Tasty Trends:Spring Forward

Daniel, Craft, Bouley, Per Se,oh my!  I could go on, but I won’t make you jealous with all of the delicious details.  Think of it as The Fashion Week of Food as thirty-eight of the city’s biggest chefs cooked up a sublime storm all in the name of C-CAP (Careers Through Culinary Arts).  It was every foodie’s whet dream this year and I, a culinary martyr, left no dish untasted, no plate uncleaned, to bring you the hottest trends in food for spring:

RETRO DESSERTS

     From Olives’ surprisingly satisfying Black cherry ice cream float, topped off with a rice krispie treat, to Atelier’s gourmet homage to the Mallomar (hazelnut biscuit bottom), classic favorites are making a comeback in cuisine.  The pastry goddess herself, Craft’s KarenDeMasco, was out in full form, personally frying up cinammon doughnuts with the best homemade coffee ice cream and hot fudge I ever did meet (I had to have three).  Of course, Sarabeth’s made us all a bit nostalgic for the good old days with miniature banana cream pies.  Even food royalty, the likes of Le Bernadin, brilliantly reinvented the wheel with a raspberry lychee parfait with rose macaron.  With the onslaught of outstanding new sweets, will dessert become the new dinner?   Just food for thought…

PUREES

    From The Modern’s fall-off-the-bone braised beef cheeks to Aureole’s lamb, this season’s hottest accessory is puree.   Parsnip, celery, and my personal favorite,  Patroon’s spiced crab salad with English pea puree and pea shoots. 

IN THE RAW — TARTARE & TATAKI

Per Se’s  “cornet” of marinated Atlantic salmon tartare with red  onion and creme fraiche is a showstopper, but that was a given.  Of all the restaurants in all the cities, who would’ve guessed that BLT Steak, a “boutique steakhouse”, would turn out a winning tuna tartare.  Nobu has broadened his horizons at his newest 57th Street outpost with a standout Artic Char tataki dressed in a spicy cilantro sauce.
Until we eat again…
Danyelle