Adventures with Black Garlic

Saw a pile of fermented garlic when I was at Kalustyan's last week, and had to have it, despite the 10 dollar price tag (for four heads). Surprisingly, the taste of fermented garlic is sweet and musty, almost skunky, rather than strong and salty, which was what I was expecting. Pairing it with fresh-harvested Shiitakes is only for those in love with strong, earthy flavors.

So, I made a marinade - oil (mostly olive, with a little truffle), salt (smoked), a splash of sherry, and 12 cloves of fermented garlic. Black pepper, fresh cracked. Pureed in the blender until smooth, add a little cold water, puree some more. Marinate your 'shrooms for 30 minutes in a deep dish. Throw them on the hottest grill you can come up with (as in, as soon as all the coals are gray and glowing red 'round the edges). Here, we ate grilled pineapple with them - an awesome, bright counterpart to the cranky, stinky 'shrooms. Ah, summertime.

Fermented Garlic Marinade, for grilling

1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1-2 heads fermented garlic
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tsp salt, smoked was used here
Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 to 1/2 cup water, to thin

Put your garlic, oils, sherry, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth-ish. Drizzle your water in until the sauce is thin, but still soupy. Pour over your to-be-marinated veggies or mushrooms. Let sit 30 minutes. Makes about a cup of marinade.