Can Pinky Tuscadero cook?

And if she could, would she embrace the pink peppercorn? You bet she would.

I am putting on my Pinky face and going after the pink peppercorn challenge this weekend. It has been a little bit slow but steady this month, trying a few dishes with the spice, but more importantly trying to find the just right summer meal that can handle this unique and powerful flavor.

Right now I am feeling a little like Pinky must have felt right before that demolition derby where she and Fonzie would show the world (and Richie, Ralph and Potsie) their stuff. Even Pinky must have been a little nervous. It was a big race, with Pinky pride on the line.

So like Pinky, I am going to go at this with confidence, and without a helmet.
It is starting to look like this:

Ribs with dry rub (including pink peppercorn)
Coleslaw, with apples, melon and pink peppercorn
Corn on the cob with pink peppercorn butter
Something green (without pink peppercorns)
Pink Peppercorn ice cream

"Hey Leather…what you got up your motorcycle jacket? "

Better Late Than Thawed

I'm a little late, but the Keels family took Battle Frozen Treat in stride and I wanted to tell you about it.

Sorbet.  It's my new favorite summer treat.  The fruit is fresh and in season and with a little simple syrup, a splash of citrus and our handy dandy ice cream maker ... you have a homemade treat that tastes like summer.  We made three kinds over the month.  We even drove an hour in 100 degree weather, with no air conditioner, uphill both ways (O.K. that part is not true) to a blueberry field and picked them just so we could return home and make a fresh batch of sorbet.  And after a field trip like that with your three children, you need a frozen treat.  Or a drink.  Wait, how about both?

So for my battle with our friends, the Kuehnel's, from Portland, OR I made a sorbet float.  I know ... I've done this before.  I made watermelon and cantaloupe sorbet and poured prosecco on top.  I can't help it.  It's just one of my favorites.  I thought the sorbets were light and refreshing.  My guests didn't tell me they don't like cantaloupe until after the battle was over.  Oops.  I will make note of this Andrea and Ed.  See below - they look like the kind-of couple who would like cantaloupe ... don't you think?

Now the kids' needed a float of their own.  We brewed our own root beer.  Takes about a week.  It's the second time we have done it and it was perfect for this.  We made our signature homemade ice cream and ... there you have it ... the freshest Root Beer Floats you can find anywhere.  The kids completely went overboard as it should be.  Little Eddie was so impressed and wanted thirds.  Ahhhhhhh, sweet - and frozen - success.

Ed, Andrea, Eddie and Michael, thanks for playing.  Hopefully we can do it again soon!

Rule #1: Try not to Poison your Guests

Welcome to Battle Pink Peppercorn. Our August challenge uses this spicy, yet sweet dried berry, mistakenly named a peppercorn. It is not pepper at all, but somehow houses the spiciness of black pepper with a fruity, but not too sweet, element. Sounds complex? Yes. But even more confusing than its taste…. THIS STUFF IS POISON!

Seriously. Ends up this “berry” (schinus terebenthifolius), is part of the poison ivy family. And some believe (not the French by the way), that eating too many of these babies will kill you.

But what the hell…I started by just popping a few of these ‘corns back, to see what they tasted like. They are softer than black peppercorns, less spicy and, as advertised, a little bit fruity. So I threw them into two recipes that night for dinner.

The first is a mango, mozzarella, red onion salad with basil, salt and pink peppercorns. The other was part of dessert, fresh figs, with blueberries, drizzled with honey and dusted with pink peppercorns. The pink peppercorn worked great in both these dishes. And FYI, no one got sick.

But the dinner guest of my choosing must be brave -- the most common side effects include those similar to exposure to poison ivy, as well as violent headaches, swollen eyelids, shortness of breath, chest pains, sore throat, hoarseness, upset stomach, diarrhea and hemorrhoids.

Sounds like a good time, right?