What''s On 2024's Menu

 This is the time of year fro predictions.It's no different in th e food and drink industries. What will we be eating? What will be trending? What do we want filling our glasses. These are all big and interesting questiuons.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She;s not focusing on viral Tiktok trends. There will be plenty of those to follow once the New Year starts. Instead she concentrates on studies regarding small cultural  media and economic data points and watch the trends emerge. Some are reasonable and a natural progressionof some of today's most popular foods. Some seem downright nutty. Foodies and gourmands will still want and demand luxury but also the food's value too.It's not the rairity but is this food the best of its[kind will be the question we'll be most asking.Some trends make sense. Buckwheat will be the most popular grain in the New Year according to Cathy Strange , the Whole Foods Market ambassadoe of food culture. She had a foi gras terrine coated in it in a recent trip to Norway.Buckwheat will even be in hot cocoa and coating such fish as monkfush. YOu;ll see it in traditional dishes like udon noodles and possible waffles, pancakes and bread. Soup is another common food that will be the rage in the next twelve months.There is a rising interest in soups from Cambodia, Singapore and Indonesia. grocery stores will see more soups and soup starters on their shelves.

Water - which has been around forever - is also going to be a trendsetter in the upcoming year. More and more people will be pouring powders and syrups into big tumblers of water. There will even be "water sommeliers" in which a sommlier will educate people in the different waters from around the world. There will even be tastings. There will also be an interest in waste water(not what you think)This is taking the cacao water after the cocoa bean has harvested and turning into a tasty drink.Water stewardship will grow as more and more consumers look to companies to use less water in their production. A strange strend is goiung to be food flavored cocktails. Imagine taking a sip of a Waldorf salad at Manhattan;s most innovative bar Double Chicken Please. There's also a Thai beef salad at The Savory Project in Hong KOng. There's also an everything Everywhere drink that tastes like an everything bagel at the Anvil Pub and Grill in Birmingham Alabama. Also looks for florals and botanticals flavoring everything too. Cherry blossom and violet will dominate along with wildflowers in flavors.

There may be other trends in  the new year The one already predicted will be interesting and fun. Everyone should try them.

Crepes Celeste A Taste Of France

Food court food is just that , your usual mix of tacos, burgers and pizza.If you're lucky there is more exotic fare like teriyaki or spaghetti. Luckily there's an upstart in the group, Crepes Celeste. It a breath of fresh French air for the palate.

Crepes Celeste brings French crepes to the masses.Forty years ago most malls and downtowns had A Magic Pan Restaurant This chain was great. They offered all sorts of lunch, dinner and dessert crepes. along with Salad Nicoise. They continued until 2005 when they were bought out by a company called Lettuce Entertain You,,They disappeared  and anything even vaguely Gallic disapeared from the landscape. Crepes, both savory and sweet were now hard to find. Luckily Celeste's came in and brought two favorites, crepes and macarons. The creators combined American flavors with artisanal French city and country cooking,For crepe lovers this is a dream come true. There are fresh veggies that can be combined with meats and cheeses.Celeste's even offers a breakfast crepe that you can order at any time.There are also turkey crepes as well along with one based on a roast beef sandwich.There is even one with a Mexican twist to it and one with pesto. The sweet crepes feature the classic Parisian street crepe with sugar and butter topped with a squeeze of lemon.There is also a clever Gallic homage to  s'mores, full of marshmallows, dark chocolate and Graham cracker crumbs.

I have tried both their ham and cheese along with the vegetable one. Both have made me their number one fan. The crepes are made fresh, right in front of the diner, They are the traditional  crepes of Brittany in northwestern France where the dish orginated. They are the perfect bed for the ingredients.I tried their ham and cheese, good and the vegetarian even better. I love this last. A smear of creamy ricotta is slathered on the crepe , then fresh sauted  veggies, such as eggplant, onions and tomatoes isthen laid on top. The crepe is then deftly folded into thirds so that the filling is safely tucked inside. A decorative blob of more ricotta is put on top (the ham had a curl of extra ham on it) with a squiggle of cooked pepper. The flavors are so perfect together, the cheese's creaminess mixes with the tang of all the veggies cooked together. The accompanying slad of just romaine and shredded carrot was also perfect, especially with the sublime French dressing. This week I am adding one of the dessert crepes for dessert.

Celeste Crepes brings back the return of Gallic fare to the malls .It is a breath of l'air fraiche to a landscape  full of burgers and tacos. Try one and enjoy the sophisticated simplicity of it

Grain Range

One of the best ways to cook healthy is to cook with grains.There are a wealth to choose from and each can be made in a variety of ways.Grains aren't just used in baking.They can make excellent sides and even be the base of some Salads.Once you know what they are and can offer , you can create good for you and good tasting meals. One of the most widely used and ever popular grains is barley.Most know it from soups,It' can not only add flavor but also thicken them so they can resemble pot ages. Barley is good on it's own and can be used instead of arborio rice for making risotto.Remember to buy the pearl kind.It takes less time and water to cook. You can use hulled barley but it will take about an hour to cook and will require more water.Another much eaten grain is buckwheat.It's technically not a grain but a gluten free fruit seed related to the rhubarb.It has a deep nutty flavor and goes well with mushrooms or caramelized carrots and onions.Of course everyone knows it as a chief ingredient in pancakes but you could also use it in a bacon and egg scramble.For a more interesting spin use it as a filler for stuffed cabbage instead of rice. Some grains are only being introduced to the American palate.There is freekah, a Middle Eastern grain popular in Egyptian cuisine.It's cousin to wheat and is best toasted.The reason being is that a crop burned thousands of years ago after a village was attacked and what was left was roasted chaff.The villagers loved the smokey roasted flavor.It can be served as a side with butter amid herbs or as a salad ,namely with fruit such as apples and pears.Teff is another ancient grain from Africa.The grains are very tiny, sort of like poppy seeds, and have both a bitter and sweet taste.It is gluten free and very high in Vitamin C and calcium.The flavor is both bitter and sweet like chocolate.It is versatile,being an excellent breakfast with maple syrup or for lunch and dinner ,stirred into stew. Amaranth is another grain with an exotic, yet pretty name.It is high in protein and lysine.Use it in pancake batter or as a salad.It can even sub in for farina during chilly mornings. Grains are a wonderful to expand your menu as well as bringing more nutrients int the family diet.Try any one to start the day or end a busy day. Any one is a great addition to meal time.

Holiday Luxuries Caviar And Champagne

This is the time of year when snacking on  caviar and champagne seems completely normal. Why not?Christmas week and New Year's Eve and day are the perfect time for indulging in these rich treats. There's nothing like a nibble of caviar washed down with a bubbly based punch and cocktail.

Both these culinary gold standards were the topics of articles in yesterday's New York Times DIning section. Dave Tanis of City Kitchen  wrote about blini, those light and delectable Russian pancakes topped with caviar . Blinis(the plural) can be topped with anything from fruit to lox  however spreading caviar on them takes them to a whole new level.Like any pancake they are easy to make,using buckwheat flour  eggs and water. with the eggs being separated so the whites give them a fluffy texture. Caviar can be pricy however., Domestic can cost as much as $70 an ounce. Fo cheaper varieties try salmon or even trout roe(although even herring and lox would just as well) which are just as delicious and even lighter in taste

What would work well with this dish? A champagne cocktail,Robert Simonson., a newcomer to the Dining section revitalizes old fashoned champagne punch recipes. These were popular over a century ago during New York's Giulded Age (think Edith Wharton).A strawberry cobbler is a great twist on a fruity cocktail. It; just is a strawberry  along with a lemon wheel and simple syrup added to champagne.You can also try an Andean Dusk made with Peruvean grappa, Pisco .For something tamer (and something that will go with the caviar and blini) try a Champagne Julep. This is bourbon , simple syrup and champagne graced with mint leaves. You could also try the suggested Mayfair Delight which has the freshness of cucumber and lemon juices mixed with Cognac and fresh ginger along with agave nectar for sweetening.A caveat though, use a brut champagne. A sweet one will only turn the punch into soda pop.

Nothing beats a glam dish like caviar and champagne. Treat yourself to these lush foods. Now is the perfect time t indulge in them.

Buckwheat A Cold Weather Must Have

This is the season to eat hearty and healthy. Buckwheat , thankfully falls under these two categories along with being tasty and extremely versatile. You can make vitamin loaded meals with this amazing herb . You can also add some flavor to a bland January diet as well. Buckwheat is great in almost everything from pancakes to pasta.

Buckwheat is surprisingly part of the herb family(Fagopyrum sagittatum Gilib) and not a cereal or a grain. it was first cultivated in Manchuria and central China and then moved west to the Arab countries. the seeds were then sown in northern Italy, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia where it grew in more or less hardy terrains. The Dutch brought it to the Hudson Valley in the mid 1600's where it was a staple of early colonial cuisine. Buckwheat is also known as kasha or groats . It is one of the best things to eat. Buckwheat is high in fiber along with being chock full of Vitamins B1 and B2. The flour lowers cholesterol and helps reduce high blood pressure . It is an excellent source of fiber and is helpful in preventing such cancers ans colon and breast. The only drawback is that it can cause rash in allergy sensitive people. if eaten too much.

Most people only eat buckwheat for breakfast. the most common is kasha cereal however it is good in griddle cakes as well. Recently I've eaten buckwheat pasta which is a dense chewy kind and buckwheat dumplings again chewy but with a nutty flavor. I actually like these buckwheat products better than their whole wheat cousins. I would love to experiment with making a buckwheat pizza or ravioli sometime,long with a buckwheat waffle. I also like the fact that the flour makes for a more robust version anything This makes for a better but much more healthier meal choice during these frigid days.

Buckwheat is definitely the food product to consider , especially during these chilly days. there's nothing like starting the day off with a stack of buckwheat pancakes or ending it with a soothing buckwheat pasta. It's a great way if dealing with winter.

Crepes Light Summer Cooking

Crepes are one of the most wonderful foods tha t the French have given us. They are versatile and can be made for lunch , dinner and dessert. You can make them as decadent or as healthy as you want. Best if all they are easy enough ad quick enough to whip up - a plus for these warm early summer days.

Surprisingly crepes are not just solely French. The Italians have a version of it called crespella,. Tortillas are a variatoin of it and the Asians introduced Europe to their buckwheat ones. These are still a favorite in Brittany where they're washed down with dry cider. White flour was introduced to the recipe at the turn of the 19th Century. They're divided into two type, crepes sucree or sweet crepes or savory gallettes, crepes salee. The batter is an easy one. It's simply milk, eggs ,water and flour beaten together and then cooked for two minutes on a well oiled crepe or frying pan. You can also cook them on a griddle too.

What you stuff into a crepe is your business. I love the versatility of them. Add sugar to the batter and you have the perfect base for any dessert. I usually like mine the street vendor way as they sell them in paris. This is just a slightly sweetened crepe spritzed with a little lemon juice and dusted with confectioners sugar. You can also fill them with jam, fresh fruit or ice cream for a really special dessert and let's not forget crepes Suzettes. For savory crepes now is the time to fill them with fresh veggies , especially ratatouille. This is is one of the best savory stuffings, although spinach and mushroom is a close second. Crepes filled with seafood and then covered in a sherry bechamel sauce is a lovely and elegant summer dinner. You can so have fill them with chicken in a light tarragon sauce too or for heartier fare ham with a cheddar sauce.

Crepes are a wonderful meal to make during the hot weather. The prep and cooking time are next to nothing. The added bonus is you can have them anyway you like. Try them for a light lunch elegant dinner or unique dessert. They are toujours magnifique!!!!