The National Restaurant Association recently released their What’s Hot Culinary Forecast for 2023 and we were inspired! The trends they showcased for the coming year are some that we have seen emerging in our in-home catering and meal prep menus.
Here are our 5 favorite food and beverage trends that we look forward to including in our Seattle personal chef services in 2023!
- Restaurant Experiences: We are always happy to give our clients a taste of the restaurant experience at home. From menu planning that incorporates their favorite dishes to 5-star service by our Chefs, we can’t wait to continue to deliver restaurant-quality experiences in the new year.
- Charcuterie Boards: This trend won’t quit! Our Chefs (and our Director of Operations too!) have fun putting together beautiful boards. They also get creative with single-serving charcuterie, like the “Jar-cuteries” we served at a fall celebration.
- Southeast Asian: Several of our Chefs count experiencing and exploring flavors and food from around the world as one of their main sources of culinary inspiration. Exploring the flavor-rich cuisines of countries like Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines is something we are eager to do for our 2023 services.
- Alternative Sweeteners: We are always happy to accommodate dietary needs and restrictions and help our clients adapt to a variety of diets and eating plans. Alternative sweeteners are a big part of that! From erythritol to agave, we’re happy to stay up to date on all of the options.
- Comfort Fare: If food is fuel for the body, comfort food is fuel for the soul. Whether we’re prepping pancake poppers in a breakfast bento or creating cassoulet for an in-home event, we love giving our clients those warm fuzzy feelings that comfort food can provide.
Exploring food and beverage trends is a wonderful way to expand your culinary horizons and keep things fresh in your kitchen and on your table. Whatever you (or we!) prepare, we wish you good eats as well as health and happiness, in the new year and beyond.
Try the Trend: Cheese Boards
Since Shannon, our Director of Operations, loves making cheese boards during the holidays, (the boards above are her creations!), we asked her to name one of her all-time favorite cheeses. Her answer: Delice de Bourgogne! “Delice is a triple cream brie from France that is so soft and creamy it is better than butter! It has a sweet and salty element to it so it pairs beautifully with preserves or marcona almonds.” Yum!
Shannon provides these other tips to think about for cheese board creation:
- Select a variety of different milks and textures of cheese. This year, I had a few soft cheeses with Delice (mentioned above), Truffle Tremor (a delectable earthy goat cheese infused with black truffles), and a Laura Chenel orange blossom chèvre. For firmer cheeses I selected Beecher’s Cheddar (a tangy and sharp local Seattle classic), Holiday Wensleydale (a young, sweet cheddar with cranberry) and Drunken Goat (a firm Spanish goat cheese, bathed in red wine). I would have added Manchego (my favorite sheep’s cheese for its fruity, nutty flavor and smooth texture) but sadly, they were out. I wanted to add a few meats and opted for Speck (a lightly smoked Italian cured meat, thinly sliced) and Finnochiona (a fennel and herb infused salami).
- It’s important to add complimentary accompaniments with your cheese! Be sure to add salty and sweet items (Divina Orange preserve is delicious)! And never forget something for crunch! Nuts and crackers are common choices (I never leave off Spanish Marcona almonds and rosemary crackers). But also, I like to add crunch with olives or little cornichon pickles. This year I added a simple antipasto platter too with hummus, sliced sweet red peppers, Kalamata olives and fresh crostini.
- Finally, think garnish! Many people like to sprinkle a few nuts and dried fruit which are both beautiful and edible. You also could add a local flower bloom or two, depending on the season or fresh sliced fruit. This year I opted for herbs and added sprigs of rosemary, thyme and bay leaves to the nooks and crannies of my platters. The final touch was dried blood orange slices for a little color and to highlight the orange preserve and orange chèvre selections.
