McCormick's Flavor Forecast 2011 List

McCormick is launching its Flavor Forecast for 2011. What does this mean to a foodie? Just like how the latest fashion trends change every year, so do flavor combinations. According to McCormick:

As people have become more adventurous and seek global cuisines, the McCormick Flavor Forecast has been on the leading edge of identifying emerging tastes and trends.

The flavor experts at McCormick were joined by a trendsetting group of chefs and food personalities to identify this collection of influential undercurrents that will shape the way we eat in the year ahead of beyond."

Being a huge Top Chef fan (too bad I didn't watch it until season 7 and am now attempting to catch up), I was pretty excited to see some of chefs and food personalities included Richard Blais (season 4 which I still have to watch and All Stars, which he better win Wednesday), Michael Voltaggio (season 6 which I still have to watch), and Johnny Iuzzini (judge from Just Desserts). Being a home baker, I think it's great to recognize some of the contributing chefs.

I'll admit most of these flavorings I would never have considered, but part of being a foodie is discovering new things. Here is McCormick's Top 10 Flavor Pairings for 2011:

1. Fennel and Peri-Peri Sauce
2. Pickling Spice and Rice Vinegar
3. Roasted Curry Powder and Wild Mushrooms
4. Caramelized Honey and Adzuki Red Beans
5. Ancho Chile Pepper and Hibiscus
6. Thyme and Stone Fruits
7. Mustard Seed and Vermouth
8. Cilantro and Nut Butters
9. Herbes de Provence and Popcorn
10. Green Peppercorn and Goat's Milk

Are there any pairings on the list you want to try? For more information and recipes for each pairing, visit McCormick's Flavor Forecast page. I made a tasty dish using cilantro and peanut butter, and hopefully later this week, I'll be pairing mustard seed and vermouth. Stay tuned this week for Chicken and Cilantro Pesto Pasta and a giveaway.

French Fridays With Dorie - Scallops With Caramel Orange Sauce

This week's French Fridays With Dorie's recipe was her Scallops with Caramel Orange Sauce. Originally, I thought about not doing it because I'm not a huge fan of navel oranges. Then I went to the seafood counter to check out the salmon for a ravioli dish I wanted to make. A little pricey for me, so I decided to wait. When I walked past the ready-to-grab seafood cooler, I noticed little containers of bay scallops, ready to be thrown into a pan and consumed. I picked up a small amount, just in case I didn't like the sauce. I forgot to check the recipe to see what was actually in the sauce, but I figured I would grab the scallops now and figure it out later.



When I got home, it was dinnertime. It was too late to really cook anything (read: too tired and hungry). Then I find myself staring at these scallops. Well they were already thawed. I looked up the recipe and realized it didn't take long to make these at all. Even Dorie says "it takes less time to make than a hamburger." The sauce is made up of sugar, dry white wine, and orange juice. I had sugar. Didn't have the wine so I used a sweet peach chardonnay. For the orange juice, I used blood oranges.

I had to make two attempts at the sauce. First time, I let the sugar cook too long, and the caramel got too dark. Then when I was adding the butter at the end, I put in too much. You see, I cut the recipe in half but forgot about halving the butter. Whoops.

The scallops...I guess sea scallops are way bigger than bay scallops? Because mine were definitely tiny. Regardless, I enjoyed this dinner. At least now I have a quick, elegant dinner recipe I can put together at the last-minute.

As per Dorie's request, FFWD participants do not publish the recipes on their blogs. Rather, it is encouraged to purchase Around My French Table. I do highly recommend buying this book and joining us every Friday to try another delicious recipe.

French Fridays With Dorie - Salted Butter Break-ups

I'm really bad at this whole group cookbook thing. I was kicked out of Tuesdays With Dorie. So glad French Fridays With Dorie doesn't care how often you participate. This is my second recipe made from Ms. Greenspan's book, Around My French Table. Her Salted Butter Break-Ups were very easy to put together. You put flour, sugar, sel gris (sea salt), butter, and water in a food processor. Pulse to make the dough. After chilling for a bit, you roll it out, make an imprint with your fork, then brush with an egg yolk glaze. Minus the chilling time, it didn't take long at all.



Sel gris, which translates to grey salt, is a moist sea salt used in France. Ironically, a few weeks ago, I picked up some French grey sea salt at Penzeys. I didn't get much of a saltiness to my cookies though. I think mainly because Dorie said to use a coarse grain, and I picked up a fine grain. Maybe next time I'll increase the amount? Or mix some in with the yolk glaze.



My favorite part of the cookie was the crispiness on the outside. The middle was tender and although good, I preferred the edges. My hatch marks did hold up, but it's not nearly as pretty as Dorie's picture.



As per Dorie's request, I'm not going to post the recipe. Instead, I'm going to promote her book and encourage you to go buy it! Promise you won't be disappointed.

Irish Soda Bread

Every time St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I get excited and "homesick" at the same time. It's been about four years since I studied abroad in Ireland. I had the privilege of spending St. Patty's Day in the heart of it all - Dublin, Ireland. Someday I'll make it back, this time with a better-equipped camera.

Surprisingly, I don't remember eating much soda bread. I think I bought a loaf at the bakery once. I even asked my best friend who lives there, and she said she typically doesn't make or eat it herself. My parents were visiting this past weekend, so I decided to make a loaf in honor of the holiday coming up. Plus I can send most of the loaf home with them so I eat less of it.



Irish soda bread got its name because it uses baking soda as a leavening agent instead of yeast. This also means the dough comes together very quickly and is easy to make. Most traditional recipes use four ingredients - flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. Typically, I use the milk + vinegar sub for buttermilk, but I feel that some recipes, like this and waffles, need authentic buttermilk. For my bread, I added a handful of raisins (or sultanas as the Irish call them). Right before baking, a cross is cut into the top of the bread, which, according to Irish folklore, is said to ward off evil or to let the fairies out.



Although on the outside the bread looked great, the middle was still slightly raw. I tried putting it back in, but the damage was done. Not sure what happened. Either it needed more time or my dough was too wet. I still have some buttermilk left, so maybe I will cut the recipe in half and try again.

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 425. Brush a baking sheet with oil or line with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Sift flour, salt, and soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk. Mix well with a spoon, then with your hands. The dough should be very soft but not too wet. Mix in raisins, if using

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly and briefly - too much will toughen it while too little means it won't rise properly. Shape into an 8-inch round loaf. Place onto baking sheet and cut a cross in the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes. It should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Sources: "A Little Irish Cookbook" by John Murphy and "Irish Pub Cooking" by Love Food.

Campbell's AdDress Your Heart Campaign

I was reading a magazine article the other day about heart disease. It roughly kills 1 out of every 3 American women, making it the number 1 cause of death for both sexes nationwide. Yikes! What I found interesting was the symptoms for a heart attack may vary by gender. One man's experience said he had intensified chest pain, the obvious signs of a heart attack. However, one woman's experience said it felt like she had the flu. After at least three hours waiting in the emergency room then more time for some blood tests, the doctors realized she had a heart attack. I think this quote sums it up: "I don't know which is more incredible - that it took so long for me to get a diagnosis, or that I survived the wait."

Campbell's is teaming up to raise awareness of heart disease in women with their campaign, "AdDress Your Heart." This is a quote from the campaign that explains how Campbell's is helping:

“This is our fifth year supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement and we are proud that our ‘AdDress Your Heart’ campaign helps people to learn more about ways to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle,” said Morrison. “At Campbell, we are dedicated to making delicious, heart-healthy products, and we will continue our mission to help people eat and live better.”



Campbell's has over 100 convenient, great-tasting products that fit into a heart-healthy lifestyle, including soup, V-8, spaghetti sauce, and canned chicken. I was asked to help raise awareness about living a healthy lifestyle. For me, I go to Zumba at least twice a week and eat lots of vegetables.

And what better way to raise awareness than with a giveaway of healthy heart products from Campbell's? I shared mine with my family, even the cat:




The giveaway will remain open until Tuesday March 8 at midnight EST. You can earn up to five chances.

1. Leave one comment telling me how you live a heart healthy lifestyle.
2. Tweet this giveaway using @chocolatemoosey. Then leave a comment here with your twitter name.
3. Tell your friends on Facebook, then leave a comment, telling me you did so.
4. Post about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your link.
5. "Like" my Facebook fan page, then leave a comment with your name.

Remember, for each step you complete, you must leave a separate comment. If you have to post five times in a row, that is fine. Each comment will be one entry, so you would lose entries if you posted it all in one.

One last detail - you must be a resident of the United States.