March is the month we get to celebrate the menu jack-of-all-trades: sauce. This fundamental component can do it all, but most importantly transforms the flavor of a dish. One of our tried-and-true tactics for recipe development involves starting with a familiar and approachable format and incorporating something new. Sauce shines in this method as it is easy to use across a wide variety of favorite applications, such as pizza, burgers, bowls, and pasta—we could go on and on. While flavor is number one, we may argue that in the current state of our industry, versatility and adaptability is second. As of January, 39% of operators have been able to hire back some of the staff they were forced to cut earlier in the pandemic, and 15% have not been able to re-hire any previously-cut staff. Finding ways to make sauces stretch across dayparts, menu parts, and cuisines will ease labor needs, simplify inventory, and reduce costs and waste.
Let’s start with the ever-popular bowl format. A low-prep yogurt tahini sauce brings Mediterranean life to this white bean falafel bowl, but the sauce doesn’t have to stop there. Utilize the mixture as a drizzle over roasted vegetables or put it to work as a chicken marinade.
The sandwich menu is an easy place to add in signature flavor with sauce. This Citrus-Chili Cuban-Style Sandwich can cross-utilize ingredients already used in other sandwiches, and features a quick-to-make and flavorful citrus chili mayonnaise. Find other ways to use the mayo across the menu, such as a spread on a black bean burger, a dipping sauce for fried seafood, or mixed into a Southwestern corn salad.
Short on time or labor? Our portfolio is your secret weapon to create a variety of signature dishes with ready-to-use products spanning from time-tested classics to ethnic profiles; and now three of our most popular product lines are available in portion packs, so you can simplify meal prep while maintaining food safety, quality, and flavor. Classic hollandaise can top the Breakfast Benny Burger in the morning, then morph into a Béarnaise sauce to elevate a burger at lunch or a steak in the evening.
Gold Label Harissa is another SKU that can bridge dayparts and menu parts from a Mediterranean Style Breakfast Skillet, to spiced-up coleslaw, to a bold sautéed shrimp entrée. Our Korean-Style Sweet Heat Sauce flavors meat dishes like chicken wings, as well as plant-based items like a Jackfruit Moo Shu. Offerings are limitless utilizing other Custom Culinary® products such as Kentucky-Style Bourbon Sauce and Tomatillo Serrano Sauce.
At Custom Culinary®, we are optimistic for the year ahead and all it holds to restore your operation. Perseverance, creativity, and a great partner can help you tackle the current challenges you’re facing. So be sure to give our sauce lineup a look. We also have best-in-class bases and gravies made in various formats to meet your specific BOH needs. We can’t wait to see the innovative ways you make sauces work harder on your menu. Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook and share what you’ve got cooking. As always, give us a call if you need a hand!
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