Gourmet flavor combinations that sound gross

Hearkening back to those salad dressings, I've found that there are a lot of flavor combinations in the foodie world that sound hideous but actually work extremely well together. The most memorable example from the dressings was watermelon/cayenne.

When we take a look at the world of haute chocolates (hahaha.... very punny) you find things like cayenne (theme?), fleur de sel, ginger, pumpkin, orange peel, liqueur, passion fruit, lime, anise, curry, coffee, black pepper, and the list goes one. We havn't even gotten into the combinations, like curry + orange in dark chocolate.

So, what sort of interesting things would a foodie come up with for something so achingly normal as a cupcake?

Behold, Cupcake Bakeshop by Chockylit.

Who would think of something like pumpkin + saffron, or parsnip + apple and then bestow that inspiration upon the humble cupcake? I think the oddest so far has been the sweet corn + maple + bacon cupcake. I enjoy all three of those flavors on my breakfast plate when in combination with the actual foods associated with each flavor, but in a cupcake??

The strange thing is that when I try these odd concoctions many of them work wonderfully well. I'm sure that some of you might be happy to just take my word for it and I don't blame you. I was tempted to give the watermelon-cayenne dressing a pass as well, but found a whole new way of considering each flavor as a result of that experience.

I'm learning more in my old age that food can be an experience. We live in enlightened times and in affluent society, so food is not nearly so much of an issue of survival as it has become a three times daily experience. If that means something like adding a bit of Thai peanut sauce to my cabbage salad, sure, why not. Or even sampling the mango + cardamom cupcake.

What are you favorite food experiences? The ones that you remember, savor, and look forward to? What food have surprised you?

My most recent interesting experience involves a strawberry ice cream formed into a lump and wrapped in a slightly chewy rice dough. Tasty, and interesting texture. Different. I found that one little lump gave me enough enjoyable experience that I didn't need to eat the whole container in order to feel satisfied.