Pick of pepper

Crate & Barrel five-pepper blend

Like freshly grated parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper is infinitely more flavorful than its prepulverized counterpart. Crate & Barrel's spicy blend mixes black, white, green, and pink peppercorns with Jamaica pepper, also called allspice -- a dried berry that tastes like a combination of nutmeg and cloves, with a hint of cinnamon. Fill your pepper mill with the colorful mix and use it in just about any recipe that calls for pepper. A 10-ounce bottle costs $9.95 at Crate & Barrel stores.

-- Theresa Regli