For the Love of Dairy

Real dairy is back – from uprising trends on TikTok to popular restaurants returning to their more traditional culinary roots, to chefs using heritage dairy ingredients to create unexpected twists. Pull your guests in by putting dairy’s unmatched quality back on the menu.  

“Consumers are going back to pure products,” says CJ Johnson, Shamrock Foods Enterprise Produce Manager. Use real butter to add the ultimate richness to any dish. 

Compound butter makes a great garnish and elevates COP or side dishes with flavor and richness. “Add things like red miso, roasted red peppers, chives and other herbs,” says Jeff Pivin, Shamrock Foods Restaurant Resources Manager. Compound butter is also a great way to utilize herbs that may otherwise go to waste. 

“Butter candles are a huge hit with bread service,” says Mary McVoy, Shamrock Foods Restaurant Consultant, California. How-to: Process Shamrock Farms® butter with herbs, then melt and clarify the mixture. Pour clarified butter into cups, insert a wick and refrigerate until service. 

Try the win-win of adding cottage cheese to eggs for more protein and a silky-smooth texture. Spice it up for dipping. “Blend cottage cheese with chipotle adobo or other flavoring bases to create a light and creamy dip that’s craveable and sharable,” says Pivin. 

 Cottage cheese toast is holding strong, thanks to its versatility across dayparts, health benefits and social-media star status. Golden-charred toast topped with a white cloud of cottage cheese is the perfect canvas for a myriad of add-ins – from meaty and savory to light and sweet. Think smoked fish, vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices. Look out, avocado toast! Cottage cheese is taking the throne. 

There is no comparison that analogs have with real dairy and that slow-motion cheese pull is still the siren song of the cheese lover – from pizza to pasta to hot hoagies and beyond. “The way natural dairy fats emulsify and maintain creamy texture cannot be emulated,” says Pivin.

Delightful Dairy Inspiration

• Savory chive clotted cream with buttermilk biscuits 
• Manicotti with creamy Bolognese 
• Crème fraiche with scones and fig jam 
• Milk pudding with sugar and coconut 
• Gruyere melted and draped over a ramekin of French onion soup 

Our chefs, product specialists and consultants can recommend the best dairy products to achieve your exact menu goals. Backed by our exclusive line of Shamrock Farms® dairy – beloved by chefs for over 100 years.