Saturday, February 10, 2007
Brach's Mint Patties
I've tried Brach's chocolate peppermint candies in the past. They're not as good as York Peppermint Patties or my homemade version, but they suffice in a pinch. The pieces I tried recently, however, have a different taste than what I remember. The mint filling is now grittier and leaves a spearmint aftertaste. Brach's mint patties are definitely scratched off my candy list.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Brach's Rich and Dreamy Assorted Cremes
Brach's Rich and Dreamy Cremes come in five flavors: vanilla bean, orange sorbet, raspberry parfait, cherry jubilee, and double dutch chocolate.
Raspberry Parfait Chocolatey Cremes
The inside is a freakish lavender color, bordering on pink. The label says "artificially flavored"; the creme definitely didn't have any kind of raspberry taste. The ingredient list includes "Red 3, Blue 1 and Yellow 6." 'Nuf said :P
Cherry Jubilee Chocolatey Cremes
The filling was a bright red. And when I say bright, I mean like the bleeding armadillo cake from Steel Magnolias. Or Sesame Street's Elmo tossed into a blender. The taste was even worse than the color. Picture eating a piece of chocolate and washing it down with an entire bottle of cherry cough syrup. It's really that bad : X
Double Dutch Chocolatey Cremes
Really, I should know better by now than to eat anything with the word "chocolatey" on the label. It's not chocolate and it's not satisfying to eat. This one was wasn't horrible like the previous two samples, but it wasn't that great either. Brach's is basically on par with the chocolate made by Palmer's;[cheap-o] people give it out at kiddy parties and around the holidays, but no one buys it for themself because it's so low quality.
Raspberry Parfait Chocolatey Cremes
The inside is a freakish lavender color, bordering on pink. The label says "artificially flavored"; the creme definitely didn't have any kind of raspberry taste. The ingredient list includes "Red 3, Blue 1 and Yellow 6." 'Nuf said :P
Cherry Jubilee Chocolatey Cremes
The filling was a bright red. And when I say bright, I mean like the bleeding armadillo cake from Steel Magnolias. Or Sesame Street's Elmo tossed into a blender. The taste was even worse than the color. Picture eating a piece of chocolate and washing it down with an entire bottle of cherry cough syrup. It's really that bad : X
Double Dutch Chocolatey Cremes
Really, I should know better by now than to eat anything with the word "chocolatey" on the label. It's not chocolate and it's not satisfying to eat. This one was wasn't horrible like the previous two samples, but it wasn't that great either. Brach's is basically on par with the chocolate made by Palmer's;[cheap-o] people give it out at kiddy parties and around the holidays, but no one buys it for themself because it's so low quality.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Recipes from the trial run
My group from culinary class did a trial run on Wednesday of the food we'll be serving at our final presentation dinner in 2 weeks. Our event has a jazz theme. I will post the pictures of the food and our table set up soon. The food was absolutely
out of this world : D Here is what we made:
Salad
A little bit of heavy whipping cream and white pepper made the dressing even better.
Cajun spiced chicken
Creole Meuniere Sauce
The sweetness of the creole sauce is a perfect match for the spice of the chicken.
Bourbon Street New York Strip Steak
American–style red beans and rice
Our next batch will have andouille sausage in it.
Bananas Foster
The dessert was heavenly. I normally think bananas are too gross to eat, but in this dessert they tasted amazing : D Ask my team members how many times I said this morning, "*sigh* I want another Bananas Foster."
Sources:
Warm Nut Encrusted Goat Cheese Salad with Bacon Lardons, Emeril Lagasse, 2003 Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Bistro Cooking, Food Network
Cajun Spiced Chicken, Submitted by: Jennifer Owen, AllRecipes
Pecan-crusted Trout with Creole Meuniere Sauce and Brabant Potatoes, Emeril Lagasse, 2003, Emeril LiveEpisode: In a Nutshell, Food Network
Bourbon Street New York Strip Steak, Submitted by: Mark Daniel, AllRecipes
American-Style Red Beans and Rice, Submitted by: LAURENB222, AllRecipes
Bananas Foster II, Submitted by: BUTTERMEBREAD, AllRecipes
out of this world : D Here is what we made:
A little bit of heavy whipping cream and white pepper made the dressing even better.
The sweetness of the creole sauce is a perfect match for the spice of the chicken.
Our next batch will have andouille sausage in it.
The dessert was heavenly. I normally think bananas are too gross to eat, but in this dessert they tasted amazing : D Ask my team members how many times I said this morning, "*sigh* I want another Bananas Foster."
Sources:
Warm Nut Encrusted Goat Cheese Salad with Bacon Lardons, Emeril Lagasse, 2003 Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Bistro Cooking, Food Network
Cajun Spiced Chicken, Submitted by: Jennifer Owen, AllRecipes
Pecan-crusted Trout with Creole Meuniere Sauce and Brabant Potatoes, Emeril Lagasse, 2003, Emeril LiveEpisode: In a Nutshell, Food Network
Bourbon Street New York Strip Steak, Submitted by: Mark Daniel, AllRecipes
American-Style Red Beans and Rice, Submitted by: LAURENB222, AllRecipes
Bananas Foster II, Submitted by: BUTTERMEBREAD, AllRecipes
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Food In The News
Sources:
"Future foods: friend or foe?", By Paul Moss, BBC News, February 6, 2007
"The best restaurant in Sweden", September 1, 2006, The Local: Sweden's News in English
"Goa: Aubergine", GourmetIndia.com: India's Portal on Food and Drink, Reviews > Indian Restaurants> All Indian resturant reviews, Submitted by: ChetanHooli, January 4, 2008
"Cinnamon Club - London", GourmetIndia.com: India's Portal on Food and Drink, Reviews > International Restaurants> All International resturants, Submitted by: ChetanHooli, January 24, 2008
Altoids Mango Sours
A bit of background: I've never liked mangoes. They taste sweet and delicious when I bite into one, but they always leave a metallic aftertaste in my mouth.
That said, Altoids Mango Sours are worth buying. They really taste like fresh mangoes. Yes, the metallic taste was there for me this time, too, but that's a problem with my taste buds and not the product itself.
That said, Altoids Mango Sours are worth buying. They really taste like fresh mangoes. Yes, the metallic taste was there for me this time, too, but that's a problem with my taste buds and not the product itself.
Green Apple Mentos
Normally I find Mentos to be repulsive and overly minty. But the green apple flavor is delicious! There is no discernible mint flavor in this candy. The outer shell and the filling have a light, sweet green apple taste. A big thumbs up for this candy!
Tic Tac Citrus Twist
The Citrus Twist pack of Tic Tacs features
lemon and lime mints.
Lime
The outside shell tastes like an orange Runt candy. Biting into them brings out an odd taste of orange Runts, lemon floor polish and lemons *Gag*
Lemon
The outside shell has a semi-pleasant lemonish flavor. The inside of the lemon ones taste like Runts and floor polish with tingly mint sensation thrown in. Again, ewwww !
The official Tic Tac website has this posted: "...Tropical tastes mingle with a subtle chill blending the best of both worlds. It's a sensation combination you'll never forget." They got part of that right. I'll never forget how nasty this candy tasted : P
lemon and lime mints.
Lime
The outside shell tastes like an orange Runt candy. Biting into them brings out an odd taste of orange Runts, lemon floor polish and lemons *Gag*
Lemon
The outside shell has a semi-pleasant lemonish flavor. The inside of the lemon ones taste like Runts and floor polish with tingly mint sensation thrown in. Again, ewwww !
The official Tic Tac website has this posted: "...Tropical tastes mingle with a subtle chill blending the best of both worlds. It's a sensation combination you'll never forget." They got part of that right. I'll never forget how nasty this candy tasted : P
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Food In The News
Sources:
"Grazing in the Cuban sunshine", Review of the The Sol Rio de Luna y Mares hotel, by Susan Sampson, The Toronto Star, January 17, 2007
"Cuisine crumbles amid Gardiner ceramics", review of Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner, by Amy Pataki, The Toronto Star, August 12, 2006
