2015 Food Trends

I’m back! I allowed myself a brief hiatus to get through the stress of the holidays and becoming a homeowner, all at once! 2014 was a pretty darn good year – I got over my biggest fear and got LASIK, ran my first marathon, and we bought our first place. But now it’s time to kick of 2015 with some fresh goals. 

Looking ahead to the year that’s already upon us, I figured I’d share some food trends so we know what’s coming to our plates this year in case you want to make any foodie resolutions (I never completed my 2014 goal of trying Dominique Ansel’s cronut – I’m not willing to wait in line). I recently read a great article (also featured on the Today show) and wanted to call out some of my favorites. Here’s what Andrew Knowlton, of Bon Appetit, says are sure to hit the sweet spot in 2015.

Gyros

They aren’t exactly rare here in NYC, but there is an art to the deliciousness of the gyro. (Should we start calling it “hero” now or does that make us all sound pretentious?) Well according to Knowlton, gyros will be going crazy in the U.S. since we’re finally figuring out how to make them high quality in places like Souvlain in San Francisco and Public Quality meat in Chicago. If you order it the Greek way, it comes with french fries inside. That bring me back to my Europe days!

 

Nitro Coffee 

Nitro is cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen to create a smoother, creamier drink which Bon Appetit compares to Guinness. And apparently they are high in caffeine so I see this trend sticking around for a while.

Photo: Danny Kim

Bacalao

In retaurant news, bacalao may be on the menu. It’s dried salt cod (bacalao) that is rehydrated for a subtle cod flavor and slightly chewy texture. It’s already on pizza in San Fran, sandwiches in NYC and in ravioli in Chicago, according to BA. 

Marijuana!?

Yup, if it’s legal, we will eat it. I think this may be more of a hypothesis, but I can definitely see this becoming a trend in the future, if not this year.

Crème de Pamplemousse

A grapefruit liqueur that BA compares to St. Germain Elderflower liqueur (but that was so 2014), this may be the special ingredient in the new cocktail special at your local lounge. If you want to try it, check out this recipe that they recommend: 

Mae Rose Cocktail
Combine 1  ½ oz. London dry gin (we like Tanqueray), 1 oz. dry vermouth (preferably Dolin), ½ oz. Campari, and ½ oz. grapefruit liqueur (such as Combier Crème de Pamplemousse Rose) in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Stir until shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Makes 1

Photo: Danny Kim

Bing Bread

Chinese bing bread, a.k.a. shaobing, is a flaky flatbread often eaten at breakfast. This may be a chicken and egg scenario, but learning that this exists thanks to BA could very well make it the food of 2015. At Parachute in Chicago, it’s made with baked potato, stuffed with bacon and scallion, and served with sour cream butter. Yummmmm.
Get the recipe: Bing Bread

Kolache

So long cronut, there’s a new guy in town. Kolache is based on fruit-filled pastries from Central Europe and they are little dough pockets filled with pretty much anything – sweet or savory. Meats, cheeses, or sweets. I’ll take it.