Just as Pantone releases yearly predictions of the colors that will brighten our lives, so does McCormick release yearly predictions of the flavors that will enliven our food. The spice company has released its annual Flavor Forecast, which includes tastes, yoked together, that McCormick predicts will appear on American menus during 2009. Here are some highlights.

Peppercorn and Sake. Sake has every right to be in the kitchen (and maybe in the cook) alongside the burgundy. Cooking with sake is not new to fusion cooks, but a lot of us will want to try chicken and udon in lemongrass-sake broth or flank steak marinated in sake and served with a peppery sauce. If you prefer your sake in a glass, for their version of the saketini the glass is rimmed, like a black and white martini, in crushed peppercorns.

Cayenne and Cherry. Playing hot and sweet flavors off of each other is a classic savory technique. While you're printing the recipe for spicy pulled pork in tart cherry sauce with vanilla slaw, catch up with your fellow slashfoodies' adventures with North Carolina BBQ slaw.

Rosemary and Fruit. Anyone who's made their own cordials has encountered the pairing of astringent rosemary with sweet fruit (typically stone or citrus). Among McCormick's interpretations of this twosome in a cake with brie and preserves that looks to be, as the headnote claims, a wonderful pairing of savory and sweet flavors.

Smoked Paprika and Agave. This is a wonderful match of flavors that work well together but are not typically paired. There's a smoky margarita, and an exciting recipe for smoked paprika shrimp with a sauce made with red pepper and agave nectar.

There are several other pairings (sesame and root beer, anyone?) to explore. In case you're wondering, previous years' predictions have included pepper and berry, salt and tea, and mustard and fennel (2007) and vanilla and cardamom and sage and rye (whiskey, not wheat; 2008). I've used all of these combinations in my cooking -- have you? Log on to the Flavor Forecast website to view the full forecast, and then leave commentary below to tell us which of the combinations you have cooked with, will be interested in cooking with, or cannot imagine anyone cooking with!