Favorite (newish) sweet-savory combinations?

[ipsedixit]

Salted caramel or chocolate.

Chocolate bacon.

Peanut brittle (with or without bacon).

Yogurt (or chocolate) covered pretzels.

Those are pretty much tried and true sweet-savory combos. Maybe throw in a few others like honey-balsamic vinegar or chocolate potato chip cookies, etc.

But have you discovered or "invented" anything new recently?

Recently, I found that a Chocolate-Hoisin Sauce was a superb accompaniment for banana fritters as well as for crepes.

It's got that tangy, sweet, bitter taste sensation that I have yet find in anything except for maybe in really really ripe Durian -- except this sauce doesn't reek of week-old soiled diapers.

Just take equal parts Hoisin sauce and melted dark chocolate, and mix. Voila!

What about you? Any new sweet-savory combos you've discovered that you'd like to share?

[lexpatti]

love that asian slaw with almonds, ramen noodles and sweets added like raisins or cranraisins, or chopped apricots, or chopped apple or pear.

[iL Divo]

oh me too.
also, Hard Rock in Toronto has a salad with chicken and blue cheese and craisins and candied nuts that really rocks..........

[lexpatti]

yum!!!!

[chef chicklet]

I love cranberry chutney on roast turkey with dressing sandwich. I can't wait for Thanksgiving!!
And my latest is a wrap made with turkey,swiss, avocado, shredded lettuce, tomato and salty black olives. The sweetness is from the mayo dressing (miracle light version-yes I know) mixed with siracha and sweet and hot chili peppers chopped up and mixed into the dressing. I love this, so many different flavors.

[alkapal]

oooh, turkey, avocado & bacon (on toast with mayo -- or maybe thousand island). (try it after turkey day, chef c).

[chef chicklet]

will do, I love all the above!

[onceadaylily]

This year, I have vowed to recreate a cranberry hazelnut chutney I had once. We used it on our thanksgiving leftovers that year with very happy results. I still have the jar it came in, and whenever I look at it, I get hungry.

[chef chicklet]

This is what I dream about before Thanksgiving. These are my little cheater sammys that convince me I'm being good and eating light.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@...
Don't you think this is the best combo of savory and sweet?

The chutney is made starting with fresh cranberries, orange, lemon, grand marnier and a few other little things. To me it's perfect as it is but I can see incorporating hazlenuts. The fresh cranberries are still very much present in the chutney, not chopped up or pureed.

During the Fall, I love to marinated pork loin then baste it with a balsamic glaze. The cranberry chutney is perfect on roast pork sandwiches in toasted croissants the next day.

[alkapal]

chef c, i think you have a perfect combo of sweet-savory in that sandwich. next time, try it using the king's hawaiian rolls, instead of the martin's potato rolls. the king's hawaiian rolls are also terrific with ham and chutney. http://www.kingshawaiian.com/products...

i think the turkey, dressing and cran sandwich is the one i crave the most.

[onceadaylily]

That sandwich looks amazing. We do a fair amount of pork here, so that gives me a little more motivation to play with the chutney before thanksgiving. I just wish I would have parsed that chutney when I had it, instead of inhaling it (I thought I would be able to get more). I think there were apricots tucked in there, and the hazelnuts were definitely ground. I'll make a note of the Grand Marnier and the citrus.

[iL Divo]

I luv:
1. bacon wrapped dates then deep fried
2. Prosciutto wrapped ice cold cantelope
3. Cold roast beef sandwich on deli rye with jarlsburg
cheese and jalepeno jelly on one slice of bread and 1000
Island dressing on the other slice, baby spinach in the middle.
The sweet jelly in the savory sandwich is a good surprise.
4. Perfect cubes of watermelon with feta cubes on top and 1/2 a green olive to top off each appetizer.
5. Toasted baguette slice rubbed with garlic cube with thin slice of Brie followed by a teaspoonful of black plum jam

[alkapal]

ham or smoked turkey with mango chutney is good on a sandwich.

[Kooper]

I have tried Chipolte and Caramel and it was amazing. I did individula tarts with a precooked pastry bottom a thin layer of chipolte spread across the pastry. I added a slice of apple and those little caramel squares on top then BBQed the tarts until the caramel melted. It was amazing.

[Coogles]

In an episode of Heston Blumenthal's "In Search of Perfection" series he talked about pairing strawberries and black olives. I tried it using some kalamata olives and the pairing is actually really good... sweet, salty and a little bitter. The other day I grabbed a slice of strawberry and an olive from my salad and ate them without really paying attention. I didn't notice a piece of bacon stuck to one of them, and it made the flavor combination even better!

[alkapal]

i just recommended a recipe that was new to me, from "thrill of the grill": peaches, kalamata olives and red onion relish (to serve with grilled chicken thighs). http://community.cookinglight.com/arc...

it is the same sweet-savory thing goin' on as you mention, coogles.

[4Snisl]

Anyone else had Pretzel Salad before? The combination of Jello and pretzels was a new one to me, though I'm sure it's been around way before my first encounter!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pa...

[Val]

LOL! We used to make this for family get togethers back in the 80's! I'd never heard of it growing up in New Jersey but my MIL in Delaware introduced it to me...haven't had it in ages, but the pretzel crust was interesting, I'll say that!

[shaebones]

Peanut butter and Pastor Chuck's organic applesauce (from Maine)

[ipsedixit]

Ok, so I found another one ... Blueberry Sour Ice Cream

After reading about this http://noblepig.com/2009/07/31/keepin... and seeing all the blueberries on sale at the market, I made blueberry sour ice cream last night.

Unlike the linked recipe, I used leftover sour mix (from making Midori Sour) instead of lime juice.

Give it a try if you've got blueberries, or any type of summer fruits (peaches, mangoes, etc.) laying around begging to be used.

Cheers.

[onceadaylily]

I bookmarked that one (and thanks for the link: it looks interesting). I think that recipe would be wonderful with mangoes, or apples (with lemon).

[ipsedixit]

I think it would work with most tropical fruits or berries. Next time I'm going to use Taiwanese sour plum juice (酸梅汤) for the "sour" part.

[Phurstluv]

So now we're doing sweet & sour, instead of sweet & salty?

[ipsedixit]

Well, the title and OP did say "sweet-savory" ...

... and according to Epicurious "savory" is more than just salty. http://www.epicurious.com/tools/foodd...

[Phurstluv]

Yes, I know. Just checking. These may or may not qualify:

Pineapple in sambuca
Blueberries in limoncello
Pineapple in al pastor tacos

[ipsedixit]

... which reminds me, pineapple on pizza with canadian bacon is great.

[carrie19]

I don't know if it would be new to anyone, but I made a pizza once with fig preserves for sauce, then topped it with sauteed chicken breast and goat cheese/Parmesan. So good!

I also recently ordered a duck dish at a restaurant with a red wine and raspberry/strawberry pan sauce that was excellent.

[Phurstluv]

That sounds like the fresh fig, caramelized onion & gorgonzola pizzettes I made for a party last year. Everyone loved them.

Tonight, I'm grilling cantaloupe wedges, then wrapping in proscuitto and squeezing lime over them for a cocktail party. New twist on an old fave.

I also really like pineapple in my spicy tomato salsa.

[greygarious]

A since-closed Indian restaurant I liked always had a buffet salad that seemed to be just sugar, white vinegar, and water to dress sliced cukes, onions, grapes, melon, and apple - maybe zucchini and bell pepper too, can't recall. It was unusual but refreshing.

[redhead]

has to be figs stuffed with stilton, wrapped in proscuitto and baked (or grilled)..amazing combination..also just made a batch of sea salt carmel fudge brownines that met all my sweet/salty needs..

[Val]

Well, this is kind of an old stand-by but might be new to some here...Paula Deen's Pine Bark...saltines covered with caramel and then chocolate...ugh...and ahhhhhh!!!! So delicious...hits a home run every time...it's also on Epicurious as Caramel Matzoh Crunch...also, how about salted raisins...whenever I make a little mixture of lightly salted nuts with raisins thrown in, I'm amazed at how good those raisins taste with a *little* salt...yum! Well, here's the Paula Deen link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pa...

[alkapal]

the pine bark is getting raves on another thread, too. one must use crisp crackers in low humidity for crunchy success, though.

and salted raisins are good -- like in trail mix with nuts and m&ms.

[chefj]

Salt and Pepper Ice cream form Humphry Slocombe in S.F.
Tomato and watermelon Gazpacho
Diced Melon with Spicy Lemongrass soup (cold) Great with lobster in it too.
Kinda hot here today.

[susans]

Do black cherry tomatoes count as sweet? My home grown crop tastes almost like they are dipped in sugar.