Image via Wikipedia I have no clue how I have missed 10 years of a spice maker trying to drive taste trends, but I (and I suppose 95% of the public) missed the tenth annual McCormick ® Flavor Forecast this year. I could not make this up if I wanted. McCormick ® , the world's largest spice company, has been unleashing this prognosticating tool since 2000. Their latest version can be found here . They've even opened up MORE with a grilling edition and a holiday edition. I titled the blog post today on the 5th combination in their standard edition this year: almonds and ale. Seriously. The flavor pairings only started in 2007, but the very notion that you can be predictive of what chefs, cooks, and laypeople at home will cook with is... brilliant? The company has chef Kevan Vettar look at the crystal ball with a team of folks from around the country to come up with such combinations. The seering works : The [McCormick's] share price has more than d...