They aren't peppercorns, but they have a peppery flavor.
They aren't pink, exactly, but rather red. Still, we call them "pink
peppercorns" and the French call them baie
rose which means "pink berry." In the U.S. we have a frozen
yogurt company called Pink Berry, but as far as I know this spice is not
available as a topping. But! If they only knew...
...that the berries of Schinus
molle, or Schinus terebinthifolius, both
species of the cashew tree family, have an incredible floral flavor - sweetly
rosy and peppery - but without the hot bite of true peppercorns. I would go to Pink Berry immediately if I knew they had spices like this as a
topping. But they aren't just good on ice-cream —
My first taste of pink pepper goes back almost a decade, to
Milan, Italy, where I ate beef Carpaccio with pink peppercorns. My friend Sarah
and I had been traveling throughout Europe on a shoe-string adventure that had taken us from couches in Slovakia to noisy hostels in Sicily
and then up the coast of Italy to Milan where we stayed with a family who lived
next door to Giorgio Armani. It was an upgrade, for sure.
The father figure of the family was an antiques collector,
from cigarette lighters to coffee brewers, and I remember at the time that he
had started collecting Chinese Wedding Helmets and had them spread out all over the dining room table
and floor.
One evening during our stay he approached us and said,
"I apologize that I can't cook, and my wife is away, but I'd like to take
you to dinner." So off we went to a little restaurant around the corner
where he rattled off some things in Italian to the server and the two of us,
Sarah and I, sat there somewhat awkwardly trying to make conversation with this
father figure who collected helmets and lighters, who we barely knew. But
then the appetizers arrived: some kind of vegetable dish for Sarah (who has
been vegetarian for pretty much all her life. bless her.) and beef Carpaccio
for me (and Father Figure.)
Having never had this beef dish (named after the Venetian
painter Vittore Carpaccio), I didn't know what to think. It was PINK (read: raw)
and looked odd. But that didn't stop me; before digging in I asked: "what
are these?" pointing with my fork to the red berry-like
things spread out all over the meat, somehow matching the color of the raw beef.
He told me they were pink peppercorns, and I never looked back.
Place a pine needle, a raspberry, a single black peppercorn
and a freshly plucked rose on a spoon and you have the flavor of pink pepper.
More or less. It's a beautiful and unusual flavor, and that first taste of it in
Italy was breathtaking. The dish was so simple but has stayed vividly perched
in my mind ever since that evening.
The pink pepper tree originated in Peru (and Brazil) although they even grow in California where they are called "California Pepper tree" (and while post-card worthy, are cursed for hosting a pest that damages orange trees). The berries are called "peppercorns" because their dried shape is similar to
the dried fruit of Piper nigrum species,
despite being totally unrelated. The pink berries also have a characteristically
peppery taste, further justifying the misnomer. Pink peppercorns can be seen
mixed into four-color peppercorn mixes that contain black, white and green
pepper, but this won't give you the joy of the pure pink. And plus, the pink
ones are impostors, being related to the cashew tree as opposed to the pepper
vine. The tree is large, growing up to 30 feet, and while native to Central and
South America, the tree is considered "invasive" and has started
growing in Florida and California, pushing out other native species. Despite this negative connotation, the essential oil from the berries has been
used for medicine and perfume for centuries, and even today is praised for its
antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties.
You may need one of these Chinese helmets if you've never
tasted these fine berries before (because the flavor will make your head
explode), but if you have tasted them
before, please share your story! How have you cooked with them?
Here's to celebrating spring with these flowery
non-peppercorns.
Tips for using Pink "Peppercorns:"
- Cast a handful of them on top of a grain salad, with a
lemony dressing.
- Sprinkle over grilled fish
- Crush and sprinkle on top of fruit salad, cut
cantaloupe or Pink Berry(TM) frozen yogurt (ha!)
- Mix into your steak
tartar recipe, or of course onto carpaccio
- Crush a few in the bottom of your glass before making a
gin & tonic. BEAUTIFUL.
- or make the following recipe...
Butternut Squash Pizza with Salted Ricotta & Pink
peppercorns
Here in Boston we are
in a slow transition from "the worst winter in history" to spring. YES
SPRING IS NOT JUST A WORD BUT A REALITY! I am enjoying a few spring veggies
coming from local greenhouses, but I'm also trying to use up my winter pantry
items, such as the beloved butternut squash, which have taken up a sizable
residence in my kitchen. I'm not sick of them yet! Try making this colorful
pizza as an appetizer for a party, or as a main dish on a weeknight. The pink pepper is essential to the harmony of flavors in this pizza.
Ingredients:
1 pizza dough (pre made)
2 cups thinly sliced & steamed butternut squash
2 cup chopped kale (about 4 big leaves)
1/4 cup TB olive oil
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup pink pepper
Heat oven (with pizza stone, if you have one) to 500 degrees
F. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta and salt.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add half the olive oil.
When it begins to shimmer, add the shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant
and slightly browned at edges. Add the chopped kale and stir until just wilted.
Turn off heat.
Roll out the pizza dough, and place on a pizza peel (with
cornmeal) or on a pizza pan if you don't have a stone. Smear with remaining
olive oil, then evenly spread with sliced butternut squash. Top with sautéed
kale, ricotta cheese and crumbled goat cheese. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until
done. Top with pink pepper.
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