What Is Hot In Food And Wine
Trends are not limited to clothes and accessories. Foods and wines also reflect ever-changing appetites for new flavors and spices.
So The Early Show turns to the experts: Dana Cowin, Food and Wine Magazine's editor-in-chief and Andrea Immer, the author of "Andrea Immer's 2004 Wine Buying Guide For Everyone," to find out what will be hot in 2004.
Tapas
You know this trend is still hot when Mario Batali is opening a restaurant devoted to Spanish Tapas. Restaurants that don't serve Spanish food are joining the bandwagon and doing a series of smaller dishes.
Immer says the trend of tapas is in line with the wine trends for 2004: inexpensive, alternative packages, easy, new tastes that are not necessarily "cerebral," perfect for diners who want good taste but not really ready to engage in dissecting a meal or wine.
Hot ingredients
Cowin says that in 2004 the three HOT ingredients will be: buffalo meat, flatiron steak, and the pork movement. Buffalo meat has one-third fewer calories than beef and a quarter as much fat. Bison is a great healthy alternative for meat lovers. You will see it on menus everywhere in 2004 as well as in stores so home cooks can try it in their own kitchens.
The flatiron steak is the newest cut of beef that you'll see on menus nationwide, according to Cowin. It's the tender, flatiron-shaped shoulder cut. Currently, it's on the menus at: L.A.'s Table 8 and Campanille, at San Francisco's Delfina, New York's Cub Room, and Chicago's La Tache.
The pork movement, the other white meat, will be hot. You will see many new cookbooks in 2004 promoting pork and you'll see it turning up on restaurant menus.
Flowered Flavorings
Expect to see flower flavoring infused in different marinades and sauces. For example, Jean Georges in New York is serving rose-infused red snapper sashimi and you'll find rose cocktails at Noe in Los Angeles.
Hot snacks
Popcorn and high-end chocolates
American food
American caviar is finding respect, according to Cowin, which is in line with American wines that offer good value and good taste. Immer suggests Fetzer Eagle Peak Merlot
Hot food cities
According to Immer, Houston will be hot and not just because of the Super Bowl, but for the arrival of several of New York City chefs such as Jean Georges and David Walzog. Another hot food city is Miami. It's been hot for a few years, but now food starts to take center stage. A new Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton will open there in 2004.
Hot wine regions
Immer's list includes: Baja/Guadalupe Valley, Mexico; South Africa; Chile; Argentina; and Monterey, Calif.
Overall wine trends
Value - "Two Buck Chuck" shows the industry that if the consumer can find decent wine at a price that competes with beer (the biggest selling alcohol beverage), they'll buy it. "Two Buck Chuck" shocked the industry, according to Immer.
Alternative packages/closures: Premium wine in a box is a big trend. It's been that way in Australia, England, and South America, but you'll see this trend in the states. It's no longer just for cheap wine. It is aconvenient, spoilage-control package for a better quality wine.
Screwcaps: Screwcaps seem to be the BIG thing for the wine industry's future.
Trends in Entertaining
Cowin says that charcuterie and cheese plates are IN. The previous years, fondue was in, but not this year. What is charcuterie, you ask? According to The New Food Lover's Companion, it means "cooker of meat." Charcuterie has been considered a French culinary art at least since the 15th century. It refers to the products, particularly (but not limited to) pork specialties such as pâtés, rillettes, galantines, crépinettes, etc., which are made and sold in a delicatessen-style shop, also called a charcuterie.
Immer and Cowin both agree that American cheeses are also becoming popular. They are great complement to wines right now.
Pinot Grigio and Shiraz are great entertaining wines because you don't have to have a whole menu planned around these two wines - it makes entertaining easy and simple.
Equipment
Calphalon One cookware: According to Cowin this line blends a nonstick polymer into an anodized aluminum pan instead of simply using it to coat the outside. Cowin says this could be one of the biggest changes in cookware technology to come around in a long time. The 3-quart saute pan retails for $175. The 2-quart-saute pan retails for $49.99. You can buy it at Williams Sonoma initially and it will roll out to other large retailers.
Celebrity branded cookware: Everyone from Daniel Boulud to Jamie Oliver has a private line for 2004.
Melamine bowls and plates: You'll see lots of tableware in this material.
Knives: 2004's big knives will be from "Shun." It is considered the Porsche in knives. Last year, it was the brand "Global."
Trends are not limited to clothes and accessories. Food and wine reflect our ever-changing appetites for new flavors and spices