Unusual Flavor Combinations

Years ago, someone suggested to me that I should try dipping pretzels in mustard. "It taste just like ham" they said. So I tried it and sure enough, it tasted like ham. However, I became suspicious, thinking it was just the power of suggestion. I tried it again more recently and it tasted like pretzels with mustard. Which leads me to last night's dinner and a very unusual combination. I cooked a chuck roast (braised in Pinot Noir - see chuck roast thread) and butter, baby redskin potatoes and asparagus, sauteed in olive oil. I finished the asparagus on my plate and cut another bite of beef, which happened to have absorbed some of the now asparagus-flavored olive oil. To my amazement, it almost tasted like steamed clams. Very tasty (I like steamed clams), but very strange. Has anyone else combined two unrelated flavors and have it taste like something totally different and unexpected?

Yesterday I tasted some great chocolates made with blueberries and Vidon pinot noir.

http://www.vidonvineyard.com/

There's an interesting recipe in Chinese Gastronomy called "Mock Fish", involving pork and vinegar that somehow ends up tasting kind of fish-like. Again, it could be partly (mainly?) the power of suggestion.

For Valentine's Day dinner, the chef at the golf club produced this dessert: chocolate-basil creme brulee. Never would have thought of pairing chocolate and basil but the result was outstanding.

At a wine tasting dinner in March, he made a lemon-basil sorbet as a palate cleanser. Another great, unusual combo.