This past Christmas, my wonderful husband purchased some cooking classes for me at the Milwaukee Public Market. A hint about my cooking? Perhaps. More likely, or at least what I choose to believe, is that it was a sweet gesture for from a man to his wife who loves to cook and try new things. On Wednesday evening I attended my first class which turned out to be less of a class and more of a fabulous cooking – and sampling! – demonstration given by Chef Alisa Malavenda. Each class has a different topic and last night’s focus was culinary trends of 2012. I signed up for this one figuring I plan to eat quite a bit this year so I might as well get a feel for the latest and greatest! Chef Alisa’s classes are both fun and informative and she loves to chat with the crowd. To my excitement she discovered there was an engaged couple in the class right in the thick of wedding planning and so through the rest of the class she repeatedly pointed out how the different trends she was cooking up could be incorporated into wedding menu planning. There were too many tips and tricks to name but here a few that I found to be the most intriguing.
Cocktails – Pre-Prohibition Cocktails are going to be all the rage. If you can’t budget for open bar an entire night, a signature cocktail is the way to go. When planning, think any sort of Manhattans, Collins or Sours. We sampled a Collins drink made with Rehorst gin and ginger flavored simple syrup which would make a fantastic summertime sipper. If you don’t like gin, Rehorst also makes a mighty fine vodka which can also be used in a non-traditional Collins drink. I mention Rehort specifically for two reasons – 1) they have an exceptional product and 2) they are local which is also a trend! Supporting local breweries and distilleries is one craze that Brew City shouldn’t have a problem with. In fact, I think it this case you could even call us Milwaukeans the trendsetters – take that Chicago!
Main Course: We all try to be healthy during the week but the weekends, and especially celebratory events like weddings give us all an excuse to indulge a little. If Chef Lisa is right, we’ll have a whole lot of indulging to do in 2012. A big item popping up will be meatballs. That’s right, like spaghetti and meatballs minus the spaghetti. Whether it’s pork, beef or lamb there will be meatballs a plenty. They may not seem fancy but dress them up with a spicy sauce and put them in a lettuce wrap and you have a perfectly acceptable hors d’oeuvre that few people are going to pass up. Taking the meatball mania one step further and you have the meatballs mighty cousin, meatloaf. Believe it or not, I’ve even seen meatloaf as an entree option recently at various local venues and it’s just as prominent on local restaurant menus around town. Okay, so meatloaf might not work for a springtime garden party but it would be fabulous as an entree on a comfort themed menu at one of our many marvelous breweries. Don’t snub the loaf!
Dessert – One word: Donuts. You’ve heard of an ice cream sundae bar at the end of the night and last year the trend was candy but this is the year of the donut bar. Think decadent donut holes of different flavors and toppings for guests to customize. While Milwaukee is sometimes behind the bigger city trends, we really are privileged to have such fabulous caterers here that I’m confident any one of them would be able to pull this off. More good news for the wedding industry is the comeback of classic layer cakes. We’ll still see the occasional cupcake but the layer cakes are going to be the true stars next year.
While I went into the class expecting no more than a good time and perhaps to pick up a few tips on this year’s culinary trends, I ended up being completely inspired for 2012’s wedding menu options. Milwaukee is transforming into quite a culinary hot spot so don’t be afraid to take a few risks with your wedding menu and ask your caterer about trends they are seeing in the area and nationally. Chefs are excited to serve meals that aren’t your standard baked chicken and your guests will thank you for the excuse to indulge in something different and unexpected.
