The Dish | Season of Celebrations

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Season of Celebrations

Recipes & Chef Tips Inside

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Delancey Street Deli®

Treasure Hunt Make or Bake

Heritage Ovens®

Empire’s Treasure®

from the foodies at

Make your own luck

during a month of madness When spring is looming, running a restaurant is a little bit like driving a new car – you’re going to go from zero to 60, fast.

What tends to be a slower first of the year escalates quickly in a flurry of events and activities as we head into March. Mardi Gras season culminates soon with Fat Tuesday giving way to Lent. But let’s be honest, Mardi Gras is a vibe that people love to enjoy for as long as they can. And soon after, there are St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, basketball watch parties, even spring breakers looking to eat, drink, and post the pics on Instagram.

With so many festive opportunities, it’s important for restaurants to take

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full advantage of the calendar and attract crowds.

Performance Foodservice has the ingredients needed to help you become the life of the party.

Our expert chefs have Mardi Gras covered with a parade of Louisianainspired seafood dishes, featuring responsibly sourced items from our Empire’s Treasure® line, as well as a shareable poutine recipe that combines both French and Irish flavors, as luck would have it.

Speaking of St. Paddy’s Day, go beyond traditional cabbage, corned beef, bangers & mash, pies, and stews. Offer slam-dunk sauces and presentations that can catch the

eye of basketball fans, vacationers, and your soon-to-be happily surprised regulars. We are excited to present a pastrami-seasoned turkey burger, dripping with stout flavor, a Dublin BBQ-style chicken dish, and irresistible loaded pretzel bites from our authentic Delancey Street Deli® line.

No matter how people plan to party over the next few weeks, an assortment of casual pub fare, premium seafood options, and scrumptious shareables should produce revenue results worth celebrating. Turn up the music; let’s get ready to dance!

Look for these callouts:

Chef Talk Get inside our chefs’ brains and find out what inspired their dishes.

Check out our library of recipes and articles online.

PerformanceFoodservice.com/theDish

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No Routine Poutine

RIDGECREST® APPLEWOOD BACON A premium flavor blend of smoke, sugar, and salt

ENTICE® CHEDDAR CHEESE NUGGETS Made with all-natural Wisconsin white cheddar cheese curds and Japanese panko

WEST CREEK® BEER CHEESE Ready-to-serve, just heat and eat

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French Dip WEST CREEK® FRENCH FRIES

Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day are different cultural celebrations with some remarkably similar qualities. Both stem from religious origins and include colorful, beaded, often decadent festivities with food and drink at the core.

Delicious homestyle appeal and taste

Consider offering a nod to these common denominators via a fusion concept that weds cheesy, French-inspired poutine with transformed Irish classics like stout beer and bacon. Golden West Creek French fries are topped with applewood chopped bacon, zingy scallions, and deepfried Entice® cheese curds. But what makes this a true palate party, is the stout-infused West Creek beer cheese sauce. This low-cost recipe is easy-to-prepare, yet sure to be crazy popular – and versatile enough to serve on any kind of menu, for any type of celebration. C’est très bon!

Luck of the Irish Poutine

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients 15 oz.

10 ea. ¼ lb. ¼ c.

1 c. ½ c.

1 T. 3 ea.

preparation West Creek French Fries Entice® Cheddar Cheese Nuggets Ridgecrest® Applewood Bacon, cooked and crumbled Peak® Green Onion, finely chopped West Creek Beer Cheese Stout Beer Peak® Thyme, chopped Peak Thyme Sprigs, for garnish Brilliance® Oil, for deep frying

Heat oil to 350°F in deep fryer. Deep fry French fries for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, drain on rack with towel lined pan to remove excess grease.

Deep fry cheese curds for 1-2 minutes. Drain.

Warm beer cheese according to manufacturer’s directions. Simmer the stout beer in a saucepan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Whisk stout into the warm beer cheese.

Place the fries on a plate or in a bowl. Drizzle on stout beer cheese.

Follow this by placing the fried cheese curds on top. Sprinkle with bacon, green onion, chopped thyme, and thyme sprigs as a garnish.

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Gulf

Treasure Few Southern foods have the Gulf Coast-caché of shrimp. Combine that with a pickled preparation that traces its roots to Caribbean and lowcountry cooking, and you’ve got a premium Mardi Gras menu item.

Empire’s Treasure® shrimp are wildcaught and sustainably sourced from some of the prime waters in the world. To bring out the best of their distinctive, slightly sweet taste, coat the shrimp overnight in a flavor-packed mixture highlighted

by Cajun seasoning, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Delancey Street Deli® banana peppers, and jalapenos. Serve with a toasted baguette to sop the mildly spicy, citrusy sauce.

With little prep time and various applications as a starter, shareable, or top entrée, this is a valuable and timely addition to menus.

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DELANCEY STREET DELI® BANANA PEPPERS Mild flavor and hearty crunch from a five-generation-old homemade recipe

Chef Talk Before cooking the shrimp, add some aromatics to the saucepan of water and let them simmer for a couple of minutes — bay leaves, tarragon, garlic, peppercorns, etc. The ingredients will infuse in the shrimp to add another layer of flavor.

Pickled Shrimp Servings: 2 PEAK FRESH PRODUCE® DILL

Ingredients

Sweet, citrusy, and slightly bitter

EMPIRE’S® TREASURE SHRIMP Traceability allows for a pure, natural flavor

2 lbs.

Empire’s Treasure Shrimp 16-20, thawed

2

Lemons, divided (1 zested and juiced, 1 sliced thin)

1 c.

Apple Cider Vinegar

2/3 c.

Olive Oil

½ tsp.

Black Pepper, freshly cracked

1 T.

Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp.

Dry Mustard

½ tsp.

Yellow Mustard Seeds, crushed

1 T.

Fresh Garlic, grated

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Bay Leaves

2 tsp.

Kosher Salt

2 T.

Delancey Street® Banana Peppers, roughly chopped

1 T.

Delancey Street Jalapenos, roughly chopped

1 T.

Peak® Chives, finely chopped

2 T.

Peak Parsley, finely chopped

3 T.

Peak Dill, finely chopped

½ c.

Peak Yellow Onion, thinly julienned

preparation

In a large bowl, combine lemon juice and zest, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, dry mustard, yellow mustard seeds, and garlic. Mix thoroughly.

Bring a medium saucepan of water and a pinch of salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to boiling water and cook for 90 seconds or until just pink. Do not overcook. Drain and shock the shrimp in ice water.

Add shrimp and the remaining ingredients to the seasoned vinegar and oil mixture. Mix in very thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight.

Serve with toasted baguettes.

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Saint Patty

HERITAGE OVENS® BRIOCHE 4” BUN Buttery, rich, and perfect for burgers

PEAK FRESH PRODUCE® YELLOW ONION Tangy, dark brown when cooked, and full-flavored

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FIND THIS RECIPE ONLINE! GRILLED PASTRAMI STYLE TURKEY BURGER, STOUT-BRAISED ONIONS, DILL PICKLE MUSTARD

Turkey

Delight With all these food-centric events, it doesn’t hurt to have a bigger and better burger than the competition.

Party-goers love handheld items they can take a bite out of while tossing back a beverage.

Modern diners also want food they can post, stream, and like. But, not all foodies are into beef these days – they crave options. Feast your eyes on this real McCoy, a turkey burger darn near bursting at the seams. The secret ingredient is a brown sugar-infused pastrami seasoning that makes the FarmSmart® turkey patty taste like it was made in the best deli ever. Pile bacon, cheese, and stout beer-sautéed onions on top for the perfect post-worthy patty. This burger’s not complete without a heaping side of fries and a dark beer to wash it all down, so there are add-on benefits as well.

Specialty Celebrations FARMSMART ALL-NATURAL GROUND TURKEY Farm-raised with no antibiotics ever

Festive events call for menu specials that grab diners’ attention. Get the most out of spring holidays with exciting cultural flavors.

Click here to Learn More.

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Creativity Cajun

HERITAGE OVENS® CORNBREAD Traditional, buttery, and sweet

PIANCONE EPICUREO® ORGANIC TOMATOES Sourced from the Campania Felix region in Italy EMPIRE’S TREASURE® REDFISH FILET Farm-raised for a moist, flaky finish

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Jazz FIND THIS RECIPE ONLINE! BLACKENED REDFISH WITH CRAWFISH CORNBREAD DRESSING AND TABASCO TOMATOES

MAGELLAN® CAJUN SEASONING An authentic kick of red pepper

It Up While Mardi Gras is celebrated everywhere, its deep connection to Louisiana, and especially New Orleans, is felt through that region’s cuisine. To do it justice, you’ll need a little spice, some bold, rich flavors, and seafood galore.

Sporting a reddish, brown color, and packed with essential vitamins and Omega-3 fatty acids, redfish is a hallmark of Gulf Coast cooking. Its mild, sweet flavor and firm, but delicate texture allows it to perfectly complement other thrilling ingredients. For this dish, Empire’s Treasure® redfish is seasoned with Magellan Cajun spices and then blackened. It’s served over a robust Tabasco tomato purée, featuring imported, organic Piancone Epicureo® tomatoes. And since we’re honoring the New Orleans culinary heritage, the flavor’s not finished yet – top the fish with a sumptuous cornbread dressing, including crawfish tails and Old Bay® spices. It just doesn’t get more Crescent City than that.

March Sprightly Sauces Sauces have the ability to transform old favorites, at low cost and with minimal labor. Spice up the traditional by adding French and Irish-inspired ingredients to menus.

Click here to get Saucy!

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Celebrate,

Capital-Sea Keep the party going for Mardi Gras enthusiasts with a rich, colorful plate that blends stunning flavors and diverse textures.

Tender and responsibly sourced scallops from Empire’s Treasure® are enhanced by a truly decadent Delancey Street Deli® lobster bisque and tarragon sauce that will have guests floating on air. As if that heavenly combination wasn’t enough, the scallops rest on a bed of Ridgecrest® Key West blended vegetables, mixed with smoked bacon. Toss in the crunch of toasted, sweet waffle croutons from Heritage Ovens®, and it’s like all the elements of the perfect Mardi Gras celebration exist on one plate. With so many quality ingredients in place, you can list this king of the menu at a premium price point.

How can you create a Mardi Gras-inspired plant-based dish?

Mardi Gras season is all about excitement, flare, and flavor.

And by getting creative with cooking techniques and ingredients, you can offer the flavors of the season to guests on plant-based diets as well. Consider something like a blackened mushroom étouffée using Custom Culinary’s® Frozen Ready-To-Use Tomatillos Serrano Sauce. Studding the dish with lots of Cajun spices creates a flavorful cooking base that’s versatile enough to be used with other veggiefriendly variations such as gumbos and jambalaya, reducing prep time and labor.

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DELANCEY STREET® LOBSTER BISQUE Slow-simmered North Atlantic lobster with Spanish sherry. Heatand-serve

EMPIRE’S TREASURE® SCALLOPS Wild-caught with a creamy, tender bite

RIDGECREST® KEY WEST VEGETABLE BLEND Colorful and quickfrozen at harvest to lock in flavor

HERITAGE OVENS® LIEGE WAFFLE Made with caramelized pearls of sugar

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Press

Your Luck

WEST CREEK® SMOKEY BBQ SAUCE Smoke flavor enhanced with onion, garlic, tomato, and vinegar

ROMA® GARLIC SPREAD Premium margarine spread from the experts in Italian cooking

HERITAGE OVENS® CROISSANT Thaw-and-serve with a fresh-from-theoven taste

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Dublin

Your Pleasure Some St. Patrick’s Day revelers will want Irish-inspired flavors with a more elegant presentation. In this gorgeously portioned recipe, FarmSmart® chicken is mixed with Peak Fresh Produce® vegetables, Delancey Street Deli® banana pepper rings, and slivers of green onions for a beautiful and festive blend of red, yellow, and green colors.

FARMSMART DICED CHICKEN

Rather than a generic chicken sandwich, this is a knifeand-fork, open-face kind of plate, so a toasted, pressed Heritage Ovens® croissant adds texture and crunch with hints of sweetness but doesn’t overwhelm the dish. It’s served Dublin-style – highlighted by a smokey BBQ sauce, enhanced with beer cheese and stout beer, drizzled over the meal; gold and reddish-brown notes adding to the overall color concept.

All-natural, fully cooked, and readyto-use

Dublin Style Chicken Croissant

Serves: 1

Ingredients 1 1 T. 2 slices 1 T. 1 T. 1 T. 1 T. 5 oz. ½ T. 3 oz.

3 oz.

2 tsp.

preparation Heritage Ovens Croissant Roma® Garlic Spread Ridgecrest® Applewood Bacon, diced Peak Onion, diced Peak Celery, diced Peak Green Pepper, diced Delancey Street Deli Banana Pepper Rings FarmSmart Chicken, diced Magellan® Cajun Seasoning Dublin BBQ Sauce (see preperation) West Creek® Beer Cheese, warmed Peak Green Onions, sliced

Dublin Sauce: 2 oz. stout beer reduced in half plus 2 oz. West Creek Smokey BBQ Sauce, reserve.

Smear the garlic spread on the croissant halves and toast in a panini press.

Sauté the bacon until half cooked. Add the vegetables. Continue cooking. Add the banana peppers, chicken, and seasoning, bring to heat.

Pour mixture on the bottom half of the pressed croissant. Add the top half. Drizzle Dublin sauce and beer cheese over top of entire plate.

Garnish with green onion.

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Beer

CONTIGO® QUESO BLANCO

Bites

Easy-to-serve with balanced cheese flavor and a hint of heat

DELANCEY STREET PRETZEL BITES W/SALT Made with a 200-year-old German recipe

FIND THIS RECIPE ONLINE:

LOADED DELANCEY STREET PRETZEL BITES performancefoodservice.com/thedish

Maybe they’re just crazy about the food, but there’s a touch of madness in the air when people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Makes sense, then, that the Irish celebration coincides with the opening weekend of the college basketball tournament – it’s a day where anything goes!

In that spirit, it’s a good idea to have menu items that break the traditional mold. When people are partying together, they crave comfort finger foods they can share. A tray of loaded Delancey Street Deli® pretzel bites fits that vibe, and it’ll make other diners green with envy. Go next level by layering strips of pastrami and Peak® onions in with the doughy bites. Drizzle the tray with warm, pub-style beer cheese from West Creek®, and serve with a mustard/mayo sauce for dipping and dunking. Your guests will feel lucky to team up for this shareable treat.

Season of Celebrations For more recipes, trends, and great ideas to inspire your menu, go to performancefoodservice.com/thedish ©2022 Performance Foodserivce

Need an eye-catching way to display THEMED snacks for special occasions?

Guests eat with their eyes and having a unique, creative option to display your products can be an efficient way to boost sales on grab-and-go items. Consider Handgards® TuffGards® BOPP High Clarity Bags to display fruit, baked goods, confections, gift baskets, and more.