Tastemakers: Fast and Delicious Ways to Add Big Flavor to Food
Flavorful sugars, infusions, syrups and jarred condiments.
Spiked Sugars
© Wendell T. Webber
Allstar Organics’ elegant sugars, spiked with California-grown spearmint, lavender or rose petals, are amazing in baked goods—or just a cup of tea. $36 for three 6.5 oz jars; allstarorganics.com.
Stunning Syrups
© Wendell T. Webber
Berkeley-based June Taylor has garnered a following for her eponymous line of jams. Now foodies covet her organic syrups, too. Flavors like lemon verbena and rose geranium are great stirred into sparkling wine or water. $19 for 250 ml; junetaylorjams.com.
Cocktail Infusions
© Wendell T. Webber
Tea Forté’s bags of teas and spices for cocktails are instant flavor infusers; simply dunk one into the glass. The chai blend is great in whiskey drinks. $12 for eight; teaforte.com.
Bluegrass Soy Sauce
Bourbon Barrel Foods in Kentucky uses local soybeans and old bourbon barrels to make incredible aged soy sauce. $5 for 5 oz; bourbonbarrelfoods.com.
Pickle Power
Boat Street’s sweet-tart pickled raisins add a kick to grilled chicken or roasted pork. $8 for 9 oz; 206-588-1208.
Decadent Breakfast
Crumbles of Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor goat cheese make for indulgent scrambled eggs. $17 for 12 oz; cypressgrovechevre.com.
Global Warming
Fiery new jarred condiments can spice up everything from chicken to pork.
Peruvian
Sur Cuisine makes a fruity, yellow Peruvian ají chile puree (photo above). $4.50 for 8 oz; surcuisine.com.
Japanese
A farmer in the Pacific Northwest grows citrusy, potent wasabi root. $110 for 9 oz; chefshop.com.
Moroccan
Mustapha’s produces a hot and salty harissa made from red chiles. $8 for 10 oz; mustaphas.com.