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Recreating Travel and Tradition, Product Stories Among Trends at Specialty Food Live! Event

Replicating food experiences at home is an overarching trend amid COVID-19, said the Specialty Food Association Trendspotter Panel, who spent last week exploring showrooms and talking with exhibitors at the SFA’s inaugural Specialty Food Live! virtual marketplace event. That replication can take the form of comfort food and family traditions or recreating restaurant or travel experiences.

Three representatives of the Panel spoke Thursday at the session, Trendspotters Take on Specialty Food Live!, and discussed their picks for food and ingredient trends the industry will be seeing in the fourth quarter and into 2021.

Participants included: Clara Park, corporate chef of culinary innovation for Chelten House Products, which creates sauces, dressings, soups and more for the nation’s top grocers; Sheree Williams, owner of V. Sheree Creative Enterprises, a boutique consulting agency, and publisher of Cuisine Noir magazine, which connects the African diaspora through food, drink and travel; and Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, a global food analyst for Mintel, who provides insights on innovation and consumer trends across a number of food categories.

Here are some of the trends they highlighted in the session. A full list of official trends from Specialty Food Live! will be released in the coming weeks.

Global and regional American “travel” through food. With consumers sticking closer to home, global flavors are of strong interest. Scandinavia, Cambodia, and Senegal were on display at the event. Nordic cuisine has been on the radar, said Bartelme, and interesting ingredients showing up at Specialty Food Live! included sea buckthorn and birch crystals.

Other global flavors noted by the Trendspotters were Cambodian chile pastes and fonio, an ancient grain from Senegal, which continues to gain attention.

“There is an effort to preserve culture through food and have that taste at home,” noted Williams.

The trend extends to regional American as well, noted Bartelme who pointed out the concept of road trips and discovering what’s here in your backyard is increasingly appealing in the wake of COVID-19.

Connecting products with the stories behind them. This movement encompasses cleaner more authentic ingredients and consumers wanting to know where their food is coming from, not only the product itself but is the company women- or diversity- or LGBTQ-owned. “Consumers are making more conscious decisions about who they are supporting with their food dollars,” said Park.

Holiday 2020: Recreating traditional foods and giftable staples. “With everyone trying to figure out what the holidays will look like this year, I think we’re going to see more recreating traditions even if it’s in a smaller way, but with a twist,” said Williams. Park agreed: “We’ll see familiar things but made more special, like Mexican hot chocolates or filled candy canes.”

“It’s also an opportunity to talk about a lot of pantry staples as gifts,” noted Bartelme. “Items like pasta, rice, you can bundle up some of the nicer ones and feel like you are giving that love to your friends and family.”

Among continuing trends the Panel noted: Plant-based in new formats, including a meatless mix for at-home cooking; cocktail kits and ingredients like simple syrups; keto-diet foods; upcycled foods like watermelon rind pickles; and low-sugar and alternative sweeteners like monkfruit.

The SFA Trendspotter Panel consists of retailers, chefs, foodservice professionals, market researchers, journalists, food educators and other industry professionals who apply their expertise in their individual channels to help predict trends for the year and at various events like the Fancy Food Shows. Other members of the Specialty Food Live! Trendspotter Panel included Jonathan Deutsch, professor of culinary arts and science in the Department of Food and Hospitality Management at Drexel University in Philadelphia; Chris Styler, chef, culinary producer, and cookbook author, including the soon-to-be-released Golden Girls Cookbook; Dawn Padmore, food event producer and cultural programmer, and Kysha Harris, food writer and culinary producer.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

These deeply rich and gooey chocolate cookies are studded with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips, with a crispy coating that makes for a perfect crunchy finish.

When it comes to cookies, the closer the cookie comes to cookie dough, the better I say. And these jumbo sized cookies are just that, with gooey middles and melty pockets of chocolate and peanut butter, all wrapped in a delightful coating of puffed quinoa that makes for a unique textural experience you’ll simply adore.

Freshly baked Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies on a cooling rack

When a chocolate craving hits… only something ultra rich will truly satiate me. I often turn to my favorite brownies, but now that I’ve had these cookies, well, let’s just say my allegiance may be changing.

I mean, just looking at these cookies has me drooling. They’re sweet and salty. Gooey and crunchy. Dreamy dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter all rolled into one giant cookie.

Let me just warn you now, these cookies are rich. Like Warren Buffet rich. So you best have a tall glass of milk handy… and maybe a friend to share the goods (half of one of these monsters is more than satisfying).

Stack of cookies, one broken in half to show the gooey center and melty peanut butter chips

I’ve seen similar thick and gooey cookies from the Levain bakery in New York City, and there are plenty of copycat recipes out there. This is not one of them, namely because I’ve never tried the real thing so who am I to try to replicate it?

That said, the cookies do look rather similar, with thick, rich chocolate middles and ample peanut butter chips that come out of the oven all lovely and molten (and indeed, I shouldn’t have to tell you that these cookies are at their best when they are warm).

I don’t think Levain has the crispy bits though, which is a darn shame because it makes these cookies a true textural delight – both to behold and then to devour.

(more…)

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Classic Burrata Pizza

This burrata pizza is full of cheesy goodness and authentic Italian flavor! This rich and creamy cheese is the ultimate pizza topping.

Are you ready for this? Rich and creamy burrata cheese is one of life’s greatest pleasures. (At least, in our opinion!) So why not put it on a pizza? Here’s the ultimate burrata pizza recipe: a traditional Margherita pizza with gooey burrata cheese on top. It tastes like the best pizza you’ve had: but at least 10 times better. Alex and I have been perfecting the art of the artisan Naples-style pizza for over ten years, and this one is a new favorite. Here are a few tricks for how to make the best burrata pizza!

What is burrata, exactly?

Burrata is an Italian fresh mozzarella cheese with a surprise inside: the center is filled with cream! The creamy interior also contains cheese shreds, called straciatella. Cut into the ball and the creamy cheese comes spilling out. This cheese originated in Southern Italy; now it’s served all over the country and world. Alex and I first tried it on our honeymoon in Italy and have been huge fans ever since.

Burrata is higher in fat content than normal mozzarella and most other cheeses because of its creamy center. In fact, the word burrata comes from the Italian word burro, which means butter: referring to the buttery texture of this fancy cheese.

The tricks to how to make burrata pizza

Here’s the thing. Burrata has a lot of liquid inside. When you add burrata cheese to a pizza, you run the risk of it turning into a watery mess. There are a few different methods people use for adding burrata to pizza: some put it in dollops right onto the crust. Others place the whole ball of burrata on top of the pizza after baking, and cutting it distributes the cheese all over the pizza. Here’s the trick to how to make this burrata pizza (which we think is pretty perfect):

Cook the pizza with shredded mozzarella cheese first. This gets the crust browned and a base layer of cheese melted. If you put the burrata on in the beginning, it would become too watery by the end of the cook time.
Add torn pieces of burrata in the last 3 minutes. Yes, you’ll actually pull the pizza out of the oven, add the burrata chunks, and then bake it again. You’ll pull it out just when the burrata melts into a gooey uniform layer!

A 5 minute pizza sauce that tastes like Italy

The best way to make this burrata pizza taste like Italy: make our Easy Pizza Sauce and Pizza Dough! This pizza sauce is one of our favorite recipes on this website. Every time we make it, it amazes us. Here are the secrets to this sauce:

Use fire roasted tomatoes. These tomatoes are roasted, so their flavor is sweeter and more developed right out of the can. If you can’t find them, use the best quality tomatoes you can find.
Whiz them in a blender with garlic, olive oil and spices. All you need to do is give the ingredients a quick spin in the blender and it’s done. Give it a taste, and you’ll melt.

Homemade pizza dough is always worth it

The other key to burrata pizza is the pizza dough! These recipes are ones we’ve honed over years and years to make sure they have the best texture and flavor. Here are the options, in order of preference:

Master pizza dough! This Best Pizza Dough has the absolute perfect flavor and texture. We recommend trying this one at least once in your life. It is sublime.
Thin crust. Try this Thin Crust Pizza Dough! It’s easy to roll out into a thinner, crispier crust.
Pan pizza. An American style option: make it as a pan pizza in a cast iron skillet! It takes a little longer, but it’s an easier method.
Naan or flatbread pizza. For easy weeknight pizza! Try Naan Pizza or Flatbread Pizza.

A pizza stone makes the best burrata pizza

The master pizza dough or thin crust dough taste best if you cook them on a pizza stone. If you want authentic-style Italian pizza, this is your best bet. Why?

Pizza stone: A pizza stone is what makes Italian pizza crust crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Here’s the best pizza stone we’ve found, plus care tips.
Pizza peel: Use a pizza peel to transfer the pizza onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. We recommend this Standard pizza peel or this Conveyor pizza peel.

And that’s it! All of our tips for making the best burrata pizza…ever. If you’re a pizza connoisseur, you can also use a pizza oven: head to our Pizza Oven post. This is how you get the beautifully charred crust. But full disclosure: we recently learned a trick where you can ditch the pizza oven. Make the pizza in your standard oven, then use a blow torch to char the crust and a bit of the cheese! That’s what we used here, and it worked like a charm.

More great pizza recipes

This burrata pizza is in our pizza hall of fame. Here are a few more pizza recipes that are in the top echelon for us:

Homemade Margherita Pizza As good as it gets! Here’s how to replicate that artisan-style pizza from Italy (based on our research in Naples).
Best Healthy Pizza Sweet caramelized bell peppers, Parmesan cheese and arugula make an extraordinarily tasty and wholesome pizza.
Truffle Pizza If you love truffle flavor, this one is deliciously decadent.
Homemade Cheese Pizza This one’s an American-style, good old cheese pizza.
Best Ever Taco Pizza A big favorite! Top with refried beans, then crushed tortilla chips and ranch.

This burrata pizza recipe is…

Vegetarian.

Classic Burrata Pizza

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 8 slices
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

This burrata pizza is full of cheesy goodness and authentic Italian flavor! This rich and creamy cheese is the ultimate pizza topping.

Ingredients

1 ball Best Pizza Dough (or Thin Crust Dough)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Easy Pizza Sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
1 4-ounce ball burrata cheese
Fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Make the pizza dough: Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)
Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).
Make the pizza sauce: Make the Easy Pizza Sauce recipe. (You’ll use about 1/3 cup for the pizza; reserve the remaining sauce and refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
Bake the pizza: When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
Spread a thin layer of the pizza sauce over the dough, using about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with a thin layer of fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a few pinches of kosher salt.
Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 3 minutes. While the pizza is baking, break the burrata into small chunks and place it in a bowl.
Add the burrata cheese: Use the pizza peel to pull the pizza out of the oven. Working quickly, spread the burrata chunks evenly over the dough. Place it back in the oven and cook 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Allow the pizza to cool for a minute before adding the basil on top (whole leaves, lightly torn, or thinly sliced). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.

Category: Main Dish
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Italian inspired

Keywords: Burrata pizza

A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, & Vegetarian Recipes

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Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa tabbouleh is always a hit, starring lemon and fresh herbs! This spin on the classic Middle Eastern salad is an easy healthy side dish.

Are you a tabbouleh fan? This Middle Eastern salad is one of the tastiest salads there is. There’s something about the combination of herbaceous parsley, bright lemon and crunchy tomatoes and cucumber that makes magic. Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, a quick cooking whole grain. But seeing as quinoa is the grain of the moment…why not try it with quinoa? Turns out it works perfectly, making a delicious gluten free spin on this classic salad.

What is tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad that’s made with fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes spelled tabouli or tabbouli, it’s a staple in Greek, Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. You’ll often see it alongside hummus and baba ganoush in a mezze platter. The fresh brightness of the lemon and parsley are the perfect contrast to more savory and heavy flavors.

There is no “exact” science on how to make tabbouleh because every cook has their own recipe. We researched the traditional ingredients in tabouli and used those as a basic for this quinoa version. The first time Alex and I had tabbouleh was back when we first met, at a Greek restaurant in our college town. I remember falling instantly in love with the herbaceous flavor of tabbouleh. (I fell in love with Alex much later!)

Ingredients in quinoa tabbouleh

This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is a spin on a traditional tabbouleh using quinoa instead of bulgur wheat! Using quinoa makes this into a gluten-free salad: and you also get all the nutritional benefits of quinoa. The advantage of bulgur wheat is that all you need to do is let it stand in boiling water for 10 minutes. The quinoa cooking process takes just a little longer! But it’s 100% worth the time. Combine the quinoa with these traditional tabbouleh ingredients to make a standout salad:

Quinoa
Curly parsley (that’s right: see below!)
Mint
Green onions
Tomatoes
English cucumber
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

As a note: some tabbouleh recipes are almost 2/3 parsley with only a bit of the grain. Others are all whole grain and only a little bit of the herb. This quinoa tabbouleh recipe falls in the middle. We love parsley-forward tabbouleh recipes, but also wanted to have a good amount of quinoa. Speaking of parsley…

Curly parsley vs Italian parsley: which to use in tabbouleh?

There are two main types of parsley: curly and Italian parsley (also called “flat leaf”). The difference? Curly parsley has very curly leaves and tastes grassy; Italian parsley has leaves that are flat like cilantro and tastes bright and herbaceous. We used to adhere to the mantra that curly parsley is used only as decoration, not in cooking. Only use Italian parsley in your cooking, we’d say! But guess what: the best parsley to use in tabbouleh is curly parsley.

Why? Curly parsley has more texture. When you chop it, it remains light and fluffy, versus Italian parsley that is perfectly flat and can become soggy. Also: the flavor tastes like what you expect from a Greek or Lebanese restaurant. So lesson learned: use curly parsley!

You’ll need to buy quite a lot of parsley for this recipe. It takes a while to chop 2 cups of parsley: but never fear! All the work is worth it. You can use this How to Cut Cilantro video as a guide.

Make the quinoa in advance if you have time

Cooking quinoa for the quinoa tabbouleh takes about 25 minutes total. You can cook it while you chop the veggies: but the easiest way to do it is cooking it in advance! Here’s why:

Making the quinoa in advance is helpful. You don’t want hot quinoa for tabbouleh, you need quinoa that’s room temperature or cold. Why? Right after you cook it, quinoa retains a lot of moisture. You’ll want the grains to dry out a bit so they don’t stick together. Also, the salad is served room temperature. So, the easiest way to make this salad is to cook the quinoa in advance and refrigerate.
Here’s a quick tip for cooling quinoa…fast! If you don’t think ahead, you can use this tip for cooling quinoa quickly. Spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for a few minutes. This allows the steam to dissipate and makes the cooling much faster than plopping it in a bowl.

How to make quinoa tabbouleh…a few more tips!

Once you’ve cooked the quinoa, tabbouleh is a breeze to whip up! The basic method for this recipe is very easy: cook quinoa, chop veggies, add dressing. But there are a few more things to note:

Chop the vegetables very finely. You’ll want the veggies to integrate into the texture of the salad well, so chop them as finely as you can.
Core and seed the tomatoes. Another tip for reducing moisture is coring and seeding the tomatoes when you chop them. This removes any soggy seeds from the salad. For more, go to How to Cut Tomatoes.

Storage info

Once you’ve mixed up a batch of this quinoa tabbouleh, you can use it as a healthy side dish for lunch and dinner recipes throughout the week! It stores refrigerated for about 3 to 4 days, and holds up pretty well.

How to serve quinoa tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a fantastic healthy and easy side dish or appetizer for all sorts of meals. Some of our grain salad recipes can double as a main dish, but here we’d recommend keeping it as a side dish. It almost feels like a condiment like an Indian raita: it’s lovely to mix into the flavors already on your plate to bring a fresh brightness. Here are some ways we’d serve it!

Appetizer spread: Pair it with hummus, pita bread, and baked feta cheese.
With seafood: Serve with Pan Seared Salmon, Baked Salmon, Garlic Butter Shrimp, or Grilled Tilapia.
With falafel: Bring in the Greek and Lebanese vibe with this Falafel Burger or even better, Classic Falafel or a Falafel Sandwich.

This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.