Pablo Zitzmann

We asked Zitzmann to consider an ingredient trifecta that both surprises and inspires. He came back to us with white chocolate, red miso and sansho pepper.

“I love this combination and have used it in a mousse for a dessert we do from time to time,” he says. “I like to caramelize the white chocolate, then make a mousse with it where we fold in the red miso, which adds saltiness and complexity. I finish it with a couple of dashes of ground sansho pepper, which is the Japanese counterpart to Sichuan peppercorn.”

The three ingredients bring out the best in each other. “I like how versatile white chocolate is. The fattiness of the chocolate highlights the sansho pepper’s floral flavor, and the citrus notes from the pepper clean the palate a bit,” says Zitzmann. “Red miso’s salinity and savoriness amplify everything.”

Aside from featuring the trio in the mousse, Zitzmann also likes using the combination of white chocolate, red miso and sansho pepper in other applications, including entrées. “We make a marinade for black cod using these three ingredients and the result is killer,” he says.