Three Delicious Ways to Update Three Comfort-Food Classics
Emotional connections to food run deeply within all of us—that's why comfort foods often spring from dishes we enjoyed at our family tables. And when we menu comfort foods, we often pull from childhood favorites. To make our renditions craveable, we need to root the recipes in familiar profiles, but update them with a grown-up sensibility. Our chefs at the Kraft Culinary Centre did just that, offering up three modern takes on three childhood favorites—grilled cheese, burgers and desserts made with OREO.
Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
Nothing packages nostalgia and comfort food quite like the all-American grilled cheese sandwich. Beautifully customizable and easily recognizable, it gives you the opportunity for creative innovation while staying in the realm of classic and familiar. Our chefs take the iconic grilled cheese and update it for three distinct foodservice segments—family casual, business & industry and upscale dining.
Cuban Chicken Grilled Cheese (Family Casual)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other profile—make mini grilled cheeses and call them bocadillos
"This recipe hits the hot trend of Cuban sandwiches, but pulls from what's already in your pantry," says Joseph Barin, corporate chef at Kraft Foodservice. Our chefs replace the traditional roast pork with rotisserie chicken, then build it out with the classic ham, Claussen Kosher Pickles and mustard. For depth of flavor, they rely on Grey Poupon Classic Dijon Mustard.
Sweet-Heat Chicken Grilled Cheese & Chicken (B&I)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other use for spread—use as a glaze on grilled chicken or pork
This is a delicious, simple sandwich that again utilizes ingredients on hand. For a satisfying grilled-bread profile, our chefs spray the grill with non-stick spray, crisping the multigrain bread nicely. Grilled chicken and fresh spinach contribute to its better-for-you profile and Velveeta Cheese adds that wonderful mouthfeel diners expect from a grilled cheese. For both added flavor and texture, our chefs spread the bread with a blend of apricot jam, Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil, TAPATÍO Hot Sauce and Grey Poupon Classic Dijon Mustard.
Steak & Bleu Grilled Cheese with Poached Pear Salad (Upscale)
Menu solutions—bar food; lunch menus; dinner menus
Other idea—instead of blue cheese in the sandwich, offer blue-cheese dressing as a dipping sauce
This grilled cheese oozes with sophistication and bold flavors. Our chefs crust filet mignon with Montreal seasoning. Its citrus and coriander notes play beautifully off the rye bread. Colby Jack adds cheesy mouthfeel while the blue cheese brings in sharp notes, but still melts out on the sandwich. Grey Poupon adds balance.
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Mini Burger Mania
Mini burgers are here to stay. And why not? They're fun, social and delicious. The "fun" aspect is an important driver for consumers. In its 2011 Burger Consumer Trend Report, Technomic reports that "fun to eat" tops all other drivers for mini-burger purchases. According to that same report, mini-burger consumption is up: 24% of consumers order mini burgers at least once a week compared to just 16% in 2009. Our chefs took the burger into three mini directions—pub/steakhouse, ethnic and eclectic.
Mini Bao Burgers with Spicy Steak Sauce (Ethnic)
Menu solutions—appetizer; bar food; catering
Other use for spread—add to an Asian fish taco
These mini burgers answer to adventurous diners, bringing the wonderful flavors of Asia into a burger profile—from the soft bao buns to the delicately tempuraed green onions. Our chefs add a sauce that blends the sweet, spicy flavors of A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce with hoisin and TAPATÍO Hot Sauce. Pear slices balance the saltiness with perfumed sweetness.
Mini Jibarito Burgers with Fried Plantains (Eclectic)
Menu solutions—appetizer; bar food; catering
Other spread—go for the classic profile, which sees the plantains slathered with mayonnaise.
With most burgers, the bun is just a vehicle for the good stuff, but with this Chicago invention, the fried plantains replace the bun, adding an aromatic dimension of sweetness and crisp/soft texture. In our rendition, A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce combined with Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce adds a balance of tang, sweet and spice.
Mini Steakhouse Burgers with Crispy Shallots (Pub/Steakhouse)
Menu solutions—appetizer; bar food; catering
Alternative to blue cheese crumbles—use blue-cheese dressing on the burger, or offer as dipping sauce
Mini size, huge flavor profile. Our chefs build a steakhouse mini burger with a potato bun, add palate-coating Camembert and sharp, creamy Gorgonzola. To stand up to those big flavors, they turn to A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce, with its savory, layered tones. Crispy shallots and sweet pear round out the textural counterpoint.
Three Grown Up Ways to Eat OREO: Fork, Straw, Spoon
Consumers never outgrow OREO Cookies. Indeed, America's favorite cookie has a delicious 99% awareness.¹ The challenge is tempting grown-ups with their childhood favorites while delivering a more sophisticated experience. Our resident OREO guru, Patty Mitchell, C.M.B., (whose official title is senior executive chef at Kraft Foodservice) dedicated herself to this task. She developed OREO desserts three ways: spoonable, forkable and drinkable—all of them hit that sweet spot diners love.
Triple-Layer Mud Pie Made with OREO (Forkable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering
Other profiles—use 3-inch pastry rings for individual desserts; add a layer of fudge to the pie
"This is a grown-up version of ice-cream pies," says Chef Mitchell. "Chocolate and coffee go well together. Add OREO and increase the appeal tenfold." Our chefs layer coffee ice cream over an OREO Pie Crust then spread OREO Crème Icing Variegate, which introduces the texture and flavor of OREO's Crème Filling. After freezing for five minutes, they add a layer of chocolate ice cream, OREO Pieces and whipped cream.
Chocolate & Strawberry-OREO Shake (Drinkable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering; late-night menus
Other milkshake profiles—add banana to the shake mix; add chocolate sauce to the shake mix
These mini shakes steal the show, yet are easy on the line. Our chefs spoon strawberry sauce into the bottom of the glass and freeze for 15 minutes. They then add a milkshake mix made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce and OREO. As a nod to the childhood favorite of OREO Cookies with milk, they balance the shot glass atop a single, perfect OREO.
Banana Cream "Pie" with Golden OREO (Spoonable)
Menu solutions—dessert menus; catering; late-night menus
Other profile—use OREO instead of Golden OREO for chocolate banana cream pie
This mini dessert offers a fun take on the classic banana cream pie. It can be made ahead and is ready to go for service. As a whimsical take on a pie crust, our chefs crush Golden OREO and place at the bottom of the glass. They top that with Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding and Pie Filling, then layer in sliced banana and more pudding. They finish with crumbled Golden OREO.
¹ Arbor Tracker, November 2008 aided and unaided awareness