Odd Couples

Ever look at certain couples and wonder what they have in common? I mean sometimes there’s a nerd with a hot looking model. Sometimes it’s a Goth with a preppie. Or an academic type with a homeboy. It’s the same thing with food. There are odd couplings that make you want to go “Huh?” The truth is they’re pretty good together and create a unique and delicious taste!
You would never think of adding to horse radish to any salad yet a dose of it in cole slaw is wonderful. It livens up the cabbage and brings out its’ initial sweetness. It also cuts the creaminess of the mayonnaise and gives it a sharp exciting bite .Another odd yet yummy coupling is bacon and cream cheese on a toasted bagel. You would think it would make anyone sick while eating it but you’re wrong. The cream cheeses delicate taste balances the bacon’s saltiness. It’s the same principle behind bacon with maple syrup anything. The extreme salinity balances out the sweet. That’s why there are bacon maple lollipops and bacon maple doughnuts out there these days.

Traditional sweets are getting some strange friends these days. Besides the bacon and maple there’s the caramel and sea salt. This is pretty common these days and the pairing does make sense. The sea salt brings out the caramel’s meld of butter and sugar while providing an unexpected crunch. It’s the same principle about adding salt to cookie and cake mixes. Another wild pairing is chocolate with chili peppers. The Aztecs originally came up with this centuries ago but once chocolate was sweetened by the Europeans the coupling was dropped. Peppers brings out chocolate’s wild side and let its’ different and complex flavors come to life. Of course it can also be paired with mild and edible lavender. It’s a different taste, sweeter and perhaps even earthier.
There will always be odd couples out there, especially in the culinary world. They create something new and a vast improvement on already established tastes. It may not be something we’re used to but it’ll always result in something we’ll like and possibly even come to love.