From
La Jolla, CA:
Fennel Pollen: The
Spice of Angels
Fennel
Pollen Blends from Chef Bernard R. Guillas
by
Esmé Andrae
 If
gods and angels were to cook they'd surely use pixie dust,
saffron and fennel pollen. The latter has become the hot
item in the culinary industry during the past year and until
recently exceeded the cost of saffron.
While
pure pollen is sold almost exclusively to chefs, home cooks
now have access to fine fennel blends thanks to Bernard
R. Guillas, award-winning executive chef at The
Marine Room in La Jolla. Guillas, together with Northern
California's Sugar Ranch, has created six different "Spice
of the Angels" blends, combining the finest ingredients
such as fleur de sel, toasted hazelnut, almond and pecan
flower, sour plum powder and date sugar.
Fennel,
Foeniculum vulgare, is an extremely aromatic blend.
Belonging to the Umbelliferea family, it is closely
related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander. Fennel
pollen, which tastes a bit like curry and faint anise but
distinctly different from both regular anise and fennel
seeds, works well with any food: pork, veal, seafood, poultry,
vegetables as well as sticks, sauces and oils. Here's a
Guillas recipe for Sonoma
Lamb Chops with Rustic Potato-Onion Pie, Rum Raisin Sauce.
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| Bernard
R. Guillas |
Sugar
Ranch Fennel Pollen is wild crafted. The flowers are handpicked
in peak bloom when they are sweetest, dried and screened
to leave just the tastiest bits: the anthers and the pollen.
Fennel has long been used in Europe as a health tonic. Babies
are bottle-fed fennel tea to help digestion. It has long
been used to relieve stomach upset and alleviate respiratory
congestion.
The
six blends with intriguing names like PollenAsian, Are You
Game?, Hog Heaven, ZenSational, Salt Free Heaven and M-Ocean
are available at www.fennelpollen.com
or by calling 800-821-5989. Also, please visit chef Guillas'
website at www.chefbernard.com.
For other fine foods and gourmet resources check out
Slow
Food, Fast Food.
(Updated: 10/14/09)
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