How about this?
Take a breast of lamb (local, farm raised, you know my deal), season with salt & pepper, sear with a blowtorch, toss it into a bag with some Dr. Pepper and some dill, vacuum seal and sous vide for several hours at 58.5C.
I'm thinking about a coffee pairing with the lamb and am trying to understand the Dr. Pepper a little bit more. While I haven't gone out to the store (yet) to pick up a six-pack and Dublin Dr. Pepper (the only Dr. Pepper) is days away (and no, it's not from Ireland), I'm trying to reconstruct the flavors from memory.
They say there are 23 different flavors in Dr. Pepper. Of course, if you believe that then you believe that Colonel Sanders really did use 11 herbs and spices to create his chicken. I'm thinking that Dr. Pepper has vanilla, almond, sassafrass, cardamom, cloves, and salt. My internet readings come up with ideas like: burnt rum, star anise, ginger, black berry, apricot, prune, plum, oranges and molasses.
So why the obsession with Dr. Pepper? Thinking about flavor components in the marinade to play off of in the accompanying drink. How to pair a coffee beverage with the course, that's the task at hand.
If you have any thoughts to share on the 23 flavors or just ideas in general, let me know. I'll report back as things progress.
