Harness the power of familiar favorites.

You could argue that comfort foods are always in fashion, but they are particularly en vogue today. In harder economic times, folks crave home-style dishes that remind them of better times. Comfort foods and colder seasons walk hand in hand, too. Warmth, satisfaction and rich flavors are the order of the day. So, now is the time to build out your menu with inviting, delicious recipes.

But have today's more sophisticated diners outgrown comfort food? We don't think so, and neither does Gourmet magazine, which, on its January cover, chose to cast aside fancy fare and feature a big serving of spaghetti and meatballs. National Public Radio's food commentator Bonny Wolf was quoted as saying that “comfort, value and simplicity” will color the food scene this year. And in its 2009 Menu Trends Forecast, Mintel Menu Insights says, “Often connected to times of economic recession, comfort food is what people crave when they're feeling down. Expect this phenomenon to hold true in 2009 as people look for familiar favorites on the menu.”

Inspiration

Our team of chefs came up with nine new comfort-food recipes that answer the call for familiar food at its best. “We looked at key factors when developing these recipes,” says Chef Jeff Basalik, Executive Corporate Chef for the Kraft Culinary Centre. “They need to soothe your soul and bring back childhood memories — that's different for everyone, but there's a unifying element to comfort foods, and I think we captured that here.”