Praiseworthy Pepper

These highest-grade pink peppercorns are grown in Brazil and harvested by hand only during the month of May. Their name is something of a misnomer: Not true peppercorns, they’re actually the berries of the pepper tree. After cleaning and sorting the fresh berries, the brightest and best are selected and air-dried for up to two days. Their lovely rosy hue and mild, slightly spicy flavor makes them ideal for sweet dishes that call for a less punchy pepper. Top your next vanilla panna cotta with strawberries steeped in a mix of sugar, balsamic vinegar and pink pepper. Or for an easy steak au poivre, coarsely grind them with white, green and black peppercorns and press onto a steak before searing it in butter and oil, then deglaze the pan with brandy and cream and spoon it over the meat.