Cooking with Black Garlic: Delicious Recipes and Flavour Pairings

​Black garlic, with its unique flavour profile and rich umami notes, offers a wonderful opportunity to enhance your culinary creations. In this blog post, we'll explore some delicious recipes and flavour pairings that can help you make the most of this exceptional ingredient.

Black Garlic Butter: Black garlic butter is a versatile and delicious condiment that can be used in various dishes. To make it, simply blend softened butter with mashed black garlic cloves until well combined. This flavourful butter can be spread on bread, used to sauté vegetables, melted over grilled steak, or added to pasta dishes for a burst of savoury richness. Our black garlic butter image (on Pinterest) is our most popular pinned image!

Black Garlic Aioli: Upgrade your traditional aioli with the addition of black garlic. Mix mayonnaise, crushed black garlic cloves, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy. This black garlic aioli can be served as a dipping sauce for fries, a spread for sandwiches, or a tasty accompaniment to seafood and roasted vegetables. We offer a ready to go black garlic aioli if that tempts you.

​Black Garlic Salad Dressing: Create a unique and tangy salad dressing by combining black garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and a touch of salt and pepper. This dressing pairs well with mixed greens, roasted beets, goat cheese, and toasted nuts, adding depth and complexity to your salads. Start with our White Balsamic Black Garlic dressing as your base.

Black Garlic Marinade: Black garlic can be used to make a flavourful marinade for meats and vegetables. Combine minced black garlic, soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil, and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Marinate your choice of protein or vegetables for a few hours or overnight before grilling, roasting, or stir-frying. The result is a tender and well-seasoned dish with a unique twist.

Black Garlic Pasta: Incorporate black garlic into your pasta dishes for a burst of flavour. Sauté minced black garlic in olive oil until fragrant, then toss it with cooked pasta, grated Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. For an extra touch, add roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of black garlic-infused olive oil. Go all out and add black garlic to your pasta dough.

​Black Garlic Soup: Add depth and richness to your soups with black garlic. Sauté diced onions, carrots, and celery in a pot, then add vegetable or chicken broth, black garlic, and your choice of herbs and spices. Simmer until the flavours meld together, then blend until smooth for a velvety black garlic soup. Garnish with a swirl of cream or a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

Flavour Pairings: Black garlic pairs well with a range of ingredients, enhancing their flavours. Some excellent combinations include:

1. Meats: Beef, pork, lamb, poultry (especially roasted or grilled)
2. Seafood: Shrimp, scallops, white fish
3. Vegetables: Mushrooms, roasted root vegetables, asparagus, Brussels sprouts
4. Cheeses: Goat cheese, blue cheese, aged cheddar
5. Herbs: Thyme, rosemary, parsley, cilantro
6. Spices: Cumin, chili flakes, smoked paprika
7. Sauces: Soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce

Experiment with these pairings and let your creativity guide you to discover exciting and delightful flavour combinations.

Cooking with black garlic opens up a world of possibilities, allowing you to create dishes that are both delicious and unique. Whether you're making sauces, marinades, dressings, or incorporating it into pasta dishes or soups, black garlic's deep umami flavour and caramelized sweetness can elevate your culinary creations to new heights. So, get creative, you can let your imagination run wild.