MARKET NEWS August 10, 2017 CHEESE TRENDS Another World s Best: Colston Bassett Stilton SPECIALTY INSIGHTS Re-Run: MISO! We dive into one of the most powerful ingredients in a chef s arsenal FROM OUR CUT SHOPS Beef Market Update Market Nears Bottom Highlight: Teres Major The price is right for this upscale but economical cut Global Trends Why prices for crab meat have spiked in recent months Local Spotlight Outer Banks Yellowfin Tuna
BEEF MARKET NEWS 8.10.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Beef Market News MARKET UPDATE Tenderloin: Steady Ribeye: Steady Strips: Increasing/Steady Ground Beef: Steady The Beef market is trying to find its bottom. Some beef prices have decreased further and as suppliers work through inventories, pricing will reflect the decreases. I would love to see some of the end meats slide a little further. We will just have to wait and see. HIGHLIGHT: CAB TERES MAJOR If you re looking for a more profitable cut to balance your menu mix, look no further than the CAB Teres Major. The teres major has come off the usual price run up that happens between February and late June/July, which reached crazy heights this year because of the spike we saw across the entire beef market. The good news is that the teres major has adjusted nicely and is now in position to make money on the plate. The teres major, also called shoulder tender, petite shoulder tender, or bistro filet, is listed in the NAMP book as #114F beef shoulder tender and is cut from the beef chuck shoulder tender (NAMP# 114). It has found its place as an upscale cut because of its great taste and texture - similar in tenderness to a filet mignon with more flavor. You can portion into medallions or use whole, seared or roasted. See the following page for suggestions. Beef market news provided by: Chris Casey CAB /Protein Specialist ccasey@southernfoods.com
Beef Market News
SEAFOOD MARKET NEWS 8.10.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Seafood Market News Local Grey Tile, Black Drum, New England Monkfish, B-Line Snapper (NC and Gulf of Mexico caught) are all part of our seafood mix this week. Supply has been so-so lately. Poor weather on the coast has tied up the shrimp boats, so most of the fish supply is coming from the day-boat inshore fishery or larger vessels that can handle rough weather. GROUPER (Mexican) Supply is good with plenty of big fish landed from the Gulf of Mexico. Pricing is up from last week. ALASKAN HALIBUT Alaskan Halibut looks great and pricing is steady. Whole fish are running 10-20lbs each and fillets are 2-4lbs each. It s a great menu option until the fishery closes in November. BRONZINI We are now offering a new cut for fresh bronzini - a tail-on fillet: SCALLOPS Prices remain low for fresh North Atlantic scallops. There are cheaper scallops being harvested from the Mid-Atlantic. All of our product is sourced from George s Bank and the Nantucket Light ship - all hard bottom areas that produce the firmest and sweetest scallops out there. Seafood market news provided by: Dave Forcinito Fishmonger dforcinito@southernfoods.com SALMON Canadian - The market is steady with pricing down from last week but still strong due to summertime grilling demand. Why the Spike in Crab Meat? High inventory levels in 2015-16 caused prices to drop across the market, inspiring increased deman in the US. Because of this, two major species - Pelagicus and Haanii - were very close in price, so many customers switched from using Haanii to the more preferred Pelagicus. This spike in demand along with tight import inventories (due to weather and poor harvests) has caused the market to run up over the past 6 months. Now, a huge spread has developed between Haanii and Pelagicus (as much as $10/lb for jumbo lump). Eventually, as US importers take advantage of this spread and trade back down to the more economical Haanii, it will reduce future demand of Pelagicus and ease the market back down. However prices continue to rise for now and may remain high through the holidays. Local Spotlight: Outer Banks Yellowfin Tuna Local fish are still being caught in abundance. Pricing is up slightly from the rock bottom levels you ve seen over last few weeks as fishermen have slowed their harvest to ease the market back up.
ARTISANAL CHEESE TRENDS 8.10.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Artisanal Cheese Trends Colston Bassett Stilton I have tasted Stilton many times from all six producers in England. For many, myself included, this is the finest example of Stilton there is. It is not as sharp as other Stilton cheeses and the flavor is noticeably more buttery and milky. Like all blue cheeses there are big savory, salty components, but overall this cheese captures the quality of the milk from the place it was made more than any other version. The milk is collected within 1.5 miles of pasture around the District Dairy, from five family dairies surrounding Colston Bassett Village. Colston Bassett & District Dairy, established in 1913, continues to produce traditional Stilton to this day. Situated in Nottingham near the border of Leicester, the dairy has a dedicated staff who handle the curd by hand. Although a painstaking process compared to modern methods used in making Stilton, this is what makes it traditional. Typically, molds are filled at a faster rate by machines. This causes shearing of the curd. Shearing is curd breaking apart further while hitting the sides of a pipe, hose, trough, container or cheese mold. When curd is cut and carefully placed in a mold by hand the curd pieces keep the right structure for the most desired, buttery texture found in a Stilton cheese. During a BSE (animal borne illness) scare in 1996, Stilton producers switched from using traditional animal rennet to vegetarian rennet to separate curds for cheesemaking. As a result of this rennet, the flavor of most Stilton became sharper than was traditional. One day, however, an important Colston Bassett customer requested they make special small batches of Stilton with the traditional animal rennet. That customer was Neal s Yard Dairy, a world-renowned wholesaler, exporter, retailer, and finisher (cellar aging the last stage to customize particular profiles for clients). Neal s Yard dairy hand selects batches of artisanal cheeses from small producers in England and Ireland. When a batch of cheese is ready, after numerous tastings, it is released and sold either in their famous cheese shops in London, or exported to France and the U.S. Production of Colston Bassett is very limited and in high demand as it is, but availability of this special traditional small batch version from Neal s Yard Dairy is even tighter. They have chosen to collaborate with only a few suppliers in the U.S., and we are proud to be one of those. Now you can access one of the most prized, and precious cheeses on the planet! Artisanal cheese trends provided by: Sasha Shreders, ACS CCP Cheesemonger sshreders@southernfoods.com
LOCAL & SPECIALTY INSIGHTS 8.10.17 Greensboro, NC 336.545.3800 www.southernfoods.com
Local & Specialty Insights Miso Makes Me Happy! Miso has been overlooked for too long. It is unfamiliar to many, so it has been continuously underutilized and mis-represented. This is what Miso is not: Miso is not a package of freeze dried tofu cubes and water soluble powder to which you just add boiling water. Miso is also not the pale brown liquid amuse bouche provided on the house at mediocre sushi restaurants. Miso is also not just for Asian cuisine. Miso is, however, one of the most powerful tools in a cook s arsenal. Miso is an ingredient, sometimes hidden in subtle layers and sometimes found screaming from the mountain top. Photo courtesy of Vegan Crunk To use miso correctly, it helps to understand it. Miso is an art form thousands of years old with very little change. In essence, it is made by adding a mold starter of barley or rice to a base of soybeans, legumes or grains to stimulate fermentation. Cooked barley or rice is inoculated with Aspergillus Oryzae and placed in wooden cribs to activate for two days and two nights. This mixture is called Koji. Koji is then added to the base (commonly, soybeans) and the fermentation process begins. White/sweet miso can ferment for as short as 2 weeks while barley and brown rice miso can ferment as long as three years. As with most things fermented, miso is best applied moderately and precisely. My most thrilling experience was adding just 1 tablespoon of brown rice miso to 2 gallons of finished roasted chicken stock. The taste reminded me of Bourdain s story of sneaking chicken base packets into his chicken stock in Kitchen Confidential. It worked amazingly well. Miso can also take center stage. Try combining shiro, or white miso, with butter and spread on a toasted baguette with pickled radish, or add some sweet white miso to maple syrup to drizzle on gingered French toast. My personal favorite (shout out to Chef Chad Blackwelder) white miso-white chocolate chip cookies! Tamari, the liquid essence of miso is the strained and drained liquids obtained in miso production. The inspiration behind what we know as soy sauce, tamari must be used in extremely controlled amounts. Tamari, as with fish sauce, can change the flavor of gallons of broth or sauce with just a few dashes. This concentrated umami bomb is a must-have ingredient in every chef s pantry. In review, Miso can make you happy too. By embracing Photo courtesy of Halcyon Flavors miso, your delicious Pot Au Feu will become monumental, your sublime whole roasted black bass will become unforgettable, and your white chocolate chips cookies will make you a star!
Local & Specialty Insights Types of Miso Shiro Miso (Saikyo Miso, White Miso) Type: Rice Used in: Yuzu miso, karashi miso, aikyo yaki Shinshu Aka Miso Type: Rice Used in: Miso soup Best Flavor Combos Apple - White Miso Chocolate - Red Miso Butter - Sweet White Miso Maple - White Miso Shinshu Shiro Miso Type: Rice Used in: Miso soup and miso sauce Smoked Eggplant - Chickpea Miso Chicken - Brown Rice Miso Roast Pork - Barley Miso Aka Miso (Red Miso) Type: Soybean Used in: Degaku miso and miso sauce Mugi Miso (Barley Miso) Type: Barley Used in: Miso soup Genmai Miso (Brown Rice Miso) Type: Brown Rice Used in: Broths Miso Master Hendersonville, NC 10052673 Traditional Barley Miso, Non-GMO 10052674 Traditional Red Miso, Non-GMO 10052675 Brown Rice Miso, Non-GMO 10052676 Mellow White Miso, Non-GMO 10052677 Sweet White Miso, Non-GMO 10052679 Organic Miso Tamari 10052678 Chickpea Miso, Non-GMO Local & specialty updates provided by: Bobby Zimmerman Southern Foods Brand Manager bzimmerman@southernfoods.com