Issue Date: November 16, 2003
This year's hottest tastes
Eat chimichurri, drink Velvet Hammers and fearlessly wield a pressure cooker to wow your guests.
By Michele Hatty
Some years, it's fondue or chai or Salad Shooters. This holiday season's hottest trends are just as eclectic, say three totally tuned-in experts. Here are foods, drinks and gadgets to add to your shopping list.
On our plates
The latest food trends from David Rosengarten, author of "The Rosengarten Report," a newsletter for serious foodies, as well as the new cookbook "It's All American Food" (Little Brown & Co., $29.95).
Latin food. "By 2025, one-quarter of American citizens will be Hispanic. Across the U.S., you're going to see more and more Latino-style restaurants. There's a steak sauce served in Argentina called chimichurri" -- key ingredients are olive oil, garlic and parsley -- "and I've heard people say it is the pesto of the new century."
Long, wet cooking. "I've seen people get excited about boiled foods in the past year in ways they haven't for a long time. There's an Italian dish called bollito misto, which is 'mixed boil.' They put seven or eight different meats in a pot and simmer them for a long time, and what you end up with are incredible, tender, flavorful meats and a great broth."
Quality ingredients. "Twenty years ago, for a dinner party, you wanted to make things that sounded good: 'Ooh, I'm making beef Wellington.' Never mind that you were smearing tinned foie gras that tasted like cat food all over it. Ten years ago, you made food that looked good, with towers and swizzles and drizzles, and the intrinsic quality didn't matter. Now, the greatest compliment you can give your guests is to say, 'You know quality, and all I have to do is acquire the greatest prosciutto from Italy and put it on the table, and you will be blown away.' "
In our glasses
Beverage trends, according to Sharon Tyler Herbst, author of "The Ultimate Guide to Pitcher Drinks" (Villard, $12.95).
Syrah/shiraz. "In terms of wine, people are really getting into syrah [see-RAH], or shiraz [she-RAZ]. The Aussies have brought it to the forefront. It's so seductive. It is bold and spicy and fruity, and it makes your mouth happy. It's a crowd pleaser. And the grape is easier to grow than something like pinot noir, so you won't find the high prices. It goes with all sorts of big, bold, wonderful foods, like beef roasts, such as you have during the holidays."
Non-French wines. "Years ago, we wouldn't drink Spanish or Portuguese wine. Now Spain, Portugal, Italy, Chile, Argentina and South Africa are making wonderful wines, red and white, that are inexpensive and really special."
After-dinner drinks. "Rather than bringing out a big, elaborate dessert, people are mixing up wonderful old-fashioned concoctions, like Brandy Alexander, which is brandy and dark crème de cacao and cream, but make it with ice cream. Velvet Hammer is another seductive one: vodka and white crème de cacao and cream or ice cream. It's so easy: You pop into the kitchen, have all your stuff ready, throw it in the blender, blend it up, and you have these delicious, wonderful, smooth, creamy drinks. And they're no more sinful than ice cream or pie or cake. Plus, it's fun."
In our kitchens
The gadget trend report from Atlanta-based Alton Brown, host of the Food Network's "Good Eats" and author of "Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen" (Stewart Tabori & Chang, $27.50).
Pressure cookers resurface. "The pressure cooker is basically a time machine. It can produce the kind of results that come normally from long cooking times in a very, very short time. We'll see a huge movement toward pressure cookers over the next couple of years."
One appliance, many energies. "General Electric just released a new oven called Trivection. It uses traditional radiant heat, convection heat and microwave energy all at the same time. The oven has a 'brain' in it, and all you have to do is tell it what kind of food it is and what the cooking time and temperature are from the recipe, and it figures out how much of each of those energies to use to give you the best, fastest results."
Wise appliances. "Refrigerators are getting a lot smarter. We're going to start seeing built-in chambers that can be used as rapid coolers or rapid thawers."
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