Remember that "better" isn't just about taste. For me, "better" also takes into account the circumstances of how it's grown (such as Chinese garlic v USA grown).

Shrimp scampi showcases garlic well -

/tricia

Pasta with a simple oil and garlic dressing would be good for taste testing.

I like all the previously mentioned ideas also.

Jim

The Christopher Ranch web site worked for me, but I bought my garlic from Garlic Dude because I like to buy it in braids, as that helps it keep longer. I bought a two foot braid, which will last me a year, and the garlic I have from last year still tastes fresh.

I agree with Jimster for the olive oil and garlic testing, but pesto is another good way to test. I'm making hummus this evening, and I often put quite a bit of garlic in that. My Caesar dressing only has a mild garlic taste to it, but I do love garlic with shrimp. A nice vinaigrette is another good way to test garlic, and I make a dip with garlic, dill, black pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, and mayonnaise that has an intense garlic flavor. To make that, I start by mashing the garlic in a mortar and pestle with some Kosher salt and then add dill and black pepper. I mix in the other ingredients in a bowl. Garlic-dill-lemon juice-black pepper are a great seasoning combination, especiallly with Meyer lemons.

Lars

A great dish for good garlic is Bourride. A monkfish stew.
Prepare about 3lbs of monkfish and cut into 6 pieces.
Heat some olive oil and sweat : 2 onions, thinly sliced, 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced, 2 carrots, thinly sliced and the white of a leek, sliced for about 10 mins.

Add a bay leaf and season, then add 250mls dry white wine.

Season the fish and pan fry for 3 to 4 mins. Add to the veg, then cover and leave to cook gently for 8 to 10 mins.
When cooked, remove the fish and whisk in Aioli. (10 garlic cloves, 2 egg yolks, juice of a lemon, 250 mls olive oil, 1 teaspoon mustard)
The veggies should break up and the broth should be thick.
Rich and delicious.

Garlic bread?

dcarch

Once you determine the winner, I'd recommend this wonderful garlic soup to showcase it. If there's any left over, it makes a great sauce base for other dishes.

ROASTED GARLIC SOUP WITH PARMESAN CHEESE
(from David at the Cooking Forum)

26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 350. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)
Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.
Serves 4.

Note from Ruth: I usually just cut the tops off 2 or 3 (depending on size) whole bulbs of garlic instead of the 26 garlic cloves in the first step and use 1/2 tsp. dried thyme if fresh is not available. Don't leave out the lemon wedges.

Boy, with all this testing, you won't have to worry about vampires anytime soon!

Is that the soup from the garlic cookalong thread? I remember making a garlic soup from that thread, and it was delicious! Even my garlic indifferent husband loved it.

Do you know what kind of garlic it is? Different varieties have different flavors and characteristics, both raw and cooked. You may be comparing not only where it's grown, but different varieties. Or, is Gilroy garlic not only the place it's grown, but the variety name, also?

Sally

From my experience, the flavor of the garlic changes
from year to year. I have grown the same garlic,
in my garden, using cloves from the previous year,
and have had different tastes. But, I have to add,
they are all GOOD.

I'd try garlic bread. Easy to control amounts/proportions.

It'd be interesting to see your results. I grow several varieties and have never tried to taste test them. But then, I'm after storage life and they really are all good.

I thought of this thread today when I was driving behind a Christopher Ranch truck loaded with wooden crates of garlic, somewhere on Highway 25 between Hollister going towards Gilroy. Will Rogers (or was it Mark Twain?) said that Gilroy was the only place where you could marinate a steak just by hanging it out on the clothesline for two hours.

I found this nice story from the way-back-machine, 1981.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gilroy, the Grand Duchy of Garlic

I have no idea what variety it is, so between that and other variables mentioned there might not be anything to say conclusively from the test. But I'll do it anyway. For the side-by-side I think I'll try both roasted garlic and garlic bread. I can't believe I didn't think of garlic bread! That'll go well with the lasagna that I've been itching to make as a result of the lasagna thread.

Thanks for the replies and recipes, and for the reminder that there was a garlic cookalong. I've got a bunch to go through over the next few months!

Sushipup - Great quote!