Move over salted caramel, there’s a new butterscotch in town
Spiced caramel is expected to be the next salted caramel. — Picture courtesy of shutterstock.comNEW YORK, Jan 12 — It took a while for people to warm up to the idea of chilli-spiked chocolate. And salted caramel also caused a few raised eyebrows when it first came on scene. Now, after swallowing the idea of putting a savoury seasoning on a cloyingly sweet confectionery, consumers can look forward to another big flavour pairing that’s expected to gain increasing acceptance in 2012: spicy caramel.
While flavour and perfumist company Bell Flavors & Fragrances predicts that salted caramel will have the biggest influence in the food and beverage industry this year, another flavour development company has gone one step further and predicts that consumers will begin to see spicy caramel on blackboard menus in 2012.
Just as chilli-spiked chocolate has become popular for lending the dark, mystical cocoa a soft hum of heat, experts at Sensient Flavors say the sweet, sugary rich flavour profile of caramel offers a good counter balance to subtle notes of heat and spice in their flavour report, released last week.
If you want to be an early food trendsetter, check out Martha Stewart’s recipe for spicy caramel corn, which jazzes up regular caramel popcorn with ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, ground cloves and cardamom.
Popular food blog Smittenkitchen.com also has a version of spicy caramel popcorn that calls for a dash of cayenne pepper.
And Bobby Flay’s recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise is a multi-component dessert that spikes the caramel apple sauce with star anise, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. — AFP-Relaxnews
