Gourmets & Good Eaters: 2023 Food Trends | Columns | capenews … – CapeNews.net

Gail Blakely
Gail Blakely
Mood food, “swicy” food, alcohol-free cocktails, mushrooms, butter boards, Yuzu fruit and spicy honey, tinned fish, zhuzhing food, plant-based dishes, ube, pasta made from vegetables, dates, kelp, avocado oil, and curries—do we need a glossary to understand the expected culinary trends for 2023? I believe so! Here goes: swicy food is (you guessed it) a combination of sweet and spicy elements in a single entrée, side dish, or dessert; think hot honey, or dark chocolate infused with hot chiles,
Nashville hot chicken is an ultimate swicy food. It’s a local specialty, made up of fried chicken: a portion of breast, thigh, or wing that has been marinated in a water-based blend of seasoning, then floured, fried, and finally covered in a paste or sauce that has been spiced with cayenne pepper. This preparation originated within the African American communities in the South. The richly tinged seasoning paste gives the fried chicken its reddish hue, but the secret spice blends, preparation methods, and heat intensity vary from recipe to recipe or depend on the chef.
Mood food is a fancy way of saying ordinary food infused with cannabis. Your best resource for that is probably a YouTube channel like The Cannabis Cooking Channel or the “Vice Munchies” series. Cannabis meals are becoming an extremely lucrative industry in this country, and many restaurateurs are taking advantage of this trend, using the plant as a garnish as well as a flavoring in traditional dishes.
Vegan and vegetarian continue to be popular. There are many reasons to adopt a plant-based diet, including ethical concerns and climate change. Cutting back on meat is a goal of many home cooks that I know, and as a culinary teacher, I am often asked for classes on how to prepare dishes that are plant-based. With rising food costs, vegetarian meals are cheaper to cook than their carnivorous alternatives. Also, the meat substitute industry is exploding—which leads us to another trend: mushrooms.
The humble toadstool is one of the very few non-animal sources of vitamin D. Mushrooms are a critical component of a vegetarian diet, but they are not at all limited to a plant-based meal. They have been essential to French and Italian cooking for decades, and now their earthy flavor is rapidly expanding to American cuisine. When we scheduled a mushroom walk at Highfield Hall last fall, it was quickly sold out. We look forward to more such programs in the coming year, especially as we are fortunate to have Beebe Woods right in our backyard.
Zhuzhing is a verb that means finishing food so it’s ready for a close-up. It also means adding something to your home-cooked meal to make it more exciting–for some, to make it feel like it came out of a five-star restaurant. Finishing your dish with a new oil, crunchy topping or seasoning blend can really take your weeknight dinner to the next level. Additional ideas include fried shallots, pricey olive oils, soy sauce, salt, crispy jalapeno pieces and hot, spicy honey.
Yuzu fruit is popular in Eastern Asia and is rarely eaten just as a fruit. Its rind and zest add a singular tang to a ponzu sauce; other culinary uses are very similar to how lemons are incorporated into many dishes. Ube is a purple yam that originated in the Philippines; it might be viewed as a successor to taro root, but be careful not to confuse it with taro, as taro is very toxic when eaten raw.
Nostalgic food, functional food, sustainable food—these are more familiar to most of us. The demand for retro food and drink is not new, but they continue to increase in popularity: think American chop suey with a meat substitute. Functional foods provide an extra health benefit beyond nutritional value: gut friendly probiotics (and prebiotics) such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. The proliferation of vegan boxed macaroni and cheese, cans of classic colas with prebiotic benefits are on the rise.
Confession time: I had to do some research here, as I didn’t know the difference between the pros and the pres. Prebiotics are a form of dietary fiber that feed the “friendly” bacteria in your gut, allowing your gut bacteria to produce nutrients for your colon cells, which leads to a healthier digestive system. Not to be confused with probiotics, which are live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. Even pet products now include additional ingredients that benefit your pet’s skin, bone, joint, and digestive health.
Curry is not new, but take a look on the supermarket shelves and start to count the number of curry-related products. Remember, there is no one curry, just as there is no one ice cream variety. I’m glad to see dates on the list of trends: my father’s favorite snack was dates stuffed with peanut butter—and I am learning to like eating a few for lunch. Flavors and options are almost endless—as are new recipes for all of these highly anticipated trends. Here are a few to try, should you be so inclined.
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs fresh mixed mushrooms, sliced thick
4 tbsp butter
²/³ cup sour cream
1 to 2 tbsp AP flour
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (Swiss or Gruyère)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the oil and, when it’s shimmering, add the mushrooms. Cook until they’ve released their liquid, and it’s evaporated; meanwhile, mix together the sour cream and flour, whisking to make sure the flour is well-incorporated, and stir in the salt and pepper. Add the sour cream mixture to the pan and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish; top with cheese and place it in the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve as a side dish with grilled or roasted protein.
1 cup honey
2 tbsp chili flakes
Optional: 2 tsp hot sauce or apple cider vinegar
Place the honey and chili flakes in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium; gently heat the honey until you see small bubbles forming along the edges of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and let the honey infuse for 5 minutes. If you’re using the hot sauce or vinegar, stir it into the honey now; strain the honey through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean glass jar. Use it to “zhuzh-up” pizza, fried chicken, biscuits, or roast veggies, or add to cheese plate, or spread on toast. Note: adding either a vinegary hot sauce (like Frank’s or Tapatio) or apple cider vinegar will add a slight tang, and will also give the honey a vibrant red color. Make sure that you do not let the honey come to a full boil as it will quickly bubble up and boil over the side of your pot; also, honey will quickly become too thick and sticky if you let it boil for even a short while. If you choose not to strain the honey, it will continue to get hotter over time.
½ lb unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup each: dried cranberries and chopped pecans
1 tbsp each: chopped fresh thyme or rosemary and honey (or hot honey)
2 tsp flaky sea salt
Whole wheat or sourdough bread, warmed, for serving
Let the butter stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes; stir it into bowl to loosen it, so it’s spreadable. Layer it in swirls on a small serving board, slowly spreading it over the entire surface (it’s easiest to do this by scooping a tablespoon at a time, and spreading each one on its own—this is faster and it allows you to create little wells inside the butter). Sprinkle the cranberries, pecans and thyme on top of the butter swirls and drizzle the honey over the butter; garnish with the flaky sea salt and serve immediately with warm bread.
1¾ cups lentils, rinsed
Water to cover the lentils to twice their depth (about 4 cups)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup ketchup (or tomato paste and water mixed to equivalent consistency and volume)
¼ cup each: Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar
Dash cayenne
½ tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse lentils and put in pot with water and bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes (do not overcook). Preheat oven to 350°F; in a skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil. Drain lentils, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid. Put lentils in an oven-proof covered dish and add reserved liquid, plus all the other ingredients; stir to mix well, then cover and bake until the liquids are absorbed, about one hour. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes, and turn the oven to broil for the last five minutes to finish the top. Serve as a side, or spoon the lentils over cooked brown rice. To make this an entrée, sauté a diced sweet potato with the garlic and onions.
For the crust:
5 oz graham crackers (1 sleeve), pulsed into fine crumbs in a food processor (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the ube filling:
1 lb package frozen grated ube, defrosted
½ cup each: granulated sugar and light brown sugar
2 large eggs
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¹/³ cup heavy cream
½ tsp kosher salt
Heat the oven to 375°F while you prepare the crust; in a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter (mixture will look like wet sand); press into the bottom and up the sides of a standard (not deep-dish) 9-inch pie pan; set aside.
Prepare the filling: Remove grated ube from the package and place in a microwave-safe bowl; add 2 tablespoons water. Microwave until cooked, 3 to 4 minutes. (The mixture should feel smooth between your fingers, like thick mashed potato.) Measure out 1¼ cups cooked ube and reserve the remainder for another use. Transfer the cooked ube to a food processor; add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar and process on low until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, melted butter, heavy cream and salt, and process just until combined and no streaks remain. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake pie on the center rack until slightly puffed around the edges and just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before serving at room temperature or chilled; covered and refrigerated, the pie will keep for up to two days.
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