Flavor Forecast for 2012

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Ian and I went to the Les Dames d'Escoffier "Celebrating Food" Conference the other weekend where I found out about a brilliant research department within McCormick & Company...the Forecasting Department. A scientist from the company explained that, just like fashion designers deliberate about whether sky high heels or flats will be in, or meteorologists calculating the odds of destructive hurricanes this summer...food trends are yet another phenomena that can be predicted. Here is the list of flavors to watch out for in 2012   Some of the combinations, she warned, may sound strange, but we were instructed to not pay attention to the words. Instead of naming a spice cinnamon, we were to note the level of cinnamic aldehyde in the mix (the compound that has people for miles running towards Cinnabon) and imagine what would pair nicely with it. Ian, of course, was annoyed at how amazed people were by this ground breaking way to cook...he's been doing this for years. It's a rare moment in the kitchen that I don't find Ian with his nose in some jar or another while preparing for dinner as he tries to find flavor/smell combinations that work the best. What a fashionable, culinary trendsetter. One of the combos for 2012 is: Ancho Chili  & Hibiscus If you have ever had hibiscus tea...you'll find this combination as mouth watering as I do. Here are some of the tantalizing recipes to try out from the website: Ancho Hibiscus Sparkling Sangria Ancho Chile and Hibiscus BBQ Brisket Chocolate Fudge Ancho Cupcakes with Hibiscus Buttercream I have already bought a bag of dried hibiscus flowers from Amazon. The bag is HUGE! This will definitely last a while.  I want to try out the Brisket recipe. It sounds pretty damn tasty! I also want to try and make a hibiscus reduction sauce for pouring over deserts and meat alike. I'll need to research a bit more about reductions, but will report back with my findings.

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