Strangest Jamaican Jerk Ever

Last night I did something truly unprecedented. I sent my jamaican jerk chicken wings back to the kitchen because I after attempting to eat them, I couldn't have them near me. I really wanted to like them, but it was just impossible. I had a feeling something was very wrong when they arrived. Even my friend Mike noted the incredibly strong smell of rosemary. Rosemary? The best way to describe them is that they were over-spiced. Not too spicy, but over-spiced. The jerk sauce that I make is a mild sauce, the most prominent flavor being nutmeg (but just barely). My sauce is not the best, but I believe that it approaches the taste of a good jerk sauce. These wings, however, went above and beyond, landing someplace more akin to pot-pourri than anything edible.

So now my curiosity is piqued and I am looking through all my favorite recipe sites in an attempt to discover, not the genesis of this particular jerk recipe, but something that might explain what the chef was attempting. Last night's chicken appeared to be encrusted with something other than the usual nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Probably rosemary, as Mike indicated. The jamaican "jerk" wing and other jerk recipes on epicurious.com as well as the encyclopedia on allrecipes.com indicate thyme as one of the spices used but not rosemary. Perhaps it was a liberty taken by this particular chef.

This is a mystery.

I was still hungry when the waitress took the wings away, but no longer wanting chicken or anything savory or spicy for that matter. I went for sweet and ordered the bread pudding with bailey's irish cream sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, which more than made up for the wings. The pudding was exactly the texture that I like, not too dense or soggy. Last night's culinary adventure, however, has led me to wonder if a menu consisting of jamacain jerk chicken with bread pudding for dessert would have too many conflicting flavors. I imagine that an appropriate dessert to accompany jamaican jerk would be fruitier than bread pudding. There is a bread pudding recipe with a spiced rum sauce, but that may be overdoing it as well. Thus I think that last night's "meal" has inspired two separate menus:

Menu one:
Jamaican jerk chicken with sticky rice
Vegetable kabobs
Sliced Peaches

Menu two:
Vegetarian pasties with mushroom gravy
Steamed, crunchy broccoli
Bread pudding with warm bourbon sauce and ice-cream