I was watching an episode of Top Chef the other day, and one of the chefs mentioned fennel pollen. Culinary fennel pollen? Never heard of it, but it sounds interesting! So, I Googled and ordered some:
http://www.fennelpollen.com/ Yesterday, I used some in a spicy shrimp, celery, red bell pepper salad, and it was pretty good. But, I just finished what has to be the best chicken breast I've ever eaten. I made a dry rub with a teaspoon of fennel pollen and a big pinch of saffron, powdered it in a mortar and pestle, and sprinkled it on both sides of the chicken breasts, reserving a little bit of the rub for the end. I then very gently sauteed the chicken in a little butter, shut the heat off, added more butter, the rest of the rub, and a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. The color and flavor was extraordinary. BTW, for really high quality saffron: http://www.saffron.com/
