Cook up this delicious Monin meal and showcase some of the season’s best flavors.  Start with a light and refreshing pumpkin cider martini accompanied by a fresh salad with a creamy granny smith apple vinaigrette. For the entrée try penne pasta with prosciutto and hazelnut cream sauce, made with Monin® Roasted Hazelnut syrup.  Finally, end the meal on a high note with a warm dish of caramel bread pudding.  Ready to give your fall Monin meal a try? Find the recipes below. Bon appétit!

Monin Pumpkin Cider Martini. Photo courtesy of Monin.

Beverage

Pumpkin Cider Martini

Ice

1 oz Monin® Pumpkin Spice Syrup

1 1/2 oz vodka

2 oz apple cider

Splash of ginger ale

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, except for ginger ale.  Shake and strain into serving glass.  Top with ginger ale.

Starter

Apple Salad

6 oz salad mix

5 to 6 apple slices

1 1/2 oz large blue cheese crumbles

1 oz candied pecans

Monin Apple Salad. Photo courtesy of Monin.

3/4 ounce dried cherries

Creamy Granny Smith Apple Vinaigrette

1/3 cup Monin® Granny Smith Apple Syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt pinch of cayenne pepper

Thoroughly mix or shake all ingredients for vinaigrette.  Keep refrigerated.  Toss salad mix with dressing until evenly coated.  Place in serving dish and top with remaining ingredients.

Entrée

Penne Pasta with Prosciutto & Hazelnut Cream Sauce

9 oz penne pasta, cooked

Monin Penne Pasta with Prosciutto & Hazelnut Cream Sauce. Photo courtesy of Monin.

1 cup Monin® Hazelnut Cream Sauce

1 oz prosciutto crisps

1 oz roasted hazelnuts

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped

1 oz shaved Parmesan or Parmesan curls

Hazelnut Cream Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, minced

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pint heavy whipping cream

6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded

4 tablespoons Monin® Roasted Hazelnut Syrup

To make cream sauce, melt butter slowly in sauté pan over low heat.  Add shallots and crushed red pepper flakes.  Bring temperature up to just above medium-low heat and allow to cook for a bit.  Reduce temperature back to medium-low before butter browns.  Stir in cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Stir sauce regularly for 3-5 minutes or until all solids are dissolved and sauce is thick.  Remove pan from heat and allow to cool 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in Monin® Roasted Hazelnut Syrup.

Toss pasta and Hazelnut Cream Sauce together until evenly coated.  Place in serving dish and top with prosciutto and roasted hazelnuts.  Garnish with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.

Dessert

Monin Caramel Bread Budding. Photo courtesy of Monin.

Caramel Bread Pudding

6 cups day old bread cubes

1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Monin® Caramel Sauce

4 eggs, separated

Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 individual 8 oz ramekins. Mix together bread and almonds and set aside. Whisk cream with the egg yolks and Monin Caramel Sauce. Pour this mixture over the bread and stir to mix. Whip the egg whites and salt to soft peaks and fold into the bread mixture.  Pour into ramekins and bake in a hot water bath for 45 minutes. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of Monin Caramel Sauce and serve.

The post Monin Meal: Fall Flavors from the Monin Kitchen appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Right now it’s easier than ever to understand the driving forces behind the beverage boom. It’s fall, it’s chilly, and warm and spicy is all the rage. The Pumpkin Spice Latte, a mass-market hit since its inception, is just one product that has people running to coffee shops to get their “fix.” And the treat isn’t isolated to Starbucks, its inventor. Convenience stores such as 7-11 offer up the hot drink during the holiday season, and Dunkin’ Donuts has joined the craze with their own version—the Pumpkin Crème Brulee Latte. And swap out regular dairy milk for almond or coconut milk, another fad accounting for the increased coffee shop sales, and you have just opened your doors to an entirely different market…the nut milks allow vegans to enjoy a decadent coffee drink alongside their dairy counterparts.

Seasonal beverages aren’t the only trend in world of beverages, though. Specialty hand-crafted sodas are making a splash in the refreshment department. Sonic, with an already-extensive list of beverages, has recently expanded their menu to include lower calorie sodas with flavorings that they already carry: Peach, Raspberry, Blackberry-Pineapple, Sunshine Berry, and Hawaiian Wave—the latter two including pieces of fresh fruit, diced small enough to be sipped through the straw. And Starbucks introduced their new Fizzio line during the past summer, their own lighter versions of ginger ale, lemon ale, and root beer that are not only lower in calories but also are caffeine-free and contain no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, or preservatives.

Alcoholic libations are also on the rise, as restaurants and even coffee shops stretch their creative minds to add new twists to old favorites, evidenced by the rise of fancy, fruity martinis or savory cocktails that implement infusion of different herbs and spices into their traditional offerings. Even the fast-casual dining segment is furiously working to find ways to integrate alcohol sales into their growing culture—a difficult feat as they are simply not operationally set up for it. Larry Leith, of Tokyo Joe’s (based in Denver), is in the process of testing a service that will include a staff member walking the floor during the weekends, offering to bring additional beer to thirsty diners.

These are just a spattering of examples of why beverages are a part of the 10 biggest restaurant trends to watch for in 2015. It’s easy to see the allure to business operators and customers alike, and the effect they will have on sales in the coming year and beyond.

The post Restaurant Trend #4: Raise a Glass appeared first on Houston's Blog.

1 shot espresso
5 oz Torani® Real Cream Frappe Base
½ oz Torani® Pumpkin Pie Sauce
2 cups ice
Layer ingredients in blender pitcher. Blend to desired consistency, and serve.

The post Torani® Frozen Pumpkin Pie Frappe appeared first on Houston's Blog.