Comfort Foods, food trends

Ten years ago, the 'hot' comfort foods were variations on Chicken Pot Pies, Ice Cream Sundaes,Tomato Soup, Pasta, Cheesecakes, Biscuits. The following foods were trendy:

Sushi
Pomegranates
Gourmet burgers
Deep-fried turkey
Artisan cheese and teas
Dark chocolate
Whole grains
Fast food and take out
Fast food super sizes

2010,1) is about identifying the essentials and stocking your pantry in a shift from convenience foods to scratch cooking, now that we have more time than money and more knowledge and concerns.

2) More in store. There will be more growth in grocery stores, particularly as private labels assume prominence.

Those old generics have morphed into their own brands, so there is no glory in using a name brand anymore (unless you are ketchup). Coupon use will increase.

Supermarkets will also upgrade their delis and fresh takeout sections and return in-store butchers to a place of prominence, where they belonged all along!

3) American, the new ethnic. This is all about flavor delivery. Immigration has come to the plate and we are defining a new flavor curve.

Part comfort, part creativity, the latest flavors are coming from the great American melting pot.

4) Food vetting. You are what you eat and we are big into understanding that we are eating the right things, that our food is safe, and that we are not ingesting pesticides or anything that will someday prove harmful.

Taste of Home has a new cookbook and it's about eating your comfort foods in a healthy way- Epicurious website is boasting comfort food recipes in a healthier way.

Other Trends~

Now, as boomers nearing 65 continue their unending search for the fountain of youth, companies have taken note. Brooks Brothers came out with a limited-edition Mad Men line of men's suits. iTunes offers a special Mad Men music mix. Eight O’Clock Coffee has become hip again, partly through an online promotional giveaway of free Mad Men eCards. Look for other iconic sixties food brands to follow suit.

As food companies respond to the popular and ubiquitous energy drinks and bars, get ready for “relaxation” foods. You can already find relaxation drinks infused with herbs and other ingredients designed to soothe or calm. Brands like Drank, iChill, and RelaxZen are counterpoints to Red Bull, Vitaminwater, and Gatorade. Look for this trend to quickly move to other categories, including "anti-energy" bars and snack foods. It may even spawn a resurgence of calming after-dinner alcoholic drinks.

Look for more products claiming to be “real,” that is, containing a limited number of natural ingredients. Brands that are proving the trend include Häagen-Dazs five, Healthy Choice All Natural, and Campbell's Select Harvest. In addition, ConAgra Foods—whose brands include Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, and Reddi-wip among many others—has vowed to cut down on sodium in its products and has announced an across-the-board sodium reduction of at least 20 percent in all its brands by 2015. Expect other major brands to quickly follow their lead.

Andrew Knowlton was on GMA a few weeks ago. He said the dish for the year is

The Cuisine of the year is New Austrian

The ingredient of the year: Sriracha

The Dessert of the year: All American Comforts- Brown Betty, Coconut Cake, Lemon Sponge cake....

but all made healthier!

Here is a good looking Tomato soup recipe you might want to try. I found it on a blog site; I think it's called Tiffany's. I need to do some back tracking and I'll share the link.

8 T butter

1/4 c flour

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

3 c chicken broth

1 ( 29 oz. ) can tomato sauce

1 ( 29 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice

2 dashes hot sauce

3 T honey

1 T dill weed

1tsp chili powder

1tsp dried basil leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

In a 4 quart sauce pan, melt butter and saute onions. Add remaning butter along with the flour. Stir until smooth. Cook 2-3 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Next, add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and allow the mixture to thicken before adding more. When all is added, season soup with next ten ingredients. Allow to simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes. Stir frequently as the soup will stick to the bottom of the pot.

And now, it's that time of the night for me to get my favorite Friday comfort food: pizza!