Here's the kicker, the mushroom gravy was made by cooking raw mushrooms (in water only) and the removed skins from the finished (21 day old)
black garlic. Resulting in an amazing base for my mushroom gravy.
The outcome of these efforts was way beyond what I had even imagined. Marg & I looked at each other smiling as we ate, then discussed what we had experienced once we were done.
The Black Garlic had changed my life, the onions I had cooked were probably one of the best things we've ever eaten. The flavors were magical when combined with the patties, mashers, and the mushroom gravy.
The moment was carried over into the gravy because of the base being made with the skins of the garlic. The skins had absorbed an ever so subtle hint of the black garlic.
This was a true nirvana moment.
In the next scheduled batches to be made I'll try using Elephant Garlic heads and a little less time. Using the larger heads (I hope) will change the flavor profile and produce a larger quantity of the Black Garlic or should I say Black Gold.
As I am writing this I still am concerned that I will not be able to recreate what changed the way I cook and enjoy food from this day forward...
W
P.S. I'll just have to try this recipe again, and again, and again.
