Author: Flavor & The Menu Staff

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff Chef K.N. Vinod, co-owner of Indique in Washington, D.C., created the Kerala Shepherd’s Pie, which won “Best Appetizer/Small Plate” during a recent D.C. Restaurant Week contest. “On the plate it has the look and structure of the familiar British comfort food, but the aromas and flavors from an abundant mix of aromatic Indian spices tell the true story,” says Catherine Golding, Foodservice Business Development Manager for True Aussie Beef & Lamb. “There are layers of flavor here, too, as the boneless Aussie lamb leg is first braised in a heady mix of...

Thai Peanut Curry Bowl with yakisoba noodles, chicken, red onions, broccoli, Asian slaw.

Arctic Char with Brussels sprout leaves, quinoa, carrot, red pepper, almonds, celery leaves, parsley and sherry-mustard vinaigrette.

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff It takes culinary gumption to swap out bacon with sweet potato, but that’s what Rafi Taherian, Associate VP of Yale Dining, did when he created the S.P.L.T. (sweet potato, lettuce, tomato). This menu item is part of an overall strategy to increase plant-based foods at the university.  “We have proven that the myth of healthy food being neither flavorful nor popular is dead,” he says. The S.P.L.T. also proves that flavor must come first. This veg-centric build starts with smoked, then dried sweet potatoes. Once crispy, he brushes them with maple syrup...

PHOTO CREDIT: Flavor & The Menu Staff Responding to the shift toward transparency in ingredients, Caribou Coffee is striving to incorporate clean-label items, starting with real vanilla syrup and recently adding real caramel sauce. The caramel contains four ingredients: water, pure cane sugar, cream and butter. “It’s made in the classic way of caramelizing the sugar and adding cream and butter until it’s rich and creamy with dark, earthy notes,” says Andrew Kraus, senior manager of food and beverage innovation and management. The coffeehouse’s new Salted Caramel Budino showcases the caramel sauce, combined with espresso and topped with a...