Could be. While I love blue cheese on its own, blue cheese with a fruit jam or honey work really well together to round out the flavor.
Salt, sugar, acid and umami are like a perfect storm flavor-wise.
I noticed you specified “red wine”; red wine has strong tannin flavor, but if you offered a non-wine person a white or rose they may like that
My wife loves Paprika. I like it occasionally…
I had a roommate who served us beef “past the expiration date” and thought a lot of mole sauce would hide that…
My wife makes a great chicken mole, but I have to get past the taste of that Old Cow Mole…
I hate:
Dill
Fennel
Caraway
Although I like anise. My Italian grandma would make anisette every Christmas. She’d let the kids have shot glasses of it!
That’s interesting as I think of fennel as a softer aniseed in terms of flavor. Where does licorice fit?
I don’t mind black licorice. Basil is similar and I love basil, especially the aroma!
Interesting. I’ve never associated basil with the anise set of flavors, but it does seem that they are flavored with related compounds, anethole for the anise and fennel; estragole for basil and tarragon. While I totally get anise flavors from tarragon, I don’t really perceive them in basil. Probably because “basil” is such a set flavor in my mind in its own category. I’ll have to pay close attention next time I have some fresh basil.
Same here. I don’t think I’ve noticed anise / licorice flavors from basil in the past either, but now that TRC4941 mentions it, I can imagine it.
I think that flavor might be more pronounced in other varieties, like Thai basil, which is supported by the flavor description in this link:
Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) is a member of the mint family and as such has a particular sweet flavor reminiscent of anise, licorice, and clove.
I’ll also have to pay more attention next time I have some fresh basil.
Oh, I’ve definitely noticed the anise influence in fresh basil. I love anise/fennel/licorice so maybe I’m more tuned in to that flavor, but I especially notice it when it’s on pizza. Maybe the high temps make it stronger?
It really depends upon which type of basil you’ve got. There are quite a few and some are stronger on the anise-y scale than others. Here are just a few.
I do Thai, cinnamon, and Italian every year, with my favorites in that order. I guess Thai should be anise-y, but I just haven’t noticed.
I live in the heart of watermelon country and know how to pick good ones. I haven’t had a bad one in decades. Just look for the one with the darkest yellow ground spot.
That being said, salt on watermelon, apples, or cantaloupe completely ruins the flavor for me.
Of that list, I like everything except cilantro. (Somebody already mentioned that cumin is not the same as cilantro.) I actually use coriander, but cilantro is banned from the house.
Not a big fan of mango, but I can deal with it.
Can’t stand saffron. Which means I have no interest in paella. Blerg.
I do like a bit of lavender or rose water, but it has to be a light touch. I make a lemon lavender quick bread that’s really yummy. Rosemary is another herb that needs a light touch.
Yum! Also good on muskmelon. And pumpkin pie, but that seems to be only my dad’s family.
I’m planning on making panang curry this weekend and was debating about buying some fresh Thai basil. After reading the article, I think I will buy it, if I can find it.
Another watermelon tip is to look at the end of the watermelon. There is the end that was a stem, but look at the other end (not sure what it’s called - the butt end?). Find the watermelon that has the smallest indent/spot there. That will be an amazing watermelon. I used that method along with the yellow spot method last summer and never had a bad watermelon.