What will be the next "hot" dessert trend?

[JeanneCake]

We've seen cupcakes rise and come to the fore; the same with macaron, marshmallows, dessert pops (cake pops, cheesecake pops).... what do you think is going to be the next hot thing in desserts?

[Twyst]

Pie.

[Tri2Cook]

I don't know what the next trend among the influential or the dessert world at large will be. My next step is taking the things I'm learning from immersing myself in the world of cocktails and applying them to my desserts. I don't mean mimicking a cocktail in a dessert (though that can be fun too), I mean the flavor combinations (like when gin, cointreau, campari and lemon juice tastes remarkably similar to grapefruit) and balancing flavors without something to hide behind. Things like how twisting a piece of citrus zest over the glass or a tiny dash of bitters or simply rinsing the glass with something before putting the drink in can have a surprisingly large impact on how the drink is perceived. The variances in the cocktail world quite often come down to subtleties that seem like almost nothing on paper but make important differences in the nose and on the palate. I've become deeply interested in the cocktail world and it's gone far beyond what I originally intended but the original intent remains and that was to see how I can use it in other aspects of what I do.

[Genkinaonna]

I'll second the vote for pie. And that's very exciting to me, because I LIKE pie!

[tmriga]

We've seen whoopie pies emerge and fizzle out, too.

Pie, yes, but it will be pie on a stick. As soon as they perfect it. The ones I've seen so far are gravitationally unstable.

Theresa

[Darienne]

Ice pops..well in my world anyway. And not your boring, sugary, Kool-Aid North American ice pops, but fruity, complex, interesting, textured, etc ice pops from India, Mexico, Central and South America, and so on.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Down here, it will be moist cakes.

[ChrisZ]

I find it interesting the way that food 'fashions' can sweep across countries and the globe. I would be interested to know what desserts are considered to have been 'fashionable' in the past? (I'll avoid the word 'hot' because of the potential for confusion).

Here in Australia, I was in high school when I first started reading the food pages of the daily newspaper and paying attention to critics and restaurant news. Around the late 80s I noticed from newspaper articles that 'sticky date pudding' was becoming a very fashionable dessert, and even cafe reviews mentioned whether or not they had it on their menu. By the 90s it was tiramisu. And in the past few years it has been chocolate fondants, or chocolate lava cakes, whatever you prefer. And of course these days anything with caramel in it is described as 'salted caramel'.

I have no doubt that in other countries different desserts have had their rise and fall. We can look back at peaches melba, bombe alaska and crepes suzette as desserts that had their time in the limelight.

I don't think any of the really popular desserts have been highly technical, or difficult to make. Certainly sticky date pudding is farmhouse comfort food. Tiramisu is pretty straightforward and even chocolate fondants are simple to mix, the skill is in judging oven temperature and cooking time. In the UK Banoffee pie is popular partly because it's so mindlessly simple to make (and also because its delicious). I don't think a dessert that's highly technical will spread too far, because it's the appearance of the dessert in everyday cafes and eventually supermarkets that will make it really popular.

Predicting the next big trend is always difficult. Maybe another simple old farmhouse recipe will be rediscovered - golden syrup dumplings were a favourite of mine. Jamie Oliver showed he was a marketing genius by popping some white chocolate into a rice pudding and labelling it 'risotto'. Perhaps if restaurants realise they can charge $15 for a bowl of rice pudding just by changing the name we'll see a big surge in popularity ;-)

One trend that I have seen in high-end patisseries is the reinvention of popular chocolate bars. Snickers, mars bars, jaffa cakes and anything else you might have eaten as a kid are being dissected and recreated with good chocolate and gorgeous presentation but with the same basic flavours as the originals. But I think this approach is too technical to become a widespread trend.

Whatever it is, I'll eat it.

[annabelle]

We've seen whoopie pies emerge and fizzle out, too.

Pie, yes, but it will be pie on a stick. As soon as they perfect it. The ones I've seen so far are gravitationally unstable.

Theresa

I never understood the fascination with whoopie pies. I lived in PA Dutch country for many years and whoopie pies were everywhere. And, well, they are awful, in my opinion. Gross even, like those Devil Dogs that Hostess used to sell. They even have the same icky shortening based "cream" filling. Whoopie pies and all things cupcake are a fad that will die an unlamented death, as far as I'm concerned.

[Genkinaonna]

I've always been put off by any filling recipe that starts with "cream 2 cups of crisco" so I'm not really in the whoopie pie camp either. And there are certainly lots of mediocre cupcakes out there giving the good ones a bad name. But a good cupcake is like a slice of the the best, most moist and delicious cake and frosting, all in a couple of bites and a cute portable wrapper. I see why they're popular, I just wish people would just stop making sucky ones! Pies (especially weesy ones) may fall into the same trap. I'm rarely impressed by store bought pie crust, it's usually overworked and leaves a slick coating on the inside of your mouth. We'll see...

[annabelle]

Cupcakes can be awesome, but as you say, are vastly outweighed by the ones that are garbage. Even worse are the expen$ive cupcakes that taste like sawdust iced with shortening. Bleech. Me, I make a mean pie and am totally onboard with some kind of quality hand-sized pies being available. I would skip lunch to eat a great fresh little pie!

[Brasshopper]

I would not be surprised to see some variation of Bananas Foster make it - there was an episode of that restaurant rescue thing, the one where the marine had his taste buds blown out because of the Kuwait oil fires, and they were supposed to put a variation of Bananas Foster on the menu, maybe it was Bananas Foster French Toast? Anyway, I was thinking that the dessert was dog simple to make, a restaurant in Richmond, VA had it as a specialty item and it was prepared tableside on a gas burner. You carmelize sugar, cut it with the juice of an orange, squeezed in tableside, a lemon, same, and a flambe of brandy in their case - the bananas were cooked a little in the sugar and it was then put over Vanilla Ice cream - but I was thinking, wow, wouldn't this be great with a strawberry pie as a base? Then this show, years later, did it - a bananas Foster topping on something, maybe French Toast.

So that is my prediction, Bananas Foster over anything. That will be the next big dessert.

[annabelle]

Yuck. I hope not. Bananas are fruit of the Devil.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'd venture to say that Cavendish, Seda, and Gran Naine bananas (ie the types exported by the Big Three banana companies) are the fruit of the devil, but other types are perfectly tasty. Bananas Foster made with Saba or Orinoco bananas is a fantastic dessert, and using very ripe plantain types elevates it to a whole other level.

[Lior]

mini pies. Decorated and fancy fillings ?

[Lior]

dessert or pie in a jar? http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/single-serving-pie-in-a-jar/

[savvysearch]

Woah, I totally missed the marshmellow's moment. Also, I still think macarons haven't hit their peak in popularity yet.

I think the next trend will have to follow in the steps of macarons and cupcakes. Adorable little things that come in different flavors and colors. I vote cream puffs.

[tigerwoman]

smores are trending at the moment -

[Jen Rehm]

Breakfast for dessert is a potential idea. Sweet stacked Pancakes, dessert style omelette, candied bacon creamy sweet custard, maybe even a dessert cereal (think Milk Bar trademarked cereal milk).....

Discuss.....

Jen

[Tri2Cook]

Breakfast for dessert is a potential idea. Sweet stacked Pancakes, dessert style omelette, candied bacon creamy sweet custard, maybe even a dessert cereal (think Milk Bar trademarked cereal milk).....

Discuss.....

Jen

It's pretty much been done. It could be argued that the notable examples have primarily been done more as a novelty in higher-end places than an industry trend but I'm not sure how much potential it has to extend far beyond that. Obviously that's just my opinion... I could just as easily be scrambling to get breakfast on the dessert menu a few months from now.

[annabelle]

Tri2Cook, what are the odds that we could see a return of simple poached fruits with a creme or fruit sauce? Pears in a wine sauce? Baked apples with hard sauce?

[Tri2Cook]

Tri2Cook, what are the odds that we could see a return of simple poached fruits with a creme or fruit sauce? Pears in a wine sauce? Baked apples with hard sauce?

I don't think the classics ever went away. The heart of many of even the most modern desserts are often, if not usually, just a re-imagining of something simple. I'm not saying they're not innovative or unique but most by the best are still incorporating the flavors and textures of the classics in some form. For example, Johnny Iuzzini's Bourbon Peach dessert. Peaches poached with sugar syrup, verbena and bourbon plated with a hazelnut crunch, bourbon honey syrup and peppermint ice cream. It's arranged on the plate differently then a traditional peach cobbler with ice cream would be, but that's essentially what it is. Frankly, I don't think even the traditional versions of the classics ever really disappeared, you just have to go where they still do them. As far as them returning as the popular trend, I can definitely see it happening based on other current food trends... but the truth is I don't really know.

[tigerwoman]

smores are trending at the moment -

s'mores are hot and are being offered by caterers around the country as interactive dessert stations or even centerpieces for events.

Check out the caterbuzz blog post that offers many suggestions on s'mores variations

http://caterbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-more-smores-or-is-it-smores-lots.html

[Panaderia Canadiense]

My rolling pin and I can now confirm that the next "hot" dessert in central Ecuador is Lemon Meringue Pie....

[Darienne]

My rolling pin and I can now confirm that the next "hot" dessert in central Ecuador is Lemon Meringue Pie....

That which is old is new again...?