The Latest Food Trends
presented by Dana McCauley & Associates Ltd.
Summer 2009 Contents
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Trending Up
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Dinner Eggcitement | Traditional breakfast foods and flavors are poaching space on both home and restaurant menus. At home the attraction is that breakfast foods (such as poached eggs over salad, savory crepes and such) are easier and faster to cook than many other entrée choices. At the restaurant level, the concept works with gourmet touches such as putting foie gras on hash browns or duck eggs on seared pork belly. Learn how to poach eggs perfectly on Dana’s blog.
Entrées | It’s not that entrée sales at restaurants are up, it’s that appetizer sales are down as consumers strive to “have their night out and afford it, too”. A study of 4500 consumers found that heavy purchasers of appetizers made up 40% of the sample group in the study in 2007; however, only 24% were in the same category in 2009.
Sizzling Sales | Some restaurants are thwarting the recession by offering more fried food menu items. A survey showed that consumers prefer not to make fried foods at home; moreover, 80% of the survey samples admitted that they crave fried foods. Read more stats and facts about this topic on Dana’s blog.
Restaurants on Shelf | While consumers cut back on restaurant spending, resilient restaurateurs strive to fill the grocery shelves with their branded products. Look for Wolfgang Puck’s new 11-inch (27-cm) pizzas, Starbucks’ Caramel Macchiato ice cream, Taco Bell’s Salsa and, most surprising of all, Burger King’s kid targeted apple fries in the produce section.
Homemade Java | While experts predicted retail coffee sales to grow 2.4% in 2008, turmoil in the economy led many consumers to choose homemade coffee over $4 lattes. As a result, retail coffee sales grew by 6% and are predicted to stay strong. In other coffee related news the makers of Dippin’ Dots ice cream pellets are applying their super cold technology to coffee concentrate to bring home cooks another, (hopefully better) instant coffee option.
Food Banking | Although it’s not a new way to spend time in the kitchen, preserving is back, baby! In fact, it’s difficult to find a publication that doesn’t have a story or feature about making jam or jelly right now. Look for abundant editorial coverage of pickling and as the summer progresses look for other canning methods to turn up.
Specialty/Gourmet Food Trucks | In Texas, San Francisco and Manhattan and points in-between, high concept restaurants on wheels are adding vitality and delicious aromas to urban streets. From crème brulee to fish tacos to cupcakes, the quality and variety are high. Unique marketing approaches that use twitter and blogs make these free range eateries a success. Likewise, mobile veggie markets such as New York City Green Carts are making quality produce available in lower income neighborhoods currently underserved by grocery stores. Find links to some of the most famous food trucks on Dana’s blog. .
Spot-on Seafood Choices | The chatter about spot prawns earlier this spring by chefs and foodies was almost deafening! What was the big deal we wondered? Turns out eating sustainable seafood is catching on and everyone was clamoring for the wonderful tasting, abundant BC spot prawns to come to market. At a more accessible level, the grab and go Pret A Manger lunch chain has discontinued tuna sandwiches and tuna sushi until a sustainable source is found. (NB: we suspect that the pole caught tuna endorsed by conservationists is unaffordable for sandwich shops.)
Macarons | That glossy, light and delicious French-style macaron cookies are all the rage isn’t exactly news. All you have to do is walk into a Paris bakery or visit a handful of food blogs and you’ll find recipes and flavor variations on these cookies that will boggle your mind! What is new is that this trend is finally catching on in Canadian bakeries, too. Want to know more about these cookies visit Dana’s blog for links to some of the world’s most famous macaron makers.
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Emerging Flavors & Foods
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International Grilling | Ethnic grilling trends are gaining popularity and spilling into the realm of home cooks via cooking shows, magazines and recipe books like the Seven Fires Cookbook that features inventive Argentine grilling methods. Also on the grilling radar screen are Korean, Florentine and Brazilian methods of cooking over fire. Learn a little more about these techniques on Dana’s blog.
“Rooster” Sriracha | This spicy Thai-inspired sauce is made from ripe chilies which are ground with garlic into a smooth paste and then packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle. It’s become ubiquitous, adding sizzle to many cuisines. After being featured in a national menu audit and in a New York Times feature, the blogosphere is all abuzz about this spicy condiment.
Spicy Ice Cream | Where bacon went before, the new trend in ice cream is to add a spicy kick of heat by incorporating chilies, ginger or other hot elements (maybe even sriracha!) to this cool treat. Read about more ice cream trends on Dana’s blog.
Skyr | Pronounced skeer, this Icelandic dairy product is a cornerstone of the Nordic diet consumed by some of the planet’s longest living people. With next to no fat and exceptional levels of calcium and protein, skyr is being marketed as a snack for active people and as a supplement to a healthy lifestyle. Learn about how people are using Skyr in the comments section on Dana’s blog.
Cavena Nuda | Cavena Nuda translates to ‘naked oats’, so called because the kernels thresh free of the hulls; they have been grown for centuries as animal feed but are now being positioned as a rice alternative suitable for human consumption. Rich in minerals, vitamins and high-quality protein, companies like Manitoba’s Wedge Farms are bringing this food to public attention.
Raising the Bar | American ryes (made from mash containing 51 percent rye or more before being aged for at least two years in oak barrels) are catching the attention of serious aficionados while Italian bitters such as Campari and Cynar are bringing Milan-style flare to North American lounges and patios. Drink in more information on this topic on Dana’s blog.
Rottin’ News | Becoming more common on store shelves is packaging that is formulated to be break down easily in composters and landfills, products such as Frito Lay Sun Chips are leaders in the US while in Canada, Natrel bagged milk comes in an outer bag made from biodegradable materials.
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Fun Fads
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Fake Food | Stretching the bounds of molecular gastronomy to their limits, 3-star Michelin chef Pierre Cagnaire collaborated with chemist Hervé This to create the first 100% synthetic recipe called Le note a note. Unveiled in Hong Kong in April, this appetizer consists of apple and lemon flavored jelly orbs that are creamy on the inside and crackily on the outside.
Designer Doggie Bags | We’re not sure if credit should go to Michelle Obama for taking the uneaten portion of her Valentine’s Day dinner home in a doggie bag or to the economy for reminding us that waste is, well, a waste; but, doggie bags are not only back, they’ve had a makeover. From elegant branded shopping bags at places such as Brasserie in New York City to sleek black take out boxes sealed with a branded sticker at Toronto’s Pangaea, foil swans are all but extinct.
Atkins 3.0 | In the here-we go-again department, a new “Eco” version of the Atkin’s Diet that features plant proteins instead of meat has been tested on a small sample group and proven to lead to both weight loss and significant reductions in LDL cholesterol.
Super Simple | In a bid to placate consumers concerned about long ingredient lists on packaged food products, brand extensions such as Hagen Daaz Five (a line of 5-ingredient ice creams) and reformulated Snapple iced tea (made with ‘real’ sugar) have been launched. Even Frito Lay found an opportunity recently to point out that their potato chips are made with just three ingredients. Somehow we think that when Michael Pollan advised people to eat only foods that contain ingredients you can pronounce, that ice cream and chips weren’t the only foods he had in mind.
Boutique Franks | Small batch hot dogs and sausages made from premium quality and artisan raised meats are becoming popular in many North American cities including San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Toronto. Likewise the breads and toppings are ramped up to match these higher quality proteins.
Foie Gras in the Sweet Kitchen | Although no pastry chef I know ever learned how to make profiteroles, macarons, tarte tatin, waffles, milkshakes or doughnuts with foie gras at culinary school, many of them are doing it now in high-end eateries in cities such as Montreal, Chicago, Portland and New York.
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News
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