10 surprising flavor combinations you really have to try

We are often deeply impressed by the creativity of chefs; there seems to be no end to the inventiveness of so many of them. Of course, many chefs also know exactly how to make us happy with their take on classics (Robert Kranenborg’s spaghetti carbonara, anyone?). But we also love tasting interesting and exciting flavor combinations!

It’s always fun to try making something special at home, too. It does help to have some guidelines or parameters. These ten surprising flavor combinations, for example, can serve as great inspiration:

Jerusalem artichoke with white chocolate

Jerusalem artichoke isn’t very well known, but this winter vegetable, also known as sunchoke (and called Jerusalem artichoke in English), is incredibly delicious: soft and slightly nutty. It becomes truly surprising when combined with something sweet: Jerusalem artichoke and white chocolate, for example, are used in a dessert once devised by star chef Willem Nuijten of restaurant Noble* in Den Bosch.

Crayfish with yuzu

Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a delicate flavor and is becoming increasingly well known in the Netherlands. Because it is milder than, for example, lemon or lime, it pairs well with many other ingredients. Shellfish is a good example. Since we understand that you may not soon find yourself preparing an entire lobster at home, we suggest trying this surprising flavor combination with crayfish.

Anchovies with almonds

That wonderfully salty, delicate little fish we really couldn’t live without, combined with crunchy, rich almonds—so incredibly delicious. Did you know there is a pasta sauce based on coarsely ground or pounded almonds with anchovies? Tomatoes, Parmesan, garlic and basil can of course join in, and then the dish is called pasta al pesto trapanese, after the Sicilian town of Trapani. Google it and make it soon!

Cherries with tomatoes

This is one to store away mentally until the right season comes around again—but then you really have to try it. Wait until you’ve found the most delicious tomatoes, simply slice them, garnish with halved cherries and drizzle with some of that good balsamic vinegar (the one you bought to eat with crispy bacon—see below).

Avocado with coffee

When my parents used to make an ice-cold shake in the tropics from avocado, coffee, ice cubes and condensed milk, I didn’t realize they were actually being pretty brilliant. But this really is a golden combination: soft and creamy, as if the caffeine kick comes with a little cushion, yet wonderfully refreshing because it’s ice-cold. Definitely make it sometime!

Balsamic vinegar with bacon

Granted, there is little we wouldn’t want to eat with bacon, but the syrupy texture and intense flavor of really good, preferably aged balsamic vinegar from Modena combined with perfectly crisp bacon is truly golden. Salty, fatty, sweetish and gently sour: an absolute top combination.

Beurre noisette with shellfish

Beurre noisette, which is essentially brown butter (butter that you heat beyond its melting point until it turns golden brown and can then, but doesn’t have to, be clarified), is already a hit. So delicious, for example, with crispy fried sage (fried in it) over ravioli, or over or in anything with banana. But perhaps surprisingly, it is also delicious with shellfish. Oysters with beurre noisette, for example: you won’t know what hit you.

Hazelnuts with pumpkin

Perfect now that autumn is arriving: firm, crunchy hazelnuts with soft roasted pumpkin. If you can’t find hazelnuts from the Netherlands—I tasted the best hazelnuts ever in Turin; they are sometimes available from or can be ordered through Italian delicatessens—try those. Combined with pumpkin’s soft, earthy, slightly sweet character, this is another top combination. Tip: pumpkin ravioli with the brown butter from above and crispy chopped hazelnuts.

Anise seeds with fish

Maybe not a combination that would immediately come to mind, but when we say “fennel with fish,” it suddenly sounds quite familiar, doesn’t it? And dill naturally has an anise-like flavor and also appears in fish dishes, for example in a herring salad (also delicious with fresh beetroot). So if you ever find yourself in the kitchen holding a jar of anise seeds and a beautiful white fish fillet, don’t hesitate.

Opperdoezer ronde potatoes with samphire

A guaranteed way to get into a celebratory mood in autumn: the new harvest of Opperdoezer ronde potatoes. These little potatoes from West Friesland are the very essence of potato-ness and rightly a source of national pride. You don’t need to do much with them, and it’s best to let their pure flavor shine through as naturally as possible. But what is delicious with them: a little samphire from Zeeland—another beautiful Dutch product. This herb that grows by the sea is wonderfully salty and has a distinctive “bite,” a perfect light green crunch that pairs wonderfully with the potato’s soft earthiness. Add a little brown butter (brown butter really is a theme here, isn’t it?), and just writing this down makes my mouth water…

Read also:

• 9x the best wine-and-ice-cream combinations
• Brilliant combination: mussels with spicy sausage from Sergio Herman’s new cookbook
• 5 surprising facts about blue cheese

Source: Kokswereld