# My Challenge to All



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Try to think of or come up with a dish which incorporates bitterness. Yep, bitter. Bitter doesn't have to be the main flavor, it can have a hint of bitterness which enhances the whole dish. I can think of one ingredient and that is Chinese bitter melon and used in a soup, it's OK, not mouth watering for most.

What can you come up with?


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## crazytatt (Mar 5, 2006)

I LOVE hulled strawberries, stuffed with goats cheese, and tomato concase, the drizzled w/ a balsamic reduction and fresh cracked black pepper. 

Bitter of the bat, and almost electric by the end and highly addictive.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Where's the bitter in that? Balsamic reduction?


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I'm one of those few weirdos who LOVES bitter stuff -- I find nothing else gets the salivary juices going as much. Paul, too (although he tends just a bit more towards sour). So we always have at least one bitter element in our nightly salad -- Belgian endive, escarole, curly endive/chicory, radicchio. Even the outer leaves of romaine haVE an edge of bitterness.

As for cooked dishes: anything braised in beer. And other bitter greens, cooked: kale, collards -- bring them on! :lips: (although I find that in long cooking, the inherent sweetness of collards takes over)

Another bitter ingredient that is used to great effect is chocolate: think about mole, or adding a bit of bitter chocolate or cocoa powder to a batch of chili. And cocoa nibs! I ate at WD-50 recently, and two of the dishes had cocoa nibs, one main and one dessert. The dessert was: "Caramelized banana, smoked chocolate ice cream, stout" -- the stout was a foam and the nibs were sprinkled on top, so it had a double whammy of bitterness, which offset the (usually icky) sweetness of the banana really well.

Coffee!!! Isn't there a classic Scandinavian dish of lamb or veal braised in coffee and cream? And tea, too -- Chinese tea-soaked meat dishes, and Earl Grey tea-flavored dessert items, which get the bitterness of the tea along with the floral/citrusy bergamot.

('Scuse me, my mouth is watering so, I have to go get another cup of [not overly bitter] coffee. :lol: )


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Rapini (rabe or rape) with orrechetta, anchovies, garlic, romano, chicken stock,chili flakes....comfort food with a strong bitter component.


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## peachcreek (Sep 21, 2001)

I like a bitter beer to finish off my Beer-Cheddar soup. The bitterness help the flavor from being too rich and cloying at the finish.


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## shahar (Dec 15, 1999)

nothing better than a GOOD dish of broccoli rabe. One of those simple dishes that are so hard to make right.
Thinly sliced garlic sautéed just right. The rabe preblanched but quickly. A touch of hot pepper flakes.

YUMM.

I like to use romaine cooked. It acquires a bitter flavor that's amazing. On my menu now - grilled lamb stuffed romaine dolma with pinenuts.


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## botanique (Mar 23, 2005)

I'm likin' this thread Kuan! Great stuff so far.

Campari, lime, soy, garlic, marinated flank -- followed with a cayenne and cumin rub grilled to sear & sit (marinade is reduced & drizzled)

Then of course there is Gentian root -- a small amount of decoction or tincture will add bitter, and act as a gastric stimulant. Perhaps we can come up with some new bitter apetizers / aperitifs that stray from the Euro / Asian / American norm.

Cheers!


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Ooh! You guys are good!


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

Grilled Raddichio?


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## crazytatt (Mar 5, 2006)

The Goats cheese and balsamic...the redux is a very pleasent bitter, and goats cheese has a very mild bitter/acidity to it. I normally think sour w/ bitter?.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

:lips: I was thinking of a piece of grilled tuna with a knob of black pepper/garlic butter melting on top served on a bed of grilled and raw sliced endive.

Or a pork filet stuffed with Boursin, grilled and sliced on a composed salad of raddichio, endive, chicory etc. with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.
Ahh grilling season!!!


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## cakerookie (Sep 10, 2005)

CH, whens dinner be there at 8! Sounds good.


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## kevinvilla (Dec 7, 2005)

There's a traditional Filipino dish called pinakbet. It's eggplant, green beans, lots of vegetables, fish sauce, and bitter melon. My mom also makes stir-fried bittermelon with oyster sauce. Her friend makes a really good pickled daikon radish with jalapeno, garlic, and bittermelon. 

I never understood bittermelon. My parents love it, their parents love it, the parents of my friends love it, but all the kids hate it. Oh well.


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

Lobster cauliflour bisque served capuccino style.
Top with whipped cream, unsweetened of course, 
flavored with a few drops of good white truffle oil.
Dust cream with good quality bitter cocoa or micro
planed unsweetened high quality dark chocolate.
Flavors seem to go together. First saw it from
Kevin Rathburn.


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## nentony (May 7, 2005)

I've added hops to marinades before, good with pork. Also, a leaf or 2 in a sachet when cooking greens. A bright bitter taste. A little goes a long way. I have seen recipes for eggs using hops, but never tried it. Mostly, I use it in beer, I'm a homebrewer:beer: 

Tony


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Shahar -- Is there a difference in degree of bitterness between the dark outer leaves and the light hearts for romaine? I keep thinking that if I ever had to develop a soup or veg recipe for a restaurant, I'd do something with the outer romaine leaves that usually get stripped away and thrown out. Such a waste!


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## shahar (Dec 15, 1999)

Porcini cocoa fettucini with braised venison and fungi gravy

Venison like other game meat works great with bitter aromatics. Cocoa seemed perfect to me. Than I found out of course somebody beat me to it by a few hundred years.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic

the taiwanese especially love bitter melon - it's an acquired taste for most.

horseradish has a bitter edge to it

arugula mixed with greens like watercress and dressed with citrus - nice ying yang of bitter/pepper with acidic flavors

certain cheeses have a bitter tang to them which if combined with the right degree of ripeness and something to conterbalance work well and are delish - like blue cheeses, older bries, goat cheeses, sheep cheeses, sharp cheeses.

asian long beans seem to have a slightly bitter edge to them - they are not really palatable unless well cooked (definitely not to be eaten raw)


so a nice salad is arugula, watercress, fresh spinach with goats cheese, marinated artichokes and roasted peppers in a meyer lemon vinaigrette - can add grilled fish or chicken to that for a main course dish.

could also sautee the greens for a hot side or compliment to protein

another dish would be sauteed long beans with a balsamic glaze. Use fresh rosemary and garlic.

grilled radiccio adds a nice bitter component and interesting look to dishes.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

A couple of the markets are open and farmers are bringing in SPRINGTIME....amazing how many of the greens have a bitter component.

baby arugula....making an open faced sandwith with steak, arugula, goatcheese and mustard

escarole....sauteed with onions, garlic, white raisins and apple cider viniager

micro sprouts...radish...ooooeeee....buttered bread and radish sprouts
mixed sprouts....not sure what I'll do with them

Asparagus can have a sweet bitterness to it.....

Got the end of the rhubarb and the beginning of the strawberries! Hurray!

umpteen years ago a couple of ACF juniors did a smoking class for me and made dinner, they wrapped romain around parmesan and bread crumbs, braised um and they were killer. Really great.


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## coolj (Dec 12, 2000)

all those dishes sound interesting. here's my input for a bitter dish. Raspberry pancakes !!


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## benrias (May 2, 2003)

Does grapefruit count in this discussion? Plain cold pink grapefruit is always nice. Or, for adventure while out camping, hollow out a grapefruit skin and bake some biscuit dough in it by the fire. The range of bitterness will be from slight to strong depending on how good you hollow out the skin.


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## expatc (Feb 16, 2006)

How about Bitter Oranges (maybe grill the bitter melon brushed with a mix of honey-red wine vinegar-cayenne also incorporated in the dish) and paired with a great duck breast or a slow roasted, meltingly tender whole duck?


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## bombayben (Aug 23, 2007)

curried butter gourd with garlic,ginger,ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and lemon juice - delicious served with a fresh hot chappati mmmmmmmm


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Bitter hmmmm unripe guavas

Bitter in a brew--hops


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Send a hot chapati here if you can.

An Alu Paratha would be just as good.


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## bombayben (Aug 23, 2007)

I'll just go off and make one now


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## bluezebra (May 19, 2007)

grapefruit and avocado salad on a bed of mixed greens (including either radichio or escarole) with purple onion, bacon and mustard/garlic vinaigrette.


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

I've been force-fed Chinese-style bitter melon since I was young and I never developed a taste for it (it's very commonly served stir-fried with black bean sauce and fish). However, I do occasionally enjoy the Indian-style bitter melon prepared with spices and dry-cooked.

In my opinion, the flavour of saffron and cardamom (especially the aftertaste) has a slight bitter component when oversteeped and I've found them pretty interesting accents in the case of dessert (cardamom ice cream and such, although I've discovered that my colleagues were much less receptive to the bitter aftertaste).


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

Mustard! Just love all types of it! So many sauces call for its presence.
Ultimate example: Carbonnade ala Flamande - bitterness of beer and mustard combined.

Caraway - from the same opera. Adds bitterness to German cabbage dishes, dark rye.

Juniper berries - on wild side, great on game and in gin (I vote for Gin&Tonic to be considered a dish:beer

Wasabi in tuna tartare, Horseradish in Cocktail Sauce and Bloody Mary

Tzatziki with extra garlic (BAM!), Za'atar on bread, Kimchee, Dried Shrimp Paste, Tahini, Tonka beans, Thousand-Year Eggs, Green Tea IceCream, Green Papaya in salad, Oil-cured olives

Kidneys of wild game and grass-fed animals

Paprika: Hungarian Goulash and Segedin Fish Soup 

Norwegian Lutefisk - just smelled once but was assured it's on a bitter side

I enjoy briny bitterness in some types of oysters, cured salmon roe 

Have anybody tried Mongolian milk-based drinks koumys & arza?


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## bombayben (Aug 23, 2007)

OK it's not really a food but I can drink gallons of it GUINESS!! GUINESS, GUINESS, GUINESS, GUINESS!!!!!:beer:MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

I make a weed salad:
escarole
chicory
dandelion leaves
endive
raddicchio

counteract:
Boston lettuce
roasted almonds
roasted sesame seeds
balsamic, maple syrup, sesame seed oil vinaigrette.

Sweet and bitter.... 
Luc H


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## jigz369 (Apr 20, 2007)

I like the bitter accent of grilled Aragula with a good steak. Top it with some crumbled blue cheese....mmmmmm!


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## goose (Feb 12, 2007)

Here is a simple one:

Dandelion - blanched until tender then drained. Salt generously and add olive oil and lemon juice...wonderful! Served as a side with a whole grilled fish (snapper)...very good!


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

What's the difference between sour and bitter? I vaguely remember reading somewhere about Asian cuisine having five components with one of them being "sour" and another being "bitter". Is a lemon sour or bitter?


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

To me the juice and flesh are sour but the rind is bitter.


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## jigz369 (Apr 20, 2007)

I'm in total agreement, the zest has a distinctly bitter flavour to it.


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## ma facon (Dec 16, 2004)

Tamarind anyone ?


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Technically speaking, that is correct


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

That reminds me of a hard candy I had in India. Tamarind, chili, cumin, sugar and maybe something else. I loved those! I also liked the little bit of texture compared to others. These were hand made, no artificial flavors.


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## bombayben (Aug 23, 2007)

I think Tamarind is sour - not quite bitter. Fresh tamarind can be eaten straight off the tree and is very sour - goes great with salt. Then there is sweet tamarind used for making tamarind chutney and sweets. Then there is the dried tamarind which again you soak in water and extract the pulp to add acidity to curries - especially fish curries - not bitter - but I love tamarind


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

*Marmalade* on toast/toasted english muffins

*Sauerkraut *(depending on how you make it, but I love it with a bitter & sweet accent, fried smoky pork sausages, cabage, onion, apple, spices etc, gotta burn it a bit for best taste)

*Champagne cocktails* - brut champagne with angostura bitters and a cube of sugar - yummmm


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Marmalade yum 

I made some from Valencia oranges (US version) and maple syrup


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## allanmcpherson (Apr 5, 2007)

Would I sound like a smartass if I said turkey and cranberry sauce? Great thread, its nice to actually think about bitterness as something other than "bad" or a problem to get around. Turnip has a distinct, if mild, bitter flavour, that has always been used to balance stews, braises, and the like. 

I keep hoping that bitter will become the new "spicey" in North American cuisine, something a little daring for a while, then common.

--Al


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## msh0078 (Mar 9, 2007)

I have used campri in pork dishes from time to time


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

There is no substitute for cranberry sauce!


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

Al you're a smarta$$!
(joke).

Are cranberries bitter or tart? Is tart, astringent? You're confusing me here...
Luc H


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## allanmcpherson (Apr 5, 2007)

Luc,

You got me there, crans. are more tart than bitter. A berry that can be used similarly that leans more in the bitter direction would be bakeapple (cloudberry).

As an aside, good to hear from you! I've been away the last three monthes and its nice to be able to "hang out" here again.

--Al


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

Nice to see you again Al,
Welcome back!

Luc H


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

Liver. Any kind of liver is bitter.


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## tessa (Sep 9, 2007)

for my competition that i won a bronze medal in recently , i did oven baked pork cutlets with a grapefruit and orange marmalade with orange vinecotto and then served it on udon noodles with zesty ginger , garlic bolt, carrots, on steamed asian greens


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

Did anyone mention charring, as in grilling? Heavy grill marks or black surfaces on grilled or bar-b-qued food is bitter. Wood smoke too, come to think of it.


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## andyg (Aug 27, 2007)

Stewey, citrus bitter is one of my favorite flavors!

And Tessa, you about make me drool with that flavor combo :^)

I'm sure Dundee marmalade has been mentioned . . but just in case not, it's mentioned now


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