Last month, our own Catherine Golding and Lambassador Emeritus Aaron Brooks of EDGE Steakhouse at the Four Seasons Miami had the honour of presenting to an august group of chefs and hoteliers at the Culinary Institute of America’s Flavor Summit conference in Napa, CA. Our topic was the growth of grass-fed beef and lamb in the US, with Chef Aaron bringing it tastily to life with demos of three dishes. More on the dishes later, but here are the top three highlights from Catherine’s talk:
#1: More than organic or natural, consumers think grass-fed beef would be both healthier and tastier than other beef. Better still, it’s a label that consumers say they’d be willing to pay a premium for. This is a big shift from the early days of grass-fed beef in America, when folks thought it might be healthier, but not as good to eat as grain-fed alternatives.
#2: Grass-fed beef is catching on at mainstream foodservice outlets, from fast-casual restaurants to food trucks, and easygoing applications from Mexican food to sandwiches, salads and burgers. This shows the broad appeal of grass-fed, well beyond health-seekers or fine-dining guests.
#3: Australia is quite possibly the best place in the world to raise grass-fed beef. Over 70% of Aussie beef is raised exclusively on the vast natural grasslands that bless our continent. And Aussie ranchers have decades of experience in sustainably managing their land to preserve and protect the environment, having reduced their water use by 65% and greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 14% since 1981.
With that as the appetizer, Chef Aaron took the group through his own experience with grass-fed beef on the menu at EDGE, noting that “as soon as I put a grass-fed label on the menu, it started selling out the door. Especially in Miami, my guests are really focused on high-quality, natural meats.”
While talking about that, Aaron’s hands were busy demoing three recipes for the audience, showcasing how he’s adapted his own cuisine to the tastes of the local market with lots of Latin influences and use of ancient grains. Here’s what he showcased:
• Aussie Grass-fed Anticucho – skewers of grass-fed flat iron steak with a Peruvian marinade and finishing sauce featuring two versions of the famous aji peppers of Peru.
• Grilled Aussie Grass-fed Rib-eye with roasted corn salad and pink shrimp chimichurri. It’s like ’Surf & Turf’ Miami-style, with local pink shrimp and Aussie grass-fed beef.
• Roasted Aussie lamb tacos with salsa verde and avocado puree; the slow-braised lamb in chipotle and spices was a big hit at lunch that day.