Trending! Sweet Heat for Your Sweetheart

Move over, sweet and salty; hello, sweet heat. This flavor combo that gives a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) burn to sweet foods has been steadily gaining traction. And it’s moving far beyond chile chocolate and jalapeno margaritas. This Valentine’s Day, check out some of the latest offerings to sport the sweet-hot flavor combo.

Here’s where we’ve spotted it:

• Noosa’s Blackberry Serrano yogurt marries sweet-tart blackberries and spicy serrano chiles for an addictive and decadent yogurt.
• This complex take on spicy chocolate is blowing our minds: Equal Exchange’s Organic Lemon Ginger Chocolate with Black Pepper dark chocolate bar.
• You don’t need calories to get on this flavor bandwagon. Just brew a pot of this Ginger Pepper Orange Rooibos tea.
• These five beers are showcasing the sweet heat trend. One is even called Sweet Heat!
• They might be out of season, but we were pretty excited to see Sriracha candy canes.
• BBQ might be the inventor of the sweet-hot explosion, and interesting combinations are now flavoring more than just meat. Check out these Habanero BBQ almonds.

Other things to look out for in 2016? More specific varieties of peppers, from ají amarillo and ancho to guajillo and ghost pepper, as well as chefs showcasing traditionally sweet-hot ethnic foods, including harissa, jerk, Korean BBQ, and foods from Asian and Indian cuisines. We read in Food Business News that we should be on the lookout for these flavor combinations:

• Wasabi and maple
• Ginger, black peppercorn and pistachio
• Chinese 5-spice and almond caramels
• Watermelon and black peppercorn
• Aleppo, pomegranate molasses and vanilla
• Ají panca, toasted sesame and dark chocolate
• Pineapple jalapeno upside-down cake

We cannot WAIT!

Kerri-Ann is a registered dietitian who writes on food and health trends. Find more of her work at kerriannjennings.com or follow her on Twitter @kerriannrd or Facebook.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1UVzYsy