Grains of Paradise - Who Knew?

On a recent trip to Napa Valley, I wandered into a spice shop in the Oxbow Public Market. While sniffing my way through the countless spices, as any true culinarian would, I discovered something deliciously referred to as “grains of paradise.” Again, like a culinarian, the first thing I did was pop a few of these tiny reddish-brown grains into my mouth and bit into them. From the initial tingling on the tip of my tongue I thought ‘pepper.’ But once that sensation dissipated the finish was surprisingly similar to that of cardamom. I decided I could not return home without taking a generous amount of this West African spice with me.

In my house any new spices' or herbs’ ultimate test is how it holds its’ own when paired with a steak. I deliberately used the grains of paradise as a substitute for pepper – yes, I sacrificed a steak for the sake of this experiment. As I suspected, it tasted like a milder version of steak au poivre that left an aromatic hint on the palate. The preparation was oh so simple. Coat both sides of a steak with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Coarsely grind about three tablespoons of the grains of paradise and lavishly apply to both sides of the steak. Grill to your desired doneness. Enjoy!