Also known as verjuice, verjus is a must-have ingredient in any chef’s arsenal. Literally translated from French as “green juice,” this unfermented acidic juice is made from pressing unripe grapes or apples and is used in cuisines throughout Europe (the height of its popularity during medieval times) and the Middle East.  Lucky for you, it’s a versatile ingredient to use in a wide array of dishes.

 

Verjus is a great substitute for when a recipe calls for vinegar, wine or even lemon so you can achieve a familiar, yet unique and gentler flavor profile. Looking for a bit of a sweet and tart kick? Try adding verjus to a salad dressing, sauce, soups or broth for some brightness. And yes, you can make lovely drinks with verjus like spritzers, cocktails and sodas. Instead of deglazing with wine or beer, try doing so with verjus.

 

Check out this FoodandWine.com clams recipe for some culinary inspiration: Steamed Clams in Verjus. For ideas on how to use verjus in a salad, see this recipe: Watercress Salad with Verjuice Vinaigrette.

Unripe grape photos credit: Alexander van Loon license CC by SA 2.0

We found an interesting infographic from Bristol Associates which surveyed restaurant execs in order to find out which segment had the most satisfied managers and executives and also what attracts top talent to each restaurant segment.

 

To read more, please visit The Bristol Breakroom.

Menus are like sharks—they need to keep moving or die. And among all of the moving parts that make up a restaurant, one of the most important is the need to constantly evolve and keep menus fresh and on-trend to drive frequency.

 

This is especially true of older, well-established brands. Concepts like IHOP, TGI Friday’s and Burger King are beloved features of the dining-out landscape, with iconic signature dishes they could never take off the menu (Pancakes! Potato skins! The Whopper!). All menus need to be updated and kept current, but for legacy brands in particular it is imperative that brand continuity be balanced with new signature items that attract new customers and bring back regulars to try something else.

 

Look at IHOP’s new Bakery Favorites, an LTO (limited time offering) that features such over-the-top fancies as Red Velvet crepes and pancakes, sprinkle-topped Cupcake Pancakes, and decadent Cinnamon Swirl Brioche French Toast. These new specialties are smart-smart-smart: Pancakes and French toast are familiar products to IHOP’s core customer base—we’re not talking about something unknown or unintimidating here, after all—but they’re also on trend and just a little daring, with that sophisticated touch of using brioche for the toast.

 

TGI Friday’s latest initiative is lunch, with a new menu sporting such specialties as a Truffle Stacked Burger, Mediterranean Mahi Mahi Naan’Wich, and a slew of nonalcoholic signature drinks (Cherry Limeade Slush, anyone?), which are high-profit rather than high-proof. An “On The Double” express-lunch pairing allows customers to choose from mozzarella sticks, house salad, Caesar salad or soup, along with selected lunch-sized entrées, priced at $6.99 to $8.99. Quite different for a chain that launched as a Happy Hour oriented casual pub.

 

And what about Burger King, which has recently been promoting hot dogs, chicken nuggets and now new Chicken Fries Rings? “Take a Break from Boredom” says the company, and these items are certainly pushing the envelope without causing Burger King to turn its back on the burger that brought it to the party. The Grilled Dogs became permanent within a year. And now it would seem that BK is also in the chicken business. The Chicken Fries platform has been successful in every iteration (Buffalo, jalapeno, Fiery) since it was first introduced, in 2005, and the core product has also become part of the permanent menu. The new Rings may sound crazy (whatever happened to the consumer’s growing appetite for real, unprocessed foods?), but there’s no denying that they’re perfect for kids and fun for adults as well, especially the ones behind the wheel.

 

Dunkin’ Donuts is another legacy brand that is not afraid of reinventing itself through the menu. The company’s recent test of Chicken and Waffles is only the latest salvo in the donut chain’s battle to stay relevant against other QSRs that are crowding in on breakfast, like McDonald’s and Taco Bell. For years Dunkin’ has also been pushing hard into the lunch and snack sectors, with sandwiches like Texas Toast Grilled Cheese and Snack ‘N Go wraps, also rejuvenating Coolattas and smoothies.

 

And then there’s Cheesecake Factory, going on 40 years in business with a menu that’s still constantly evolving—Skinnylicious, Super Foods, trendy new items like Avocado Toast, Blood Orange Mojitos, and a pizza topped with bacon, dates and blue cheese.

 

There are important lessons to be learned from all of these brands, whether yours is also a legacy or is brand new to the marketplace. Menus are living, breathing, evolving entities—because so are guests and their tastes.

 

Burger King Grilled Dogs photo credit: theimpulsivebuy license CC by SA 2.0

There’s been a lot of news lately about chefs with “live-fire” restaurants—concepts that are fueled by wood-fired grills, ovens, rotisseries and more. There’s Rick Bayless in Chicago with his new Lena Brava, which will celebrate the regional cuisine of Baja and the obsession with craft beer (it’s part of Cruz Blanca Cerveceria) and mezcal culture. There’s Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, featuring wood-oven pizza and wood-grilled specialties like burgers, ribs, wings and chicken parm. Jonathan Waxman’s iconic roasted chicken gets it start in a woodburning oven before resting, and is finished to order on the grill.

 

There’s no doubt that “playing with fire” can produce spectacular results, while creating an atmosphere of authenticity and culinary artisanship, especially when the wood oven and grill are part of an exhibition kitchen.

 

But Tim Green, our resident pizza guru and an expert in artisan cooking platforms, argues that it isn’t necessary to use solid fuel (which includes wood, hardwood charcoal and, to a lesser extent, coal) to get delicious results. And for some operations, it’s probably ill-advised.

 

“Solid fuel requires tremendous commitment—of money, space, labor and management,” says Green, who previously served as corporate chef for Wood Stone Corporation and has been involved in literally hundreds of artisan cooking installations and pizza concept launches. And while foods cooked over wood on equipment such as a grill or rotisserie will pick up flavor from the smoke, enclosed ovens are a different matter. “Most customers would be unable to tell the difference in flavor and texture between a pizza cooked in a wood oven versus one cooked in a gas-fired stone-hearth oven. So there needs to be a very good reason to use a wood oven for cooking instead of gas or propane.”

 

A good stone-hearth oven can do anything a wood-fired oven can, with a lot less muss and fuss, continues Green. “Stone hearth ovens are known for the wonderful pizza they produce. Beyond that, they of course bake amazing rustic breads, as well as being great for cooking whole animals and large cuts of meats, whole chickens and turkeys, overnight braising, and roasting vegetables. You can even roast bones and produce delicious stocks out of one. Basically you can build an entire menu out of a stone hearth oven.”

 

For such a simple technology, wood ovens and other solid-fuel equipment can actually be very complex operationally, not to mention costly. The oven itself must be substantial: Solid fuel generates tremendous wear-and-tear on systems that will have to withstand temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees every day. A wood oven also needs to provide longevity. “This will hopefully be the last oven that you will ever purchase for your restaurant,” says Green. “The challenge of installing them due to their size can make it very costly to replace.”

 

It’s not just the oven, either. “Many regions of North America no longer even allow for solid fuel equipment,” points out Green. “Other jurisdictions may ask you to use complex and costly ventilation systems to eliminate odors and smoke going into the air.” Operators will normally be committed to a Type 1 Hood System with Ansul fire suppression, as well as Type 1 Grease Duct Vent Pipe, which can cost about $200 per foot to install.  Depending upon your municipality the cost of ventilation could range between $20,000- $50,000, in addition to the oven itself, which can run $25,000 to $50,000 or more, before the façade.

 

In addition, a standard ventilation system should be cleaned at least every other month, if not every month—most fires that occur in restaurant with solid fuel equipment start in the ventilation system that has not been cleaned.

 

Then there is the issue of the wood. “It must be a heavy hardwood,” says Green. “This includes species of nut, orchard fruits like apple, oak, maple, almond, and mesquite, never conifers and never lumber.” The wood must be well-seasoned, with an interior moisture content between 10-18%; if the moisture content is higher, the wood will not create a good open flame or produce coals properly.

 

Wood should be sized specifically to the needs of the oven, normally 14-16 inches long, and 2-5 inches in diameter. Charcoal is commonly available in mesquite and also in other carbonized hardwoods such as oak and maple. Manufactured briquettes should not be used, as they are made from the sawdust of scrap wood (including resinous soft woods and composite woods) combined with chemical binders and filler. “They’re slower to light, and often require lighter fluid, which you definitely do not want anywhere near your food,” as Green says.

 

Burnt fuel means ashes, which must be handled with extreme caution. “When removing ashes it is extremely important to have a sturdy fireproof vessel in which to hold them,” says Green, because in a busy restaurant it’s not always possible to wait until all the ashes are totally dead. “So we have to take extra care to avoid burning ourselves”—gloves, training, and vigilance are mandatory. “And make sure everyone knows how to use a fire extinguisher.”

 

And don’t forget to think about the storage of wood before deciding on a solid-fuel grill or oven. Green suggests that storage facilities be ample for a two-week supply, preferably outdoors, and designed to keep wood dry but not fully enclosed.

 

With all the challenges and expenses associated with solid fuel cooking, cooking with wood delivers amazing taste with depth and character.  At the end of the day, if you want to out maneuver the competition, you need to have great tasting and distinctive food.  Wood-fired cooking offers captivating aromas, delicious food and the visual pleasure of seeing food cooked with a true artisan technique.  When deciding which oven is best for their restaurant, operators must carefully weigh the benefits of solid-fuel cooking with the challenges and operational complexity that come along with it.

 

 

 

 

Looking for a unique way to create bold flavors for your dishes? Getting a bit bored of basic salsas and common chutneys? Well, it might be a great idea to take a trip to north Africa to explore unique condiments native to this region.

 

Luckily, you don’t have to book a flight because with just a few ingredients, you can whip up chermoula– a popular, flavorful, sauce primarily used in Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian cuisine. And of course, you can always check out your local international grocer to see if they have any on hand.

 

As noted in our August 2014 newsletter covering spice blends and condiments, chermoula an aromatic blend of olive oil, coriander, cumin, citrus, paprika, garlic, cilantro and chile. It can be made for dressing food (fish, meats, vegetables) or even as a marinade. Here’s a recipe from the NY Times that is dairy free, gluten free, halal and kosher: chermoula recipe.

 

Chermoula Fish photo credit: insatiablemunch license cc by 2.0