Prepared Foods - November 2008 - (Page 72)

2008 foodservice annual Flavors of the Future Consumers are more educated than ever about healthy, natural and authentic foods. Many companies have complied, with products ranging from grass-fed beef to spicy beet chips. Health and environmental benefits abound, and consumers have their choice of great-tasting products with unique flavor options. @ISTOCKPHOTO/JOE BIAFORE Wilbert Jones, Contributing Editor ive years ago, retired news anchor Bill Kurtis founded Tallgrass Beef in Sedan, Kan. “Our all-natural, grass-fed beef comes from cattle that roam freely in open pastures. These stress-free, confinement-free cattle are fed no unnatural supplements, no synthetic hormones and no antibiotics,” says Kurtis. Former Mississippi State University animal geneticist and meat consultant Allen Williams is the CEO of Tallgrass Beef. Some key health benefits of grass-fed beef are higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, which have been shown in animal studies to protect them against cancer. Tallgrass Beef products are sold in grocery and specialty stores across the Midwest. Products also can be ordered from the company’s website. Popular beef cuts include New York strip steaks, beef rib-eye steaks and steak burgers. The company uses ultrasound technology to safely and humanely see inside their living cattle and to detect the right amount of marbling and muscle to produce tender-tasting beef. A companion book, called The Prairie Table Cookbook (2008, Sourcebooks Inc.), containing some of the country’s well-known celebrity chefs’ recipes using Tallgrass Beef, also can be purchased. F pecan vinaigrette, grilling marinade, cilantro lime glaze and a Southwestern seasoning mix. Executive pastry chef Letty Flatt was the brainchild behind this concept. “We listened to our customers, and we gave them what they asked for.” Chef Flatt is currently working on an energy bar not loaded with sugar and caffeine. If successful, it will also be sold and marketed under the Deer Valley Signature Foods brand. Ten years ago, he wrote a cookbook called Chocolate SnowBall, which has several of Deer Valley Resort’s recipes from its restaurant and banquet menus. This resort consistently ranked number one in food and beverage by readers of the Zagat Guide and Ski Magazine. Food Trends One of the newest culinary trends is when a chef takes a traditional (old) recipe and builds upon it by using new flavors. FIN, also located in Utah, has a menu that reflects this trend— -an Asian-inspired restaurant, using mountain/Westerninfluenced ingredients. On the menu, there is an appetizer/ small plate section containing Pork Belly & Tuna (braised, fresh bacon, Ahi tuna-avocado tartar, pine nut wonton crackers, wasabi peas and coulis). There is also an entrée called Duo of Rabbit (seared tenderloin and braised rabbit leg with five-bean salad and red-rock feta and parsley vinaigrette). This trend also has moved to the retail market. Partners Crackers has taken the flavors of crackers to a new, gourmet level. The company’s goal was to produce delicious and unique products for the consumer. The company’s new line of product flavors Signature Foods Deer Valley Resort, in Park City, Utah, has a line of retail food products called Deer Valley Signature food—-all derived from the popular demand of the resort’s restaurant and banquet menus. The product line includes the resort’s best-selling turkey chili mix, jumbo cookie mix (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and double chocolate chip), honey-Dijon vinaigrette, sherry- 72 November 2008 ● www.PreparedFoods.com http://www.PreparedFoods.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prepared Foods - November 2008

Prepared Foods - November 2008 Contents On the National Menu MarketWatch Menu Trends: Appetizers—Big Flavor, Small Portion and Price Menu Trends: Beverages— Drinking It Up Menu Trends: Indulging in New Desserts Menu Trends: Innovative Entrées Menu Trends: Salads Take Center Stage Do-it-yourself Flavor Trends: Chef Inspirations Culinary: Flavors of the Future Food Ingredients—Side Dishes, Meals and Desserts Consumer Research R&D Applications: On the Edge of Flavor R&D Applications: Authentically Mexican Peppers Abstracts

Prepared Foods - November 2008

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