In no particular order, here are my predictions with a tiny sprinkling of wishful thinking...

Yes, please!


More transparency and labeling in the food system
Have you been to a supermarket lately? All the seafood is now labeled so you know where it comes from and whether or not it is farmed and if color is added. That is amazing considering that not long ago seafood had barely any labeling at all, but it's just the beginning. I believe consumers will demand labels on produce and meat too. Food contamination and security issues are only a few of the issues driving this trend.




Foraging, hunting and wild food
Wild and foraged ingredients are showing up on more and more menus and there are classes and books to help you learn about this return to a more primal way of eating. The poster boy for this trend is Hank Shaw. The poster Girl? Georgia Pellegrini!

Local culture on the plate
Rene Redzepi the chef at NOMA, (the world's number one restaurant according to one survey) has inspired countless chefs and delighted diners. He uses local ingredients to create a unique cuisine that is a reflection of a singular time and place. This is where high end dining is going. Something that can only be found in one spot is the ultimate in exclusivity.

Honey
The world's first sweetener and a product from bees who we are dependent upon for pollination of fruits and vegetables from avocados to watermelon. Bees have already been in the news because of colony collapse but I think their honey will get some more attention soon too, now that the scandal of widespread bogus honey has been revealed. Honey is an unrefined sugar and a true expression of flora. Trying and learning about honey is as exciting and never ending as learning about wine or coffee.




Digital cookbooks
Epicurious is leading the way here with ecookbooks, offering a variety of best selling cookbooks you can now save to your "recipe box." Since we are already using our computers in the kitchen and to look for recipes, this makes a lot of sense. It makes finding, sharing and using recipes much easier.

Lamb, goat, rabbit and bison
I'm sorry to disappoint any vegan activists, but it's just not likely that Americans are going to give up eating meat. However I do believe they are going to think about sustainability and start making more informed choices. Goat is the most popular meat in the world, we already love goat cheese, the meat can't be far behind. Likewise lamb, rabbit and bison represent more sustainable and ecologically friendly choices than industrially raised pork, beef or chicken.








Chia
I'm seeing chia everywhere. It's a fascinating seed, considered a superfood by some, loaded with vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fiber. It creates an amazing gel like texture but can also be used like a grain in baked goods. I hope chefs are as inspired to play with it as I am.

Chefs doing good
As we get more and more tired of the endless self promotion associated with celebrity chefs (not to mention some food bloggers) I think chef charities will gain in visibility as a way of chefs getting limelight, but for all the right reasons. Great examples include the Mario Batali Foundation, Jamie Oliver Foundation which includes Fifteen and the Ministry of Food, and Rachael Ray's Yum-o!

Handmade sodas
More and more restaurants are offering housemade soda as a non-alcoholic option. Sophisticated and not overly sweet, I expect we will see a lot more of them. Some good local ones try include Jesse Friedman's seasonal offerings from SodaCraft.

Deli
Perhaps the David Sax book Save the Deli led to a resurgence in interest in Jewish delicatessen food. While LA style Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen failed to knock my socks off, the excitement over their pop-ups indicates a real desire for it. I do believe good deli is on it's way. Perhaps it's the new charcuterie?

Lower alcohol wines
I think this year in Napa might be the turning point. It was a cooler than normal growing season and vintners found that lower brix in this year's vintage meant an opportunity to craft more elegant and lower alcohol wines. We will see how consumers react. But I hope they can learn to appreciate something beyond the big fruit bombs Napa has become known for producing.

Small plate breakfasts
Ok I admit it, this is wishful thinking. But a girl can dream can't she? After having the most spectacular brunch ever at Michael's Genuine in Miami, I just hope this idea catches on. Imagine instead of a big stack of pancakes, just one. Plus a single egg benedict, and a house made pop tart? Heaven.

The other Mediterranean
Perhaps I am just inspired by my trip to Morocco, but I can't help think that Moroccan, Egyptian, Tunisian, Algerian, Lebanese and Turkish food will be on the rise. They are part of the Mediterranean but often get overlooked in favor of French, Italian and Spanish cuisine. Think of them as the new frontier. At very least, recently released cookbooks by Mourad Lalou and Paula Wolfert will fuel the interest in Moroccan flavors.


No thanks, I've had enough


Bacon
When bacon made it's way into lip balm, I think it jumped the shark. It's not that bacon will ever go away, but I think we are ready for something else. Kale perhaps?

"Farm-to-table" "natural" and "artisanal"
They have all become virtually meaningless. When is food not farm to table? When it's factory to table? Natural has no legal meaning and once Round Table Pizza used the word artisan to boost sales, we knew it was over.

Celebrity chefs
Perhaps it all started with that iconic Gourmet magazine cover of chefs as rock stars. But enough is enough. The endless self-promotion has gotten tiresome. So have celebrity chef feuds.

Agave syrup
I never really understood the hype. This may be a marginally better type of sugar, but it's still sugar. It lacks the depth of molasses, sorghum or honey. There are some benefits, but they aren't enough to convince me to use it.

Mexican coke
Admit it, hipsters drink it because they think it's cool. Gimme a break. It's not cool. It's sugar water for chrissake. Hopefully this is the year they will stop paying $5 a bottle for it.

So what do you think the trends will be? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Yesterday I shared some new cookbooks that focus on a particular meat such as pork, brisket or goat, in today's installment I'm recommending four more books that are much more general.

One of the most anticipated cookbooks of the year was the Molly Stevens book All About Roasting The book is amazingly comprehensive covering mostly meat--beef, lamb, pork, chicken and poultry but also fish and shellfish, vegetables and fruits. Learn how to choose the best cuts of meat, the basic roasting methods and temperatures, how to carve and more. I love that her recipes also include convection as well as conventional oven temperatures!

Recipes you'll want to try include: Quick deviled rib bones, oven roasted porchetta, one-hour rosemary rib roast, roasted buffalo wings, crispy butterflied roast chicken

Another roast focused cookbook is sure a surefire winner for Francophiles. Rotis, roasts for every day of the week. This charming book follows a certain format, Monday is roast beef, Tuesday is roast veal, Wednesday is roast chicken and game, etc. Each chapter features French and Mediterranean style recipes that generally feel very classic, though some recipes like roast pork with Earl Grey tea feel decidedly modern. While a book about meat, the vegetable sides are equally delectable.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Roast chicken with anchovies and rosemary, roast pork belly with coriander, roast pork loin with endive and orange, lamb shanks with cannellini beans, 4 ideas for stuffing chicken (Boursin cheese? hello!)

Contrary to popular opinion, farm-to-table does not just refer to zucchini. Our own local butcher extraordinaire Ryan Farr has written Whole Beast Butchery which is a visual guide to "breaking down" beef, lamb and pork with recipes as well. If you've ever wanted to take a butchery course, this is the book for you! The tone and style of the book is much like Ryan is in person, friendly, helpful and approachable.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Beef tongue pastrami, pork belly and garbanzo soup, braised lamb shanks with curry (keep in mind, recipes are limited; this is a butchery book, not a cookbook)

If your budget is a little more quesadilla then crown roast, From the Ground Up by award-winning author James Villas is for you. The most versatile of all meat, ground meat, is featured in hundreds of recipes that use beef, chicken, pork, seafood and more. From the humble and economical meat come recipes from around the world ranging from home style sloppy joes to elegant beef tartare sandwiches. Interestingly some of the recipes use raw meat and some leftover cooked meat that is then shredded, chopped or ground.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Mexican duck quesadillas, Tex Mex sloppy joes, Greek minted meatballs, Spanish eggplant stuffed with lamb, Shanghai lion's head

Add to my list of New Year's resolutions, use more condiments and ingredients lurking in the fridge. My refrigerator is packed with Chinese sauces, jams and jellies, and various sauces and mustards. Sometimes I barely have room for anything else! So I am trying to use the things I probably used once and then forgot about.

First up, miso. I love the salty savory rich flavor of miso, which is a fermented soy bean paste that is like pure umami. You've probably had miso in soup at a Japanese restaurant. I especially like white or shiro miso which also has some sweet buttery notes. I've used it in soup and salad dressings and found that it complements many vegetables. In David Chang's cookbook Momofuku Cooking at Home is a recipe for miso butter sauce which is more like paste, that he was inspired to make after eating miso butter ramen in Japan. He adds a touch of sherry vinegar. In my recipe I make an olive oil based dressing with a touch of buttery white miso. The finished dish tastes much richer than it is.

If you are looking for more ways to use miso, this dressing is a good start. Try using it on other vegetables; I think it would be particularly good on spinach, kale, carrots or cauliflower. You could also use it on salad. Let me know if you have any other tips for using miso!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Creamy Miso Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons white miso
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make dressing by whisking together the miso, olive oil, water, mustard and lemon juice. Taste for seasonings and adjust as you like. The dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for several days, just bring to room temperature and whisk again before serving.

Trim the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts, cut each in half lengthwise, then toss them in a bowl with the olive oil and salt until they are well coated. Transfer sprouts to a roasting pan or rimmed sheet pan (line with tin foil for easier cleaning) and roast for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice so they cook evenly. Brussels sprouts should be beginning to brown on the outside and tender on the inside. Place the sprouts in a serving bowl or platter and drizzle with the dressing.

Enjoy!

I eat a lot less meat than I used to. But I am buying it mostly from butchers I know and trust, usually from Bryan's in Laurel Village. So when I do cook meat, generally a couple times a week, I want it to be something special. My guess is that I am not alone and perhaps that accounts for the huge boom in meat cookbooks?

For 2012, I hope you buy and cook better quality meat. These cookbooks will certainly help.

The Brisket Bookis subtitled a love story with recipes. It literally had me laughing out loud with it's cartoons, jokes, stories and more. If you are Jewish, Irish, or even a Texan, brisket is your soul food. The book pays homage with recipes, wine pairings, poems, and everything you need to know to make a version that will make you fall in love. This book and a brisket from Snake River Farms would be the best gift EVER.

Recipes to try include: Brisket burger, braised fresh brisket in stout and onions, brisket with ginger, orange peel and tomatoes, basic barbecue brisket, corned beef with parsley sauce

Goatis the first cookbook I've seen dedicated to meat, milk and cheese from that animal. They say leeks were not commonly available in grocery stores until Julia Child starting featuring them on her TV show. Hard to imagine, isn't it? I'm going to venture the same thing about goat. It accounts for 70% of the red meat eaten worldwide; it's sustainable, surprisingly healthy (less fat, cholesterol and calories than chicken, beef, pork or lamb) and is growing in popularity. I know, you probably can't find it in your local grocery store yet, but soon perhaps... Meanwhile this book will introduce you to farms, teach you new recipes, and entertain you with funny stories and anecdotes.

Recipes to try include: Goat cheese quesadillas, wheat germ banana muffins, braised meatballs with artichoke and fennel, goat mole (negro, rojo and verde versions) one of several goat curries

The latest in a long line of porcine cookbooks,The Whole Hog Cookbook covers chops, loin, shoulder, bacon, spareribs and yes, offal. Libbie Summers is the granddaughter of a pig farmer, she's a chef, food stylist, and knows how to butcher a pig. It's amazing how glamorous she looks posing with pigs! What's not surprising is how appetizing her recipes look. The only bone to pick that I have with this book is the recommendation to use Smithfield products. I am dismayed at their abysmal treatment of workers, animals and the environment and would never buy, let alone suggest their brand. This does not change the fact that the recipes and the book, are quite wonderful. Just please, use pork that comes from the best sources whenever possible.

Recipes to try include: Rosemary bacon scones, sweet apple scrapple, Lula Mae's cola-braised pork shoulder, hog-tied and hungry chili, West African pork stew

I can eat the same thing for breakfast day after day. Then suddenly I'm on to something else. At the moment, my breakfast of choice is a granola parfait. I bought parfait glasses for ice cream, but use them for breakfast and fruit salad more frequently. I also got those skinny spoons you need to fit down into the bottom of the glass! This is hardly a recipe, more of a technique. But anything that can help "cereal" sound more exciting is worth doing. The trick to making a good parfait is to layer the ingredients nicely. Start with the yogurt on the bottom because anything else is too hard to get at with your spoon.

I've been using Driscoll's organic berries, Greek yogurt and The Bunnery granola. I recently got some samples of the granola and I really like it. I make my own granola but you have to eat it when it's fresh so I don't always have it on hand. The Bunnery original granola has relatively few ingredients just oats, honey, sunflower seeds, coconut, canola oil, sesame seeds, water, almonds, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. It's light and crunchy and not too clumpy which is best for parfaits.

You can make parfaits with just yogurt and fruit if you like. Or of course, you can also make parfaits with ice cream and fruit or sauces. But I think this is the best way to put a sexy spin on cereal. It's pretty, healthy and easy to make.

Berry Granola Parfaits
Mixed berries, such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries
Yogurt, plain or flavored, regular or Greek
Granola

Layer a spoonful of yogurt into the bottom of the parfait glass and top with a layer of granola. Just a little! You want to make sure you leave enough room for multiple layers. Top the granola with one layer of berries. Repeat and end with a dollop of yogurt and a berry on top.

Enjoy!

I'm not sure any other cuisine can top Italian, when it comes to comfort food. While Italian cookbooks are a dime a dozen, three really stood out for me this year and are nice enough variations to warrant adding to your collection if you're an Italian food fiend like me or give them as gifts.


Cucina Povera
was sure to strike a chord with me, because I lived in Florence for 6 months. It is written by ex-pat Pamela Sheldon Johns and it shares a way of life, of not wasting anything and eating frugally. In the book you'll meet all kinds of people from Italy who cook and garden and make things from scratch. The recipes are for some things you may already know about like Ribollita and Pappa al Pomodoro (and if you don't, then by all means you need this book) but also more obscure recipes that you are unlikely to encounter in a restaurant.

Recipes you'll want to try include Tuscan Cornmeal, Kale and Bean Soup, Stewed Peppery Beef Cheeks, Farmyard Crostini (finally a use for giblets!) Plum Jam Tart and Ricotta Cake.







The family I lived with in Italy ate very formal meals, I don't remember a single one course meal. But they do exist and that is what Piatto Unico
is all about. The book shares hearty, comforting dishes many that are particularly perfect as we head into Winter. Recipes are divided into chapters like Prime-Time Pastas, Minestrone and Other Big, Bountiful Soups and Braises and Stews.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Asparagus Spinach Crepes with Taleggio, Thick Chickpea and Porcini Soup, Escarole, Anchovy and Cheese Salad.












Another noteworthy book is Rustic Italian Food. This is satisfying and lusty food, not fussy food although many of the recipes do take effort and are not just weeknight jobs. It's filled with homemade breads, pastas, salumi, pickles and preserves. They all demand the use of top quality ingredients. It's written by a restaurant chef, but designed for home cooks.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Spaghetti in Parchment with Clams and Scallions, Eggplant Lasagnette Alla Parmigiana, Veal Breast "al Latte" with Fried Sage, Cold Farro Salad with Crunchy Vegetables

Having gone to one good and one particularly lousy fair last weekend, I'd like to steer you in the right direction. Here are three holiday gift fairs I highly recommend you check out!


Sorry for the late notice, La Cocina's Annual Gift Fair is TONIGHT, December 9th from 5-9 pm at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. This is one of my favorite non-profit organizations in the City. They help women and minorities get into legitimate food businesses. You'll find awesomely delicious goodies from folks like Happy Girl Kitchen - Preserves, Back to the Roots � Mushrooms, Estrellita�s Snacks - Yucca, Plantain Chips, and Tamales, Love and Hummus Co - Organic Hummus, Sweets Collection - Mexican Gellatins, Neo Cocoa - Truffles, Wise Sons � Jewish Delicatessen, McEvoy � Olive Oil, Mattarello Pasta � Artisanal Handmade Pasta and more�

Go and get goodies for yourself or to give away. There will also be a silent auction, a tamale alley and more....








The Renegade Craft Fair
If you've been to this craft fair you know how much fun it is! It's heavily juried so the quality is extremely high. In the past I've found gorgeous porcelain bowls, cutting boards, jewelry, kitchen towels, toys, kids clothes, etc.

On December 17 + 18, 2011, from 11am � 6pm, the 3rd Annual Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market in San Francisco will return to the Concourse Exhibition Center! Always free-to-attend, holiday shopping has never been more fun than with the work of over 250 of today�s finest makers of handmade goods to peruse and several hands-on crafting activities to get involved with! Food, beverages and libations will also be available! Check out the artist lineup.


Kout�li�s Union Square Pop-Up Christmas Party "Debonnaire" at the Kensington Park Hotel on Sunday December 18th (2-6PM).

This is the first year for this event, a lodge-like lounge party includes a full bar, pool table, and football on several flat screens. You will have the chance to check out curated mini-boutiques by some of SF�s coolest shops and artisans while sipping holiday cocktails and sampling amazing artisan faire.

Boutiques at the event will include Mira Mira, Revolver, Omnivore Books, Alphyn Industries, Foodzie, and several others. In addition Koutali will be hosting a special holiday kitchen gifts store with brands including Wusthof, Bodum, Reidel, and Cuisinart. Hearty holiday food and refined delicacies will be provided by: Do S�more, McEvoy Olive Ranch, Cibo Per Strada, Jablow�s Meats, Bavarian Pretzel works, Rockwall Wines, The Mustard, and Jarred.

To keep the event merry there will be a full bar with holiday Sunday drink specials like $5 Bourbon Cider, Mulled Wine, and Bacon Bloody Mary�s, and free gift-wrapping!

Standard tickets are $10 and include discounts and samples from the participating artisans and boutiques and free gift-wrapping. VIP tickets include two specialty cocktails, an artisan sandwich, and the rest of the perks above.

Use the code DAPPERELF on checkout to receive 30% off their VIP tickets.

Last week Driscoll's held a wonderful event for bloggers that I got to have a hand in planning. Bloggers brought dishes made with fresh blackberries, got insider cooking tips from cookbook author and cooking teacher Rick Rodgers and an inspiring food photography tutorial and demo from food photographer Caren Alpert.

I learned about pastry tampers, (the secret to quickly forming small tart shells in mini muffin pans) improvising with FedEx boxes and tin foil to get more light in food photos, ate a fabulous of dinner made from Rick's recipes, and tasted some divine desserts from some of my fellow bloggers. I particularly loved Irvin's tangy lemon and blackberry pie. I hope he posts the recipe soon! Rick made a cream cheese crust pastry with a savory filling and a blackberry topping. It was surprisingly similar to my dessert recipe.

I got the original recipe from the Land 'O Lakes website. I adapted it for Thanksgiving using cranberries and no nuts or glaze, then tweaked both the ingredients and the techniques to make it work with blackberries. Driscoll's blackberries are so good right now that I wanted to use them raw. I like desserts with at least some tangy flavor and blackberries have such a great balance of sweet and sour, thanks to a good ratio of natural sugars and organic acids. You could top the custard filled tarts with any kind of fresh berry you like. What makes this recipe so easy is that you mix the dough and the filling in a food processor. You could probably do it using a stand mixer if you prefer.



Blackberry Mini TartsMakes 36

Crust;
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

2 6-oz packages blackberries, each berry cut into two or three pieces

Heat oven to 325�F. Combine flour, butter, cream cheese and salt in food processor. Blend until dough forms a ball.

Divide dough into 36 equal pieces. Place 1 piece of dough into each ungreased mini muffin pan cup. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of cup or use a pastry tamper! Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl or food processor, cream together the sugar and butter then mix in egg, vanilla and salt. Spoon about a teaspoon into each tart crust then bake another 10-12 minutes until the crust is golden and the top of the custard begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes then remove from pans using a knife if necessary. Place about 3 pieces of berry in each tart shell.

Enjoy!

I always write a series of "best of" cookbook posts around this time of year. I've recommended a lot of cookbooks in 2011*, but there are three, you simply must add to your collection. They are written by three amazing women who I admire tremendously and feel honored to have gotten to interview or at least meet. They are not just wonderful cooks and writers but cultural anthropologists who dig deep into how people cook, preserving traditions and making food from other places accessible. These books would make great gifts, but really, I recommend buying them for your own collections, that's how good they are.


There are lots of books about Spanish food. I know, because I have plenty of them, but The Food of Spain
is truly the mother of all Spanish cookbooks with over 600 pages. It has stories, history--it's a true treasury that took years of work to complete. I know this because Claudia Roden told me about the work that went into the book when I interviewed her last year (Claudia Roden interview part 1 and 2)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Claudia Roden's recipes work. They make sense and give just the right level of detail. In this massive tome she uncovers so many more recipes than what you will find in run of the mill restaurants. In The Food of Spain you will discover many fascinating cultures that have influenced Spanish cuisine and recipes both familiar and rare. It's as much a book about food as it is a cookbook.

Dishes you will want to try include Eggplant with Bechamel and Cheese, Fish Stew with Peppers and Tomatoes, Migas with Bacon, Onion Coca.






What can I say about Paula Wolfert that hasn't already been said? She is the most well-known authority on Moroccan food and The Food of Morocco is one of her most important books. Having lived in Morocco for years, she has a depth of knowledge that is just unparalleled. But if you have spent any time with her, you will be struck by her genuine enthusiasm for capturing the details of the cuisine and her drive for perfection. Her recipes are meticulous. Like Claudia Roden, she goes well beyond the surface to discover the history and varied influences that make for such a rich cuisine. Her latest book is over 500 pages. You can read my interview with her from 2009 here.

The book also has plenty of tips and advice to help you get it right, from the different types of couscous to explanations as to why steaming is better than boiling. There are lots of shopping resources too.

Dishes you will want to try include Lamb with Onions, Riffian Split Pea Soup with Paprika Oil, Almonds and Hard Cooked Eggs, Double Cooked Red Chicken Marrakech Style, Barley Grits Couscous with Fresh Fava Beans





It might seem surprising that I put Lisa Fain in the same category as Claudia Roden and Paula Wolfert, but if you spend some time at her blog or reading her wonderful cookbook, The Homesick Texan
, you will see why I do. Lisa Fain's passion and connection to her Texas heritage and food shines through in everything she writes. She treats the cuisine of Texas with such respect and warmth that you can't help but appreciate it too, even if you are not "homesick" for it.

Unlike Roden or Wolfert, Lisa Fain is not an outsider, but a native who shares her own personal stories. And if she can make Texas recipes work in a New York apartment kitchen you have to know they will work for you too. Her book is a little over 350 pages.

Dishes you will want to try include Calabacitas (Squash and Pork Stew), Poblano Macaroni and Cheese, Coffee Chipotle Oven Brisket and Watermelon Salsa.


*Other cookbooks I reviewed and recommended in 2011:
Cooking My Way Back Home, Kokkari, Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, The Family Meal:Home Cooking with Ferran Adria, 100 Perfect Pairings, Basic to Brilliant, Y'all


The Homesick Texan and The Food of Spain were review copies, I purchased The Food of Morocco