Unexpected

Life lesson learned: I love food with a twist. Most people have a preconceived idea of how everything should taste, and I think that really great food subtly challenges those ideas. Often times, there's just the tiniest little hint of something unexpected, and that makes a great dish sparkle.

Often times, if you told someone what the magic ingredient was, they might turn up there noses at it, but when creatively just snuck in, they may not even notice. Some of my favorite unexpected combinations include:

• Balsamic vinegar and strawberries: when making a strawberry sauce or glaze, just a hint of balsamic vinegar
  
• Watermelon and lime
• Curry and apples: just a hint of curry in an apple pie, wow
• Orange and broccoli
• Pork and raspberry: I love to put some pureed raspberries in gravy to go on pork
• Balsamic vinegar and vanilla ice cream: if you've never tried it, it sounds disgusting, but a tablespoon a high quality vinegar just right on top of the ice cream is amazing

Please comment and share some of your favorite, unexpected flavor combinations.