Tag Pretzel Bites

Parties That Cook’s Top 10 Food Trend Predictions for 2012

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , February 6th, 2012 @ 3:35 pm

People do this every year. No matter how accurate or far off our hunches may have been the previous year, we love trying to predict future trends. Last year, I must say, the general food community pretty much nailed it! Check out our Food Trend Predictions for 2011, and judge for yourself!

Moving on to 2012, predictions are much more varied. Still, we at Parties That Cook are happy to take a stab at it. Here are our Top 10 (or so) Food Trend Predictions for 2012!

1. Kale – In everything. Whether it’s dried kale chips, kale Caesar salads, green smoothies, etc., kale is moving up in the world and back into our lives this year. Insider Tip: Parties That Cook will be putting a kale on our upcoming menus. Keep your eyes peeled for the recipe!

2. Fusion Foods – This controversial trend includes such bright ideas as tikka masala burritos and Asian tacos. Some folks would rather see the end of these culinary experiments, while others welcome the possibility that dim sum might be branching out with California twists.

3. German Food – With the recent surge of beer gardens popping up on the scene, one can only speculate that German food will rise in popularity. Side note: Peruvian food is another ethnic food category with high expectations in 2012.

4. Pretzels – Only time will tell how HOT these will be, but if appearances on menus late in 2011 are any indication, it’s fiery. Check them out on our menu in both sweet and savory forms!

5. Mushrooms – Sustainable foods seem to be a priority deserving of their own category, so it’s only fair that mushrooms take a spin in the spotlight. People are foraging and growing mushrooms from popular DIY kits. Bring on the mushrooms!

6. Coconut – No, not water. This year, it’s all about deliciously sweet coconut jam! Bibby served this jam at our office holiday party. Way to be ahead of the curve!

7. Social Cooking – With the increasing ease of sharing EVERYTHING via social media, we’re going to see a continuing rise in food photography, social eating, and social COOKING!

8. Pickling – If the 2012 Fancy Food Show (in San Francisco) offers any hints at coming trends, pickles and home-pickling are set to make a big scene this year.

9. All These Things! – Courtesy of the PTC team, here’s a quick list of this year’s up and coming items: “Buratta has gone mainstream… It’s on every menu!” “Meatballs are going to be BIG in 2012. All kinds!” “Ethnic spices. Definitely check out Williams-Sonoma’s collection of World Spices.”

10. Things that were trending in 2011, and will CONTINUE to trend in 2012:
–Food trucks: Take ‘em or leave ‘em, they haven’t saturated the market in enough cities to officially be “OVER”.
–Pies: While the rise in popularity over the cupcake was arguable in 2011, this year brings fun twists to these already versatile treats (i.e. Pie Pops).
–CSAs and Buying Local: Haven’t heard the word hyper-local yet? Don’t worry, you will.
–Bacon: Might never come down from its chart-topping position. Now, with bacon chocolate, bacon beer/cocktails, bacon baked goods, and bacon things that shall not be mentioned in this blog, bacon has more ways than ever to stay on our plates and on our mind.
–Eating Healthy: Little Miss Muffet’s secret is out! Whey is the next step in healthy eating and weight control. Find it in water, smoothies, and sauces this year.

Have your own trend predictions for this year? We’d love to hear them! Let us know what you think the next BIG thing might be in the comments!

Parties That Cook’s Ultimate Super Bowl Party Snack: Pretzel Bites with Honey Mustard and Beer Sauce

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , February 4th, 2012 @ 6:18 pm

It’s almost game time. Sure, your team isn’t playing, but who really cares who wins at this point, anyway?? We know watching the big game is all about the food. And commercials. And the beer. And beer commercials. This Super Bowl Sunday, show up to your viewing party (some bars allow outside food, too!) with these incredibly manly Pretzel Bites with Mustard and Beer Dipping Sauce! Introduce these delicious pretzel poppers to your friends, and we guarantee* your manliness will never be questioned again (works for women, too!).

Soft Pretzel Bites with House Made Mustard and Beer Dipping Sauce
This recipe can be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Spicy Honey Mustard and Beer Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup ground mustard
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup dark beer
3 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Soft Pretzel Poppers:
Butter to grease sheet pans
1/2 cup baking soda
2 quarts cold water
2 Tablespoons warm water plus 1 1/3 cups
1 envelope active dry yeast (have extra on hand in case yeast dies)
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups AP flour plus more for bench flour
Kosher or pretzel salt

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 475°F.

Bloom Mustard: In a small saucepan, combine mustard and vinegar; let stand for at least 30 minutes up to an hour.

Make Sauce: To the mustard mixture, whisk in the sugar, egg yolks and beer until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture just begins to simmer and is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; whisk in the honey and salt. Let cool slightly and transfer sauce into a serving dish.

Prepare Pans: Lightly butter 2 or more sheet pans. Set aside. In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water and baking soda to a boil over high heat.

Dissolve Yeast: In a medium bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water and brown sugar.

Mix Dough: Place the flour into a bowl of a large food processor. Pulse the flour to gently mix. Turn food processor on and gradually start pouring the yeast mixture into the flour. Continue mixing until it forms a ball. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.

Form Pretzel Bites: Cut dough up into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into 1/2-inch thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 1 inch pieces (about 10-12 pieces per rope). Working in batches, drop the pieces into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Using a spider, remove the poppers and place them onto the buttered sheet pans. Sprinkle with kosher or pretzel salt while still damp.

Bake Pretzel Bites: Place sheet pans into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve: Place pretzel poppers onto a serving plate with the mustard sauce.

Serves/Makes
Serves 24

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® | www.PartiesThatCook.com.

*Manly results not guaranteed.