Croutons were once salads’ proverbial crunch-providers. But new salads take advantage of the healthy halo of nuts, bundled with consumer interest in techniques that bring out the nuts’ flavor, texture and aroma. Sliced nuts are obvious for topping salads, such as the field greens with toasted almonds, goat cheese, cinnamon marinated pears, dried cherries and pomegranate vinaigrette at Fez, Phoenix, AZ.
Baked greats
The oven rack has been raised, and consumers are demanding more from their carbohydrates— more flavor, more nutrition, more variety. Nuts enhance the image of baked goods, pastries and desserts by adding dimension and diversity. Replacing all or some of the flour in a formula with nut flour adds interest and positively modifies nutritional profiles in common recipes, such as bread, pie crust and even tortillas. Almond flour and meal, for instance, reduce carbohydrates while increasing protein, fiber and other nutrients without adversely affecting product functionality.
Pastry chefs have taken the pleasure of nuts to new heights, not only with classic nut combinations, but by playing with form and function, switching out or doubling up nut varieties, and adding an extra touch by roasting or glazing. Last fall, Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia, served a sponge cake that combined almonds, white chocolate and apples with white almond mousse, caramelized apples, white chocolate cinnamon cream, caramel and a white chocolate glaze.
In many modern, downsized desserts, nut size matters only to the extent that visual appeal is required, such as placing one perfect nut atop a cookie or tartlet. Smaller sizes and even cosmetically damaged nuts are perfect for manufacturing and foodservice applications that require chopping, pounding or grinding.
Snacks and sweets
America’s on-the-go lifestyle fuels the market for out-of-hand snacks, both sweet and savory, with 28% of new nut introductions in 2006 in the snack category, as noted in the “2006 North America New Product Overview” from The Sterling Rice Group, Boulder, CO. Trend guru A. Elizabeth Sloan, president, Sloan Trends, Inc., Escondido, CA, encourages operators and manufacturers to take advantage of the growing bar business by offering upscale bar snacks that have little in common with what your grandfather enjoyed with his Scotch. Adding trendy flavors, spices and texture to nuts, which may also happen to induce thirst, is a creative and money-making proposition in foodservice. Think how ancho chile and cocoa nib spiced nuts or Thai ginger and wasabi “cracker jax” would sell both your creativity—and your drinks.
Interest in internationally inspired confections is on the upswing. Consider the exoticsounding gianduja, an Italian roasted-hazelnut and chocolate treat, and torrone (or turrón in Spain), an almond and honey nougat confection, as inspiration for American variations. How about praline, clusters, turtles, bark and “glass” making their comeback eaten out of hand and as an alluring component of composed desserts? The combinations of sweets and nuts are practically limitless.
Candy, the ultimate small indulgence, continues to evolve as pastry chefs and product developers push the limits of flavor and ingredient combinations, often using nuts as a catalyst. Chef Homaro Cantu of Moto, Chicago, has presented a “luxuriously healthy” chocolate-coated Pinot Noir bar made with a gooey filling of lees, the grape sediment that settles during fermentation, caramel and chocolate, topped with a layer of crunchy sliced almonds and puffed rice. And, if that weren’t enough, another of his desserts, Cantu’s USB Candy Corn, is a take-home mixture of popcorn and whole, natural almonds, coated in white truffle caramel with orange zest, thyme and black pepper, packaged in a sealed plastic bag inside of a small tin paint can, along with a USB chip showing a video of how the recipe is made. The can is labeled with edible paper made from almonds.
More down-to-earth nutty twists on old-fashioned favorites are also great as stand-alone treats or to add flair to a plated dessert. Chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, New York, has a cult following for its haute version of the Nutter Butter® cookie. Red Lobster’s Bananas Foster Cheesecake comes garnished with a crunchy toffee almond crisp.
Nut butters add interest to sweet and savory foods, while pastes (typically a 50-50 mixture of ground nuts and sugar) and marzipan (with almonds and up to 80% sugar and syrup) star in bakery, confection and ice cream applications. One option is to blend flavored oils (orange, lavender, etc.) with marzipan for new flavor combinations, or whip marzipan with cream and create small balls to serve as an all-inone sweetener, flavoring and cream with coffee service.
At the Culinary Institute of America’s Baking & Pastry Retreat in April of this year, there was a buzz about macaroons with fashion-forward flavor combinations. These are not the coconut macaroons we grew up with. Miette, San Francisco, for example, features almond, hazelnut and pistachio versions filled with chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, vanilla, lavender and rose geranium. The Modern at New York’s Museum of Modern Art offers buttermilk panna cotta trifle with raspberry gelée, pistachio macaroon and fresh mango.
Smaller portion size, portable and mix-and-match options meet, and exceed, the demands of today’s consumer. (And, by the way, can I get that to go?) Numerous small choices made from wholesome, natural ingredients, such as nuts, serve up a valuable source of protein, good fat and important nutrients. In addition to offering good nutrition, each crunchy nut is its own tasty reward: rich in one-of-a-kind flavor and texture.
Robin Schempp is co-founder and president of Right Stuff Enterprises (est.1992), Waterbury, VT, a culinary consultancy focused on concept, product, menu and market development with a wide range of clients, such as the Almond Board of California. Among her many volunteer pursuits, she serves as vice chair of Chefs Collaborative and co-chairs the National Nominating and Board Development Committee for the Research Chefs Association. She also multitasks at every opportunity by eating and drinking well—all, of course, in the name of R&D.