Chefs play up textureChefs play up texture

A few years back, British modernist chef Heston Blumenthal, creator of such edgy fare as snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream, caused a bit of a culinary kerfuffle with his proposal to outfit diners with headphones so that they could hear themselves chew. Blumenthal believes that eating is a multisensory experience, with sound an overlooked contributor to dining pleasure. He’d certainly be heartened, then, by all the munching and crunching emanating from American restaurant dining rooms as chefs turn their attention to texture.

It’s crunch time for independents. Texture is about more than just sound effects; it also enhances palate appeal. Nut brittles and crusty breads, for example, provide an enormously satisfying chew. Recognizing that sensation’s appeal, enterprising chefs are rethinking the role of texture on their menus. Chicken skin, once demonized and discarded, is all the rage at spots like The Roosevelt in Richmond, Va., where Lee’s Fried Chicken Skin Slider is served with pickles and kimchi mayonnaise.  At trendy Catbird Seat in Nashville, Tenn., it’s baked until crispy, then brushed with sorghum, cayenne pepper and paprika — a kind of deconstructed version of a Prince’s Hot, the local fried-chicken sandwich that receives a similar flavor treatment. At Food 101 in Atlanta, the skins are dusted with flour and cornmeal, then served with savory sauces.

It’s not simply chicken skin that’s getting a second wind.  In Chicago, Paris Club has offered duck cracklings with spicy vinegar dip, while the city’s Yusho creates a symphony of skins with a tasting that comprises chicken, salmon and pork skins, elevated bar food that has proven wildly popular. At New York’s Pampano Botaneria guacamole is served with a large sheet of chicharrón, or crunchy fried pork skin, for dipping. Across the country in San Francisco, Ryan Farr, a new-generation butcher and leader of the nose-to-tail movement, puts chicharrón atop hot dogs. And Pig Vicious, an Austin, Texas, food truck, tops its Anarchy Chili with both bacon and chicharrón for a whole bunch of crunch.

Chains are feeling the crunch, too

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Skin isn’t in at chains, but crispness and crunch certainly are. McDonald’s has been testing the McCruncher, a burger that’s topped with crispy onion rings; white Cheddar cheese provides contrasting smoothness. Steak ‘N Shake recently launched the Santa Fe Steakburger. Topped with crispy red tortilla strips, it’s a follow up to the equally munchable Jalapeno Crunch Steakburger. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay started a trend at his Bobby’s Burger Palace when he offered to top any burger with potato chips, a surprising, fun element that’s pure kid stuff. Jakes Hamburgers in Dallas takes a similar tack with its Frito Pie Chili Cheese Burger, and Queens Comfort, an independent in Astoria, N.Y., goes a couple of steps further with Capt’N Crunch Chicken Fingers and a Cheetos Burger that features a layer of Cheetos under a blanket of homemade Cheddar cheese sauce. 

Even more upscale chain Smith & Wollensky promoted a special Cracklin Pork Shank, slow cooked and then fried to produce a crispy outer skin. For textural contrast, the item was served with creamy sauerkraut and firecracker applesauce.

All that crunches is not savory. In September Baskin-Robbins offered Waffle Chip Dippers, waffle- and brownie-chip pieces meant to be dipped in soft-serve ice cream. Super-hot Coolhaus, an ice cream specialist that operates food trucks and brick-and-mortar stores and has distribution in 350 retail grocers, features a cheeky Fried Chicken & Waffles ice cream sandwich. Ingredients include brown-butter and maple-syrup ice cream with chicken-skin caramel, a creative and crackling-good combination in anybody’s book.

Nancy Kruse, president of the Kruse Company, is a menu trends analyst based in Atlanta. Now you can follow her food blog, exclusively on LinkedIn.