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Meringue desserts
Desserts featuring whipped, sweetened and baked egg whites, or meringue, such as this Pavlova at King in New York City, are expected to surge in popularity in 2024. The Pavlova is from Australia or New Zealand (a good way to start a fight between citizens of those two countries is to get them talking about the dessert’s origins) and is named for the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It’s a baked meringue, ideally hard on the outside and soft on the inside, layered with cream and berries. It’s similar to the English dessert Eton mess, although that is often served as more of a jumble rather than as a layered dish.
Af&co and Carbonate say similar Italian and French desserts “all find space on the American table now.”
The Caprese Cocktail
“In the past few years cocktails have gone from sweet to savory, from bitter to briny,” Af&co and Carbonate said as they declared the Caprese Martini the “Drink of the Year” for 2024. It’s part of a broader tend toward “culinary cocktails,” which use ingredients and techniques from the kitchen.
“While these can steer toward the whimsical or downright whacky, the Caprese Martini is a thoughtful rendition, honoring the flavors and characteristics of its namesake [a salad of tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and olive oil], but offering the bright flavors of tomato and basil as if the Martini went for a walk through the late-summer vegetable garden.”
Pictured is the Heirloom Martini from Rollati in San Jose, Calif. It’s made with olive oil washed vodka, heirloom tomato water, basil, and white balsamic vinegar.
Other examples of the Caprese Martini are at Jac’s on Bond in New York City, made of basil, olive oil, tomato-infused vodka and balsamic vinegar, and at Casaléna in Woodland Hills, Calif., where it’s made with gin, tomato, basil, vermouth, and tomato celery bitters.
Borek
Call them borek, bourega, borekas, or a variety of similar names, these flaky savory pies of the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, and into Central Asia are picking up steam on American menus, according to Af&co and Carbonate. Common fillings include ground meat, cheese, spinach or potatoes, usually baked but sometimes fried, they can be large or small and handheld, but regardless they make a very satisfying meal or snack.
Pictured is the meat and cheese burek from Balkan StrEAT In New York City. Cheese and za’atar borekas can be found at Berekas Sephardic Pastries in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Celeriac
Celeriac is sometimes called celery root, but it’s actually a different root vegetable in the same family, and Af&co and Carbonate see it graduating from purée to “top billing in many preparations where its thick dense flesh can be treated similar to meat for creative vegetarian dishes,” such as the Celery Root Milanese at the Yellow Magnolia Café at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, pictured here.
Other dishes cited are a salt-baked celery root at Poppy & Seed in Anaheim, Calif., where it stands in as the vegetarian option, instead of a pastrami smoked short rib and New York Strip steak, for a dish that includes mushrooms, English peas, cipollini onions, and pureed potato; and as a tartare at Koloman in New York City where its dressed similarly to a steak tartare.
Sea Urchin
Uni, the Japanese word for sea urchin, “is the of the moment luxury indulgence,” according to Af&co and Carbonate. “Uni’s quivering golden mass grabs your attention, balancing the brine and adding a creamy richness with a texture that slicks your tongue, offering multi-dimensional flavors as opposed to caviar’s saline pop,” they say, adding that it does pair well with caviar.
It’s pictured atop California Tahdig, a crispy Iranian rice dish, with smoked trout roe, halibut and yuzu at Dalida in San Francisco.
It’s also available as a $25 supplement on any dish at Little Mad in New York City and on a pasta carbonara at Mister Charles in Dallas.
Buckwheat
Af&co and Carbonate said buckwheat is best known as the flour used in the classic Breton crêpe and Japanese soba noodles, but now it’s “being embraced by pastry chefs, not only for its gluten free nature … but also for its subtle nutty and earthy flavor in decidedly non-wheat based desserts.” It said it also wins praise for its high fiver and protein content.
Pictured is a buckwheat caramel chocolate cookie served with dairy-free buckwheat hot chocolate at Lysée in New York City.
Clear Cocktails
Many modern bartenders learned how to clarify cocktails with the revival of milk punch over the past decade. Now they’re applying the technique do other drinks according to Af&co and Carbonate. “The result: Clear cocktails with a creamy or viscous mouthfeel,” they said. “Clarification also improved carbonation and shines in stirred drinks,” they said. Pictured is a Clarified Espresso Martini from Diversión Cocktails in Houston.
Other examples include the Rum and Coco Cola at Chinato in New York City, which is a clarified Rum & Coke with coconut added, and the Viva Superstar at The Lobby Bar at the Hotel Chelsea, also in New York, which offers a clarified version of the Porn Star Martini (vanilla vodka, Passoã passion fruit liqueur, passion fruit juice, and lime juice served with a Prosecco sidecar).
MSG in drinks
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, has been rehabilitated to some extent, with notions of it being unhealthful or allergenic debunked and chefs and mixologists appreciating its ability to add umami and enhance other flavors, according to Af&co and Carbonate. It and other ingredients high in glutamic acid, such as soy sauce, and miso, are also being added to cocktails, they said.
Pictured is the Master Bandit from Cote restaurant in New York City, made with Hwayo Soju, gin, lemon grass syrup, lime, and MSG.
Another example is the MSG Martini at Ernest in San Francisco, made with gin, the Japanese plum liqueur umeshu, fino sherry, and MSG.
