Have you tried Black Garlic before? I hadn’t — until just this past week. It wasn’t easy to find, but with a little searching (and opting for the path of least resistance and less driving), I found it online here. I can’t even begin to tell you how good this recipe for Buttery Roast Chicken with Black Garlic from Gilt Taste was as well as some of the other suggestions they had made. I even used it on one of my cauliflower pizzas and the only word that could even begin to describe it is, WOW!
With all of this praise that I’m giving this recipe, it’s obvious that it’s going to be listed as a “Featured Recipe” for a while. Thank you Gilt Taste, Melissa Clark, and Matt Armendariz for giving me a new default chicken recipe.
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Photos by Matt Armendariz
“Contrary to what the name might suggest, black garlic is not a stage in the growing cycle of the bulb, like the wise old version of immature green garlic. Nor is it a trendy heirloom variety like Rocambole or Silverskin. Instead, black garlic are bulbs that have been heated at a low temperature for weeks until they ferment and utterly transform. The color darkens to licorice. The texture turns soft, sticky, and taffy-like. And best of all, the flavor sweetens, intensifies, and becomes a little funky, with notes of coffee, burnt caramel, and dark roasted mushrooms.
Supposedly full of anti-oxidant goodness, black garlic is worth seeking out for the flavor alone, which is reminiscent of many things but unlike any of them. It’s definitely one of those assertive ingredients best approached cautiously, at least until you get to really know and love its personality. Then it’s nothing short of addictive.
You can use black garlic any way you’d use roasted garlic—in marinades and dressings, spread on crostini, or tossed with pasta.
Here’s, it’s made into a buttery paste, then slathered all over a chicken before roasting. The black garlic gives the bird an earthy, complex flavor while all that butter crisps the skin. Serve it with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the heady pan juices. You won’t want to miss a single bite…”
