Pizza Today - December 2023 - 35

salty, spicy, fat, bitter and umami. All of
these can be combined in complimentary
tastes and balancing tastes. Here is
the difference between the two.
Complimentary tastes: These tastes
accentuate one another to create harmony
of taste. For example, sweet with
fat, spicy and salty or sour with spicy.
Balancing tastes: These tastes oppose
each other to create harmony. Some
chefs call this a " foil, " or a contrasting
flavor that prevents the heavier flavor
from taking over a dish. An example
of balancing tastes like spice can play
down sweetness from becoming too
sweet and spiciness can be mellowed
out with fat and sweetness.
A perfect example of the combining
flavors lies in the delicious ancient Chinese
Sweet and Spicy Sesame Sauce.
Complimentary flavors like red chilies
keep a simple sugar sauce from being
too cloying. This is combined with the
balancing flavors of salty soy sauce and
savory sesame paste.
Sweet Heat
Maple syrup works well on whole
wheat pizzas and can be combined
with a powdered spice like cayenne.
The maple flavor is not too cloying and
partners well with Feta, Gorgonzola,
and Gruyere, as well as fresh mozzarella
and walnuts. Classic examples of these
syrup pairings are with blueberries and
lemon, mascarpone and pistachio, caramel
and pecan. Good protein pairings
are pork belly, duck, bacon, ham and
even foie gras. Because maple syrup is
thick, it takes longer to macerate freshcut
chilies for full flavor. Habaneros,
Thai and Ancho pair well with maple
syrup.
Honey is probably one of the most
used sweet/spicy vehicles. Because honey
is even thicker than maple syrup, it
flows slower when presented on a pizza
and mingles well with creamy mozzarella,
Asiago, Manchego and even over
stracciatella. Spicy honey is best used
with berries, cream, almonds, oranges,
figs, nuts, fontina cheese, mustard,
pistachios and hazelnuts. Sometimes,
honey will solidify due to the amount of
glucose in the plants that the nectarloving
bees collect. This is remedied by
immersing the glass jar in hot water.
Agave Nectar: This is a vegan alternative
to hot honey but has a more neutral
flavor and is thinner. It is sweeter than
table sugar and doesn't have the bitter
aftertaste of some syrups which is why
it works well with lemon and hot pepper
flakes. I like the thickness and lusciousness
of the dark agave nectar with
sharp cheeses like Gorgonzola, aged
Gouda, Monterey Jack, aged cheddars,
and Pecorino Romano. Agave goes well
with razor thin slices of Thai, Jalapeño,
Serrano, and even Fatali peppers. Good
with lime, almonds, cashews, salty pork,
and charcuterie.
Getting Jalapeno Business
All types of chilies can be added
to sweet sauces to macerate (flavor
blend) into the hydration of the sauce
if the chilies aren't too large. This will
facilitate the spread of flavor and spice
instead of too-spicy " speed bumps "
that ruin the flavor profile of any pizza.
Some chilies' powders are mixed with
other flavors and labeled " chili powder
blend, " or " chili seasoning mix. " Most
chili powders are named after the name
of the chili itself; others are named after
the region where they are grown. Here
are some chilies that could add power
to your sweet condiments and flavor
your pizzas.
Espelette pepper: This pepper was
introduced into France in the 16th
century and was used in medicine and
for the conservation of meats. This chili
powder has become a cornerstone condiment
in the Northern Basque region,
replacing black pepper. I love this spice
because it is fruity, bright red and has
a fresh smokiness without overpowering
other pizza items. I use it in my
blueberry duck balls with cumin and
cherries and it adds a great red powder
to the finish on burrata. (I used it on
pizza recipe described at the end.)
Aleppo: This powder has moderate
heat with fruitiness and the flavor of
light cumin. This is a common condiment
in the Mediterranean, Turkey,
Syria and into Armenia and is named
after the Silk Road spice city in Northern
Syria. It is used for its perfumy
sweetness like sun-dried tomatoes with
Grilled Honey Lemon
Chicken
This pizza is a wonder to behold
because it has the lusciousness of
lemony ricotta with the sour Asiago
and melting fresh mozzarella. The
grilling introduces a charred flavor
and texture to the melt and the
addition of the spicy lemon honey
adds so much depth and pairs well
with the basil and crunch of the
sweet yellow peppers.
Get the Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken
Pizza recipe at PizzaToday.com.
JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche Pizza
in Athens, Ohio.
DECEMBER 2023 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 35
an added kick of heat.
Ancho: The name of this powder is
from dried poblano peppers that have
been ground up. The saying is that
Ancho is to Poblano what Chipotle is
to Jalapeno. Ancho is hotter than regular
chili powder but offers less heat and
smokiness than chipotle powder. This
pepper powder is famous for mole and
chili seasoning. Other items shine with
honey, barbeque, soups, mole, turkey,
shrimp and pork. The great sweet and
spicy vehicles for the Ancho powder are
purees of mango, apple, pear, persimmon
and orange.
Piri Piri: This hot pepper offers a
blast of up to 175,000 Scoville units
and is made from the dried Malgueta
pepper. Originally cultivated by the
colonial Portuguese in southern African
territories and brought by them to
other territories around the world. Piri
Piri sauce has been described as " light,
fresh, and herbal " by some chefs who
can handle the heat. The bottled sauce
is famous for its infusion of the chilies
with garlic, citrus peel, onion, bay leaf,
paprika, oregano and tarragon. Piri Piri
is so hot that the infusion of sweetness
as well as fatty meats works well.
Bacon, ground pork and lamb as well as
chicken with skin and braised fatty beef
are nice combinations with sweetened
Piri Piri.
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