Locavoring Fear no Smeeer: Spreadable garlic knows no bounds By Bruce Adams “Mmm ... okay … okay … yeah. That’s really … interesting. Smack. Yeah. That is good. Wow! Real good. And I don’t even like coffee ...” I’m listening to a recording of myself sampling Buffalo’s latest regional gourmet food product, called Garlic Smeeer (a play on the classic schmeer). I taped every lip-smacking moment of my recent visit to Marco’s Italian Restaurant where I talked to the product’s energetic creator, Diane Falzone, and restaurant owner Chef Mark Sciortino. Well, technically only part of my visit to the twenty-year West Side institution was spent talking. The rest of the time I was eagerly consuming a wide assortment of foods Falzone prepared with Garlic Smeeer. Right now I’m savoring steak topped with maître d’ butter from the Marco’s menu made with Coco-Coffee Garlic Smeeer. What makes Smeeer stand out in the pantheon of garlic products is its five exotic varieties: fennel, lemon, vermouth, blood orange, and of course coco-coffee. “It’s odd that it doesn’t taste odd,” I say, lips still smacking. Coffee and cocoa are not flavors that immediately spring to mind when someone mentions garlic—or steak, for that matter—but it works. The effect is subtle rather than bold. The components kind of sneak up on your taste buds in turns and whisper “surprise.” Sciortino is introducing Garlic Smeeer to WNY through his Niagara Street restaurant. Currently, Smeeer is available only at Marco’s as a small-batch handmade product, but Falzone and Sciortino are actively scouting commercial processors to produce Smeeer on a large scale. “What Diane does,” explains Sciortino, “is she takes the garlic and puts it through a process. To describe it in simple terms, it’s flavor-roasted garlic. When you say garlic, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘ugh, garlic, it’s too strong. But the flavor is muted.’” Garlic’s pungent flavor is produced by a chemical reaction that occurs when garlic cells are broken during cutting or crushing. But the chemical reaction doesn’t occur when garlic is cooked, which is why roasting garlic produces a sweet rather than pungent flavor. Falzone’s product—packed into small jars—comes in the form of whole cloves roasted to a soft “smearable” texture and infused with natural flavors. I sample Falzone’s mixed hot pepper pottage made with blood orange Garlic Smeeer. It’s spicy with sweet citrus undertones and only a hint of garlic—not quite like anything I’ve tasted before. I start eating it straight from its serving bowl until I realize it’s intended as a condiment. “You can eat it any way you want,” says Falzone diplomatically. Her kids use it to make sandwiches. I top the last of the steak with a Smeeer-enhanced organic cherry sauce (also a condiment), and spread Smeeer butter on bread. By now I figure I’m thoroughly protected from every adversity purportedly kept at bay by garlic: destructive free radicals, a myriad of diseases, violations of personal space, vampires. But wait, it’s time for desert—sweets made with Garlic Smeeer! “When someone says to you, ‘I put garlic in deserts,’ you look at them like they’re crazy,” deadpans Sciortino. “When [Diane] brought me the desserts I was absolutely blown away. I couldn’t believe the flavor, the texture, the body; the garlic enhanced every dessert in a different fashion.” I warily sample biscotti baked with Smeeer dipped in Smeeer-flavored chocolate. The Smeeer is almost imperceptible, but there is something different, then a faint note of garlic flavor surfaces. It’s unexpected in a sweet biscuit, but it grows on you. Like the first time you try sushi. I sample pistachio nut brittle made with Smeeer. Softer than conventional brittle, the garlic adds a welcome touch of hotness. Next come cannoli; Smeeer adds to the complexity of the creamy confection. Garlic Smeeer caramel sauce and Garlic Smeeer fig preserves provide dipping options for plain biscotti. The award for the most unusual taste of the day must go to chocolate-covered Garlic Smeeer: hand-dipped whole cloves of blood-orange-flavored roasted garlic. This is an acquired taste requiring several attempts before I’m able to wrap my taste buds around the concept. Falzone first experimented with the idea of healthy garlic-enhanced sweets on a friend who asked her to create something unique for a dinner party she was hosting. “When I was growing up, being Italian, if we weren’t being breast-fed we were gnawing on cloves of garlic. I’ve always used garlic as a savory, and I thought, there are so many healthy aspects to garlic, and people want their sweets, but they want something healthy with it, and then I thought, why not try [using Smeeer in] dessert?” It was a hit with the guests. Later she brought her creations to Sciortino, who is nationally known as the host of the cable show Kitchen Spaces, and traveling conference chef for Sorrento Cheese. After tasting Falzone’s creations he told her, “Let’s go with it.” He put the Garlic Smeeer steak recipe on the menu, began carrying the product for sale, and started promoting it on the restaurant’s website. Sciortino has many more plans for the wonder clove down the line. Falzone and Sciortino think they have another Western New York food sensation in the tradition of the kummelweck, Weber’s mustard, or Chiavetta’s marinade. “We’re creating the next Buffalo foodie treat,” says Falzone. Members of the public can get Garlic Smeeer now while it’s still hand-made by its originator. Then some day while attending the National Garlic Smeeer Festival, you can tell everyone you tried it first way back when. Bruce Adams is an artist, educator, and writer living in Buffalo. Smeeer Recipe Contest Marco’s Italian Restaurant owner Mark Sciortino is sponsoring an on-line recipe contest for foods made with Garlic Smeeer. All five Smeeer flavors can be purchased at the restaurant at 1085 Niagara Street at four dollars a bottle. Recipes can be submitted via the website: www.marcosbuffalo.com. Sciortino will judge the entries and each winning recipe will be featured on the specials menu for one weekend and go on the website. Contest winners will also receive a twenty-five-dollar gift certificate. Sciortino is happy to help people develop their recipes. “That’s what I do. I create recipes for people. It’s second nature.” SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top