Culinology - September 2016 - 27

FLAVOR trends The Schwan Food Co., Marshall, Minn., is barrel-aged flavors, which includes soy sauce, vinegar and maple syrup. This complements the blurring of the line between kitchen and bar. "Chefs are incorporating handcrafted, small-batch bitters, whiskeys and other cocktail components into their dishes," said Mr. Gunn. "This is an opportunity for a developer to bring a degree of localism and artisanal flair to their products." Chef Michael Lachowicz of Restaurant Michael and George Trois, both in Winnetka, Ill., has seen the circular trend of classic sauce work come and go at least a half dozen times during his 25 years as a saucier. "Each time this has occurred, an interesting twist has been a part of the resurgence," Mr. Lachowicz said. "This time around I am noticing classic meets modern in regards to the alcohol being used in base reductions before the addition of stock or demi-glace. "While in my early training using alcohol in sauces was very standardized, with the common list being red or white wine, dry vermouth and maybe cognac," he said. "Now there are bolder alcohol reductions that incorporate contrasting tastes, such as a sweet port wine and absinthe, or dandelion wine and Calvados." The contrasting tastes function synergistically. They play out like yin and yang in the mouth. "This awakens the taste buds for the next bite and can be very refreshing," Mr. Lachowicz said. Marie Cantelaube, head chef, Blue Osa retreat and spa, Costa Rica, who recently authored the cookbook "Eating Clean in Costa Rica," said, "One of my favorite secret kitchen tricks is to use fresh vanilla. It has to be fresh. It works so well in a white sauce with a little lime. This combination is exotic, rich and smooth to the palate. "Another is honey when making marinades for chicken," she said. "The combination of honey with hot or sour just works. Honey is so sweet and beautifully caramelizes the meat." A flavorful story The concept of artisanal authenticity lends itself very well to the condiment category, according to Mr. Meikle, from Mizkan America. And that contributed to the popularity of sriracha. "Telling the story of flavor involves going back to the roots of food, where it originated, how it was cultivated and the methods by which it was prepared," he said. "Millennial audiences, in particular, want flavors that spark their imaginations and tell a story. This gives them incentive to choose a food." For example, Mizkan now offers Barengo Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, which is crafted from grapes grown in the EmiliaRomagna region of Italy using techniques passed down through generations. Mr. Meikle agreed that people love polarizing, supercharged flavor combinations because they stimulate the palette in unique, unexpected ways and often tie in multi-ethnic ingredients and artisanal authenticity. "One of my favorite examples is fried chicken coated in a bourbon, red jalapeño and maple syrup sauce," he said. "This sauce contains deep caramel notes derived from the maple syrup layered with sharp floral notes from the jalapeños, with hints of earthy and vanilla notes from the Need dairy-free? Sample Bell's line of dairy-free flavors including a variety of cheese flavors ranging from bleu to mozzarella and Gouda. Bell's line of dairy-free flavors also includes butter, crema, sour cream and many more. Contact Bell today for a sample. Get in touch with taste.® Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. | www.bellff.com | 800-323-4387 SEPTEMBER 2016| info@bellff.com | Culinology | 27 http://www.bellff.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - September 2016