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Ingredient Wed Nov 07 2007
Be the First on Your Block
The New York Times's T magazine on Design and Living on Sunday had a list of new ingredients on the foodie scene. One of the ingredients, wattleseeds, is available in ice cream here in Chicago from Vosges Haute-Chocolat. Besides wattleseed, which comes from Australia and is usually roasted then ground to be added to either sweet or savory dishes, the list also names basil seeds; grade B maple syrup; mahlab, another seed that's ground and used as a flavoring; kiwi berries and antelope meat. I'm looking forward to trying basil seeds, which were described as "a sweetly fragrant mouthful of tiny tapioca pearls, each with a crunchy center." I've been wondering all day if I can eat the seeds from a basil plant that's gone to seed. Or do I need to get them from a fancy food store? Anyone tried them?
Jessica / November 8, 2007 3:22 PM
You can get basil seed drink at just about any Asian market in the city. It looks a little scary (like frog eggs in yellowish liquid) but tastes pretty good.
I think you could also just soak any old basil seeds in water for a little while till the mucilage (slimy coating) appears. I don't know if there's any noticeable difference in taste between different kinds of basil seeds, but I think the ones you have at home already would work just fine.
You can get mahleb at The Spice House, btw, and I've seen kiwi berries at Trader Joe's before. And I thought grade b maple syrup was pretty easy to come by these days - we buy it at Trader Joe's all the time.