Dried green peppercorns from India have a fresh, aromatic flavor that complements
rich foods such as duck, pork, and steak au poivre, as well as cream soups and sauces.
Ah, the 1970’s. It was the decade—or was it the moment?—of nouvelle cuisine, of Paul Bocuse, Michel Guerard and Alain Senderens. Of large plates with very small, very precious daubs of food. Of baby vegetables barely cooked. Of dishes like sweetbreads in sea urchin cream (Senderens) and eggplant puree delicately bathed in saffron scented steam (Guerard). No more heavy sauces, no “disguised” food.
Everything was light, fresh, regionally inspired. A revolution, actually, one that’s still going on.
About this time there appeared a new twist on the classic steak au poivre: seared beef in a white wine-brandy sauce finished with a little cream and spicy green peppercorns that tumbled out of a can…steak au poivre vert.
In The Book of Spices, Alain Stella traces the emergence of green peppercorns in French cooking to Claude Terrail, chef at the Tour D’Argent restaurant in Paris. “In the early 1960’s he brought back a few bunches of green pepper from a voyage to Santo Domingo and used it to add a dash of sunshine to his stuffing for duckling,” Stella writes. Soon after, Paul Corcellet “launched a vogue” for mustard with green peppercorn. Brined green peppercorns became the rage.
Even today, when green peppercorns are widely available—often you’ll see the dried version in “gourmet” peppercorn blends—a bit of mystery still clings to them. What are they exactly, and how do you use them? And so, a few facts.
Family: Piperaceae
Botanical name: Piper nigrum
Key regions: India, Madagascar, Brazil
What are they?
Green peppercorns are unripe pepper berries that are harvested from the same tropical vine that produces both black and white peppercorns. They are classified according to the way they are processed: dried, freeze dried and brined.
How are green peppercorns dried?
Green peppercorns clusters are plucked by hand when they have reached full size, but the berries have not begun to turn yellow or red. To keep them from oxidizing, they are briefly immersed in boiling water, which kills the “blackening” enzyme, and are then immediately dried either in the sun or a kiln. When dry, the surface of the berry shrivels slightly and its vivid green color fades to a pale greenish khaki.
Freshly dried green peppercorns have a sprightly, almost fruity flavor, and a pungency that ranges from pleasant spiciness to a serious burn. Athough they can be quite hot, they have a more subtle flavor than black and white peppercorns.
Late-picked dried green peppercorns are firm enough to grind in peppermill. Although they are often sold mixed with black, white and so-called “pink” peppercorns (more on these imposters later), Tony Hill, owner of a Seattle spice company and author of the Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices, suggests that green peppercorns should never be blended with other peppercorns since they tend to absorb stronger flavors and aroma: “Blending all three simply gets you to the same place on the palate,” he writes.
How about freeze dried peppercorns?
Freeze dried peppercorns are plump and round, with a color that ranges from bright green to greenish tan. Their flavor is hot, fresh and very aromatic.
Not firm enough for grinding, they can be crumbled over food after cooking. Or, soak them in water until they are firm and add them while cooking.
What are brined green peppercorns?
Brining in water and salt, or in vinegar, is the oldest method of preserving fresh green peppercorns. Moulin Freres in Madagascar, known for its distinctive acid green, black and white tins bearing the slogan, "The best quality at the tightest price," are probably the most recognizable purveyor of brined green peppercorns, but the spice is also available in jars from a variety of sources.
These spicy, slighty resinous-tasting berries are firm and slightly crunchy when chewed. They are brownish green in hue.
So how are they used in cooking?
Green peppercorns can be used whole, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle, or ground in a peppermill, in the same way that you would use black or white peppercorns. The difference is in the flavor—lighter, more aromatic, but still quite pungent. They are particularly good with fatty foods such as duck or pork, in cream sauces and cream soups, such as lobster or shrimp bisque, and of course in the nouvelle version of steak au poivre. They add spice to unctuous pates and terrines, and there is nothing more delightful than smoked salmon sprinkled with a few brined green peppercorns.
In the Larousse Gastronomique, one finds several recipes in which whole green peppercorns, usually brined, are added to sauces. One recipe for magret, or duck breast, calls for the duck to be browned in butter, then briefly cooked in stock with whole green peppercorns to which a little cream is added. Another recipe, this time for roasted mallard, is served with an Armagnac-white wine sauce to which the juice from a can of green peppercorns is added, along with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the peppercorns themselves.
There are surprisingly few Indian recipes, at least in books, for green peppercorns, even though they are grown along the Malabar coast. So I was happy to find a pleasant recipe for zucchini sautéed with a tablespoon of whole green peppercorns—I use freeze dried pepper, plumped in water—along with chopped green chili, garlic, black pepper, lemon and salt in the late Ismail Merchant's delightful cookbook, Passionate Meals: The New Indian Cuisine for Fearless Cooks and Adventurous Eaters.
Elsewhere in Asia, clusters of fresh green peppercorns add heat to Thai curries and stir fries, and are an ingredient in the spicy condiment nam prik. As fresh peppercorns are rarely available here, brined green pepper is the recommended substitute.
I also like to use brined or freeze dried peppercorns, reconstituted in water, to enliven vinaigrettes. You can either mash the peppercorns slightly and then whisk with a little white balsamic vinegar, salt and a mild but fruity olive oil. Or add a tablespoon of green peppercorns to any white wine vinegar, let sit for about a week, then strain and use in a vinaigrette.