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WINTER FANCY FOOD SHOW - DAY 3

by Denise Purcell

The 2012 Winter Fancy Food Show closed today at San Francisco's Moscone Center after three days of the industry's top buyers, foodservice professionals and journalists walking the aisles in search of the best selections of specialty foods and beverages as well as new products to keep their offerings exciting and competitive.

Several trends emerged from the nearly 80,000 products on display by 1,300 exhibitors from 35+ countries and regions. An official NASFT trendspotter panel of food journalists, writers and cookbook authors officially identified the Top 5 Trends from the Show, including Ancient Grains and Pickling 2.0.

The trendspotting panel also gave honorable mentions to the proliferation of fig products, healthy snacks and a makeover of cocktail mixes. (Read more about some of those trends here)

Additional emerging trends spotted by the editors of Specialty Food Media include:

Cardamom Teas and Candies.

This spice is popping up in some new products including Helliemae's line of hand-crafted caramels, which offered a cardamom variety of its dark butter treats. Several tea companies also introduced cardamom offerings, including Numi Tea, which expanded its pu-ehr tea line with Cardamom, Coconut, Basil Mint, Ginger & Jasmine. The Republic of Tea featured Cardamom Cinnamon herbal tea that can be made hot or iced.

At-home Pizza.

A number of pizza sauces and crust kits have hit the market, making it more convenient to prepare a high-quality version of this favorite dish at home. Mezzetta Specialty Foods featured Authentic Pizza Sauce; Mad Will's Foods introduced a Spicy Pizza Sauce; DelGrosso Foods showcased new Pizza Sauce; Stonewall Kitchen introduced Classic Pizza Sauce and Pizza Crust Mixes in regular and gluten-free varieties; and FGF Brands rolled out its Stonefire Italian thin pizza crust flatbread.

"Brown" Flavors for Ice Cream.

Rich flavors such as caramel and brown butter started turning up in confections and sauces recently and now the trend can be seen in some small-batch, artisanal ice creams. Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream offered a Brown Butter Almond Brittle variety; High Road Craft Ice Cream featured its Bourbon Burnt Sugar and Brown Butter Praline flavors and Cable Car Delights showcased The Latest Scoop Caramel Balsamic Gelato.

> See news releases from Show exhibitors here.

Seen at the Show: Day 3 Product Finds

Here are some more of the innovative products spotted by our editorial team on Day 3 of the Show

Grandma Rubin's Peppernut Cookies. Based on a family recipe for Pfeffernusse, a traditional German Christmas treat, these ginger cookies can be enjoyed with coffee, tea, ice cream or paired with cheeses and red wine.

New Tiger International Himalyan Black Winter Truffles. The Himalayan region of Asia is lesser-known than other areas for its black truffles, but they have been a diet staple among the Tibetan people for centuries. New Tiger supplies a line of fresh, frozen, canned and powdered truffles to the U.S. market, and recently won a Gold Medal for outstanding product at this year's Gourmet Product Awards Competition.

Saffron Road New Vegetarian Line. American Halal Company’s Saffron Road has four new halal-certified vegetarian meals. Gluten-free, vegan Manchurian Dumplings with Basmati Rice is made with cabbage, carrots, green beans and onions simmered in a spicy red chili and ginger sauce. Macaroni & Cheese is made with Jerusalem Artichokes and durum semolina. Thai Basil Chili Tofu with Basmati Rice has undertones of anise or licorice. Three Cheese Lasagna uses durum semolina pasta layered with a Ratatouille recipe of zucchini and diced eggplant that is then topped with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.

The Kugel Company Frozen Kugel. The Kugel Company has launched a frozen line of this noodle dish in a pre-baked casserole containing wavy wide egg noodles in a cream cheese custard. It can be used as a side dish paired with brisket, roasted chicken or turkey, or served as a sweet mid-morning snack or dessert.

The Chai Cart Rose Chai Tea. The Chai Cart offers Chai Brews, unsweetened chai concentrates consisting of black Assam tea infused with spices that only need added milk to make a chai beverage. The Rose Chai Brew infuses black tea with rose water as well as spices for a refreshing and distinctive version of the popular beverage.

Bourbon Barrel Mint Julep Sugar. Named for the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, this raw sugar has caramel flavor notes combined with the refreshing taste of mint. It can be used in baking, as a topping on fresh fruit, or muddled into tea or a cocktail.

Blosm Flavored Whipped Cream. This line of eight flavored whipped creams is made with hormone-free dairy, no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. Each serving has only 1 gram of fat and sugar. Available in Blackberry-Amaretto, Cinnamon Praline, Dark Chocolate Mocha, French Vanilla, Peppi Peppermint, Toasted Marshmallow and soon-to-be-released Wild Wasabi. The company offers recipe ideas for each cream, that include sweet and savory pairings such as Blosm Salmon Snaps with smoked Cajun salmon and Cinnamon Praline whipped cream.