Umami Plus Sweet with Miso Caramel

Chef's Notes

May 2022 | MCCORMICK CULINARY & INSIGHTS

Skip the full-on sugar rush. Everything we once thought about what it means to be sweet is off the table. Sweetness is being balanced with unexpected flavors—even umami. Japanese for “deliciousness,” umami is a deeply savory taste found in foods like meats, tomatoes, mushrooms, and miso. To deliver a truly unique taste experience, blend sweet caramel with the umami taste of miso.

The Taste:

Miso, a traditional Japanese fermented paste is salty, earthy, and of course loaded with umami flavor. Combining miso with caramel creates a layered, satisfying profile that adds complexity to sweet and savory applications alike.

Experience it:

An evolution of salted caramel, miso caramel is making an appearance on menus, in retail, and recipes globally. Examples include:

UK retailer Waitrose launched a salted miso caramel brownie in October 2021.
Oklahoma burger joint Punk Burger offers a milkshake made with vanilla bean ice cream and miso caramel.
Ravneet Gill’s Caramel & Chocolate Tart includes a salty miso caramel and is featured as a Great British Bake-Off recipe.
Victor's Fine Dining, a 3 Michelin Star restaurant in Germany offers "grilled white asparagus with sumac, miso caramel, and hollandaise."

Apply it:

A miso caramel marinade or glaze adds sweet richness to proteins such as pork skewers.
Enhance traditional desserts like vanilla ice cream, brownies, and sugar confectionary.
Add a pop of umami to café favorites like a miso caramel latte.

Try our miso caramel and miso caramel pork skewer recipes.

Feeling inspired? To learn more about the future of flavor, contact your McCormick account representative or contact us today.

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