Iron Foodie 2010...The treasure box has arrived!!

Update...I've decided on a recipe for my signature dish!! My ingredient choices are...Tellicherry Pepper, Dried Aji Panca Chili, Wild Porcini Mushrooms, Smoked Sea Salt and Dulse Seaweed...I'm going shopping this Saturday to purchas all my other ingredients and will be spending Sunday and Monday preparing my dish...keep your fingers and toes crossed so I don't burn or ruin anything. What you see on the plate is all I have to work with and if something goes wrong... I'm in deep dodo!!
Rushing home in a blizzard last night, I was hopeful to find my treasure box filled with gourmet goodies from Marx Foods. Sure enough, my little box was sitting on the first step just inches away from the wet and snowy conditions. I ran inside with my treasure, eager to unveil it's gourmet contents.

As I sliced open the box, my senses were overcome with the sweet, smokey and pungent aromas of the contents. What treasures inside this tiny box could offer such an array if diversity to my senses?

Let's take a look at each item individually, starting with the most intriguing.
Dulse Seaweed

The Dulse Seaweed is one of the most intriguing ingredients in the box. The smell is nothing like most seaweed varietals I've eaten or cooked with. The fragrance reminded me of tobacco, slightly sweet and earthy. Filled with antioxidants this seaweed is a super-food! I'm really hoping to incorporate Dulse seaweed into my signature dish!

Fennel Pollen:

A delightful aroma with a light hint of licorice and lemon, crisp and refreshing.

Dried Aji Panca Chilies:

Dried chilies generally have very little aroma until reconstituted in water. The Anji Panca Chilies have just a hint of the smells reminiscent of my youth, while living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I adore red and green chilies and the foods of the South West. I learned how to eat some of the finest Mexican food on the planet at a very young age, thanks to my parents! I'm really looking forward to comparing the taste and heat of these lovely chilies to my favorite New Mexican dried red Chilies.

Dried Wild Porcini Mushrooms:

Strong and pungent are these little beauties! Like the damp forest smells after a rain. I imagine they will be filled with powerful woodsy flavors and add a dimension of hearty goodness to any dish!

Smoked Fine Sea Salt:

Naturally smoked, the fine, black grains conjure up the smell of a camp fire but with a sweetness that is indescribable for salt. This salt is filled with layers and layers of complexity, smooth salinity that's not overpowered by the natural smokiness. I love sea salt and this one ranks very high on my scale of perfectly balanced and tasty.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans:

A vanilla bean soaked in Bourbon...yup, that's a match made in heaven! Plump, and filled with flavor, I can't wait to slice open the brown slender bean to reach the lusciousness inside...YUM!

Maple Sugar:

Wow! I'm not much for maple flavor but this sugar was the bomb! Growing up with Aunt Jamima on the table I never became accustom to the "real" flavor of maple syrup. To strong for my taste in it's natural form, but not overpowering in the least, in this fine sugar.

Tellicherry Peppercorns:

After being introduced to Tellicherry Peppers four years ago, I haven't cooked with any other variety since!! A complex little peppercorn with fruitiness and good heat, is a staple in my kitchen!

Marx Foods did a wonderful job of choosing a diverse array of ingredients for this challenge. My head has been spinning since I opened the box...now I must choose which 3 treasures to use for my signature dish. How will I choose my 3 ingredients? I have no idea at this very moment!! Stay tuned for the answer to that question as I need to cogitate for a bit!

The deadline for posting my signature dish is December 3 and starting December 7th, the entire Foodie Blogroll will vote to award one person the title of Iron Foodie 2010!

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