Miracle Fruit
I thought this was really interesting. From The New York Times:
CARRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.” Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!”
Even more interesting is the Portland connection.
Lance J. Mayhew developed a series of drink recipes with miracle fruit foams and extracts for a recent issue of the cocktail magazine Imbibe and may create others for Beaker & Flask, a restaurant opening later this year in Portland, Ore.
Wow, thanks for putting this up Dude. Miracle fruit is a bit tricky to work with, but its a lot of fun. Its not easy balancing cocktails with miracle fruit so that they are as enjoyable tart as they are when they turn sweet.
I’m not the only one to play with miracle fruit here in Oregon. Jeff Morgenthaler of Bel Ami in Eugene contributed a cocktail recipe for the article I wrote for Imbibe and Daniel Shoemaker at the Teardrop Lounge also created an amazing drink using miraculin (a miracle fruit extract) and tamarind. I’m lucky enough to have been able to form the Oregon Bartenders Guild with both gentlemen (and several others).
I also might mention that in addition to working with Kevin Ludwig at Beaker and Flask, starting next month, I’ll be behind the bar at 50 Plates when it opens in the Pearl (www.50plates.com).
Thanks, Dude, and Lance, for the posts. I’m looking forward to the openings of Beaker & Flask and 50 Plates.
Meanwhile, here’s the link for Lane’s article in Imbibe:
http://imbibemagazine.com/backissues/miraclefruit.html
Does anyone know where to buy these in Portland?
Scott,
From what I am aware, you can’t buy these locally. The climate here isn’t conducive to growing them, and I don’t know anyone who imports them. My source is Curtis Mozie, http://www.miraclefruitman.com. Curtis is great to work with, but my guess is that he is currently swamped with orders.
Can’t buy locally but you can order them online if you’re still looking. They’re highly perishable – 1-2 days tops… and they’re typically a couple dollars a berry.
You can find these locally, look on craigs list or search via Google if you don’t mind paying even more for shipping.
I’m trying to compile a list of flavor tripping parties nationwide. If you know of any coming up in Portland, please let me know.
–Miracle Fruit Fan
http://www.MiracleFruitFans.org