The mistake to absolutely avoid

Kampot Black Pepper is famous for its aromatic finesse (mint, eucalyptus, flowers). These essential oils are very volatile and fragile.

• If you put it in a scorching pan at the start of cooking, it will lose 80% of its aromas and develop an unpleasant bitterness.
• The technique: Cook your meat, fish or vegetables normally. It is only once the heat is turned off (or directly on the hot plate) that you will give a few turns of the Kampot mill. The slight release of heat from the dish will exhale the aromas without destroying them.

Ingredients & Preparation

• 1 nice rib of beef (taken out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking)
• 1 tbsp of Kampot Black Pepper PGI grains
• Fleur de sel, a drizzle of olive oil

1. Grill the rib of beef to your liking (rare or medium-rare).
2. While cooking, place the Kampot Black grains in a mortar. Crush them coarsely with the pestle to make a "mignonnette" (large pieces, not fine powder).
3. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes under aluminum foil.
4. Just before serving, generously sprinkle the meat with fleur de sel and the Kampot mignonnette. The highly mentholated and resinous side of the pepper will perfectly "clean" the beef fat in the mouth.

Ingredients & Preparation

• 4 delicate white fish fillets (Sea bass, Turbot, or Cod)
• Butter, juice of 1 lemon, 1 shallot
• Kampot White Pepper PGI (in a mill)

1. Steam your fish fillets or fry them in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Prepare a small beurre blanc sauce (or simply melted butter with a dash of lemon and sweated shallot).
3. Plate up. Give 2 to 3 turns of the White Kampot mill on each fillet.
4. Why White? Because it offers intense citrus and fresh herb notes (ideal with iodine), without any "animal" notes or farm smells, unlike bad commercial white peppers. Moreover, it leaves no black spots on the white flesh of the fish.

Ingredients & Preparation

• 500g of fresh strawberries
• 2 tbsp of an excellent balsamic vinegar, 1 knob of butter
• Kampot Red Pepper PGI (coarsely ground)

1. Hull and halve the strawberries.
2. In a frying pan, melt the knob of butter and sear the strawberries very quickly (30 seconds). Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar.
3. Turn off the heat. Add two generous turns of the Red Kampot mill.
4. The Pairing: Kampot Red Pepper has fabulous notes of candied red fruits and cocoa. It pairs wonderfully with the acidity of the strawberry and the sweetness of the balsamic.

Slow Infusion

Long Pepper (Piper longum) is one of the few peppers that is not afraid of long cooking times!

1. Prepare your classic pot-au-feu recipe (beef, marrow bone, carrots, turnips, leeks).
2. Right from the start of cooking, plunge a whole "catkin" (a spike) of Kampot Red Long Pepper into the broth.
3. Let simmer for 3 to 4 hours. The long pepper will slowly soak up the broth and release its warm notes of gingerbread, nutmeg and cocoa, without saturating the dish with heat. This is the secret to an unforgettable broth!

The Aesthetic Tip

In fine French dining, a chef never puts black pepper in mashed potatoes to avoid unsightly "black spots".

1. Make a well-buttered homemade mash (with slightly salted butter).
2. Off the heat, season with very finely ground Kampot White Pepper.
3. Not only will the mash remain immaculate, but the citrus and fresh herb notes of the White Kampot will "break" the sometimes heavy side of the butter and cream, bringing incredible lightness to the tasting.

Ingredients & Preparation

• 2 nice duck breasts
• 2 tbsp of quality honey, 1 tbsp of raspberry vinegar
• Kampot Red Pepper PGI (mignonnette)

1. Score the skin of the duck breasts. Fry them in a pan (draining the excess fat).
2. Keep the duck breasts warm. In the pan, deglaze the juices with the raspberry vinegar, add the honey and let reduce until you obtain a liquid caramel.
3. Slice the duck breasts, coat them with this honey sauce, and generously crush the Red Kampot over the top. Its notes of candied fruit will pair ideally with the duck.

The Microplane Grater

Kampot Red Long Pepper looks like a small pinecone. It does not fit in a classic mill.

1. Prepare your bitter dark chocolate mousse (minimum 70% cocoa).
2. Take a very fine grater (like a nutmeg grater or microplane).
3. Finely grate a third of a spike of Kampot Red Long Pepper directly into the preparation before incorporating the beaten egg whites.
4. Leave to set in the fridge. The warm bite of the spice combined with the tonka bean and cocoa notes of the long pepper will sublimate the chocolate.

The Perfect Blend

If you have our box with the 150g bags, you can create a "tailor-made" pepper for your dining room mill.

• The base (50%): Kampot Black Pepper, for structure, power and the hint of eucalyptus.
• The aesthetic (25%): Kampot White Pepper, to provide deep warmth and a touch of citrus.
• The gourmet (25%): Kampot Red Pepper, for its notes of candied fruit and its beautiful glowing red color in the mill (which is incidentally called a "3 berries blend" in the jargon, although they are real peppers).

Storage Tips

Kampot is a grand cru that deserves care.

1. Never store your pepper reserves in the kitchen right above the stove (heat destroys essential oils).
2. Keep the whole grains in their opaque resealable bags provided in our box, or in airtight jars, in a dark, dry cupboard.
3. Never fill your mills to the brim: only put in the amount needed for 2 or 3 weeks. Pepper that sits for 6 months in a transparent mill on a restaurant table will lose all its nobility and minty flavors.