Meiji Mango Pudding Sweets Gum

Have I ever mentioned my mango phase? When I was in college, there was this local hipster video rental store near campus (I may be young, but I had a VCR) with an attached smoothie bar, and I was addicted to their more-tart-than-sweet mango lemonade smoothies. Bubble tea may have been trendier, but I was hooked on those smoothies.

Once I graduated, I got over my addiction, but I still like mango. It’s fitting that this Mango Pudding gum came in a package from a dear college friend. Even though it happens subconsciously, I love associating scents and flavors with memories, and mango reminds me of fun with college friends and good grades.


Now that I’ve gone off on a complete tangent, I had better get on with the review. The shape of the gum was interesting – sort of like Combos or Collon. According to the box, the outer ring was gum and the middle portion was soft candy, but it all chewed down the same. At first, it was on the hard side, and it was difficult to get the chewing started.

The initial flavor was a delightfully sharp, sour mango, but after a few seconds, the gum became much softer, and the flavor dulled to a mild, waxy tropical. The way the gum became so soft reminded me of the center of a Charms Blow Pop, as if the candy portion somehow altered the texture of the gum for the worse. That first burst of tart mango was great, but along with the satisfying texture, it was short-lived.

B-

Meiji website

NewTree Granola

After loving the NewTree Belgian Biscuit bar, I was excited to come across the NewTree Granola bar at my local Wal-Mart. It offered another unique combination of flavors and textures I had not yet tried: milk chocolate and granola with lime and green tea extract.

The cocoa percentage was on the low side at 31%, but NewTree bars boast lower amounts of sugar than comparable chocolate bars (without an artificial sweetener in sight, mind you). In addition, half of the bar was well under 200 calories, which seems like a very reasonable indulgence. The box also mentions higher fiber and antioxidants, which are nice to have, but in the end, it’s still a chocolate bar.


The bar smelled of rich cocoa and lime juice, and I could taste the lime immediately. The granola bits (more like single pieces of oatmeal scattered throughout the bar) had a subtle vanilla flavor and added a neat crunch, making the chocolate a bit drier than I expected. This worked well for me, because it seemed to cancel out some of the stickiness I often experience with milk chocolate.

The green tea was almost undetectable, but concentration rewarded me with a few hints of grassiness. The chocolate, lime, and granola combination reminded me of cereals I liked as a kid, and the sweetness level was just right. It didn’t blow me away like the flax seed bar, but it was still an innovative, enjoyable chocolate bar.

B+

NewTree website

California Pizza Kitchen Original Restaurant Style Crust BBQ Chicken

We've begrudgingly reached a compromise, Keepitcoming and I. We've come to realize that we both have drastically different eating habits. While we maintain the code that all things mushy, crunchy, spicy, and condiment-y are good in the hood, we still tend to butt heads around stranger things. Actually, the problem is entirely mine. I instinctively gravitate towards shiny, new foods that proclaim to be limited edition, plastering my face against the grocery freezer door as though they will disappear in my hands. This category usually includes Hot Pockets, frozen waffles, and pizza rolls, all of which Keepitcoming is sworn against.Tonight, though, we decided to eat a dish that was both normal and "new," that dish being California Pizza Kitchen's "restaurant style crust" in their ever-popular flavor, barbecued chicken. Restaurant style at CPK makes me think of overpriced pizzas, reluctant waitresses, and screaming children, all of which we lack at home, so if we could combine the quality with the quiet, we'd be in a good place.Frozen, the pizza appeared to be promising. The frozen crust was soft and doughy, and there was a semblance of freshness in the form of herbs on top. But the toppings were scattered and patchy in places with hacksawed chunks of onion ranging from fingernail sized to finger sized, and the sauce looked to be sparse and buried under the cheese. After it cooked, it didn't look much better. What was advertised as plump and soft crust was crunchy looking- the exact trait that made us avoid CPK in the first place after their rising crust pizza was yanked off our grocery shelves.It was an average pizza. The crust was overly floured- that "restaurant touch" rearing its ugly head, I can only assume, and left a powdery, strange texture that lingered on the lips. It was solid and didn't get soggy underneath the berth of toppings, though. There was more barbecue sauce than I'd originally imagined, but after the cheese melted, it was visible that the sauce was dotted on the pizza in a precise, mechanical shape, which certainly belied the emphasis on restaurant style. It was an inoffensive sauce, though erring toward the sweet side. The cheese was unnoticeable but held everything together, and it was a pleasant touch to have the herbs flavoring the top. What really irked me was the infrequency of the toppings- often we'd get bites of just cheese and sauce, or just onions on the crust. Never chicken and onions. At the end, the crust was as crackery and airy as the thin crusted pizza.There was nothing about this that made me want to get it again, as it did not refresh my faith in the CPK frozen pizzas, or bring out new flavors that seemed interesting and different to other brands. We're still on our hunt for another brand of frozen pizza that mirrors the flavor and quality of Amy's.

Las Vegas Treats - Payard

While on our long weekend in Las Vegas, my husband and I were determined to stop in at the Payard Patisserie inside Caesar's Palace. Last year, we went there for the first time after reading Cybele's enticing review on her Candy Blog. This year, I was definitely looking forward to visiting Payard again.

The gigantic clock in the picture above spits out a chocolate sample every 15 minutes - my husband snagged one last year, but we were not so lucky this time. Still, I was there for the pastries rather than the chocolate.


This photo is from last year, by the way.
The dessert case is a wonderful collection of delightfully decorated miniature cakes, tarts, and pies, costing around $7 each. They definitely fall into the almost-too-pretty-to-eat category, and although they are a bit pricey, it's Las Vegas. At least when you spend that $7 on a cake, you've got a guaranteed win.

I selected the gorgeous Manjari Berry Tart (shown below) because it was such a glossy, sexy red, and it reminded me of topsy-turvy designer cakes. The edible gold leaf topping didn't hurt, either. The cashier served it up on a plastic dish for me and my husband, and we sat at a table just outside the boutique, overlooking the slot machines. One of my favorite touches at Payard is that the plastic cutlery looks like silverware. It's very cute.


"Chocolate Almond Sponge layered with Berry Curd and
Manjari Chocolate Mousse topped with an Almond Macaron"
The gold leaf was a gorgeous, luxurious touch, and the French macaron was a fun, crispy topping. Apparently, Payard serves gorgeous full size macarons, but I guess I've been so distracted by the dessert case that I've missed them both times. Anyhow, the mousse and sponge were delightfully bitter, providing a rich contrast to the tartness of the berry curd.


The texture play inside the tart was quite fun, with sponge cake, mousse, gel, and a cookie-like bottom. Keeping the chocolate in the airier components of the cake gave it a delicate feel, and the intense berry curd flavor was just right. In short, the Manjari Berry Tart was decadent without being heavy, and the contrasting flavors were interesting and delicious.


Finally, this is the lovely Chestnut Tart I sampled last fall. Underneath the glossy orange coating, the texture of the filling was meaty and tender like a chestnut, but the flavor was more like pumpkin (which must have been intentional, since the description mentioned pumpkin). Still, it was quite tasty and again, not heavy.

To sum it up, these small luxuries are certainly worth it. If you happen to be on the Las Vegas strip, Payard is definitely worth a visit. They also have a beautiful sorbet and gelato display and a chocolate shop. Everything looks delicious, but I've really only tried the pastries.

Polar Natural Pomegranate Seltzer

I feel like seltzer really toes the line of drink preferences. Soda is obvious, you either like it or you don't, and then you're a giant pussy. Juice is great until you're six, and after that, it's just a mixer. Albeit a BITCHTASTIC mixer, but still. Energy drinks are only appropriate if you're 14 and raging at the world or in college and studying for finals. Milk is all across the board because everyone has different preferences of fat content, and everyone over the age of 10 in most countries has a glass of wine with dinner, but seltzer is a wild card. Like Mr. T. It's pushed aside for more palatable beverages, but can be a tasty addition to beverages or a decent stand-alone drink.

I've always seen it as a cop-out to a real beverage- not enough fruit flavoring and/or artificial colors to warrant being an alternative to juice, and not enough excitement to be lumped into the soda conglomerate. But then the PR department of seltzer decided to revamp that shit for the 21st century, yo, so now the good citizens of America are faced with difficult flavor choices such as Georgia peach, triple berry, watermelon-basil, or vanilla.One of my phabulous suitemates, Ptaradactyl, was kind enough to let me borrow not only one of her Polar Springs pomegranate seltzers, but also a shot glass to photograph it in and drink out of because I am Classy Spice in this crib. The seltzer is noncaloric and boasts luscious pomegranates on the front of the can. That is literally all I can say about this, and that's coming from someone who regularly composes 1,000 word write-ups about limited edition hamburgers.

The soda is harshly carbonated with a nicely prominent pomegranate flavor. The scent is stronger than the flavor, which is a little disappointing. It's not sweet, but is tart and is a much less pungent than pomegranate juice. This is a good selling point, as I tend to get tired of the sour flavor of that particular libation. The aftertaste tastes a bit saccharine, less like fruit and more like Fruit 2 O.If I were to have this again, I'd probably use it to dilute some juice, but as a stand-alone beverage, I'm not very inclined to keep drinking it. I suppose I need a little more flavor in my drinks, because this just feels a little too unsatisfying for regular consumption. Mad props to staying true to the fruit, though.

Fruitcake Cookies

Did you forget to make a fruitcake back in the middle of November when you're supposed to in order for the cake to have time to properly soak up spirits and mature into the moist, delicious treat that fruitcake can be? I did, as I do every year.

But there is still time to make fruitcake cookies!

I stumbled upon the amazing idea of making fruitcake cookies over at the King Arthur Flour blog, Baking Banter. If you enjoy baking and have never seen this blog, you really need to check it out. I've actually banned Baking Banter from my RSS feed, because everything they bake makes me drool. Instead, I've stuck the blog over in my bookmarks where I only check it every month or two, you know, so I don't get so inspired to bake everything they post.To make fruitcake cookies you're just using the same batter as fruitcake, but, instead of baking it in a loaf or bundt pan, you're baking the batter in cookie form. So, if you already have a tried-and-true fruitcake recipe you love, just use that recipe.

I decided to stick to the recipe on King Arthur Flour's baking blog, which calls for nuts and mostly naturally dried fruit, with the exception of candied cherries. Their reasoning for keeping the candied cherries is that they are the least offensive taste-wise of the traditional fruitcake candied fruits, plus they're just so colorful and would be missed by those who truly love fruitcake. I totally agree.Did I just say I stuck to the recipe? OK, I did change it up a bit, but I think it's for the better. After baking the cookies, I tasted them and they tasted fine, but were missing something. A soaking in spirits! The soaking and curing in spirits (usually port, sherry, brandy, bourbon, or rum; or any combination of these) is what really takes fruitcake to a higher level and makes it so moist and yummy. Also, I didn't add the espresso powder the recipe called for, because coffee just doesn't say fruitcake to me.

After the cookies were cooled, I brushed port on the top of the cookies, then flipped them over and brushed the bottoms of the cookies with port. For good measure, I brushed the tops again with port. Oh my goodness! These were fabulous. And I really love the cookie form, which is great for taking to holiday parties. Also, I bet fruitcake haters would snatch these up not knowing they are fruitcake and declare them delicious. I don't know how many fruitcake haters I've converted over the years, but it brings me such joy.
Fruitcake Cookies
adapted from Baking Banter
makes 40-50 cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/4 cup bourbon, rum, or brandy
1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
9 cups chopped dried fruit and nuts (I used equal portions of pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, dates, dried pineapple, and candied cherries.)
3/4 cup port (or other liquor of choice)

• In a large bowl, beat together butter, light brown sugar, salt, and baking powder.
  
• Add eggs to mixture, and beat until smooth and creamy.
• Add 1/4 cup bourbon or other spirit, and 1/4 cup apple cider, and beat until combined.
• Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and flour, and beat until combined.
• Stir into the batter all of the chopped dried fruits and nuts.
• Spoon balls of dough about the size of a golf ball onto buttered or parchment lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of space between the dough.
• Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are set and bottoms are light brown.
• Remove from baking pans, and cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes.
  
• When cookies are cool, brush tops and bottoms of cookies with port or liquor of choice.
  
• Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a couple of months, or even longer in the freezer.
  

Marabella Meatball Co.

Meatball mania hits Philadelphia!

OK, maybe not mania, but there does seem to be a soft rumble in the city for the little round balls of Italian comfort food. Meatballs are making an appearance on menus around town, and Marabella Meatball Co., a quick eats restaurant specializing in meatballs, just opened up in Center City.

Marabella features beef, pork, chicken, and vegetarian meatballs that you can order in a hoagie roll, as sliders, smashed on a round roll, with pasta, or just by themselves in a bowl. Customize your order with a choice of sauce (tomato, marinara, mushroom, or Alfredo), cheese (aged Provolone, Fontina, Piave Vecchio, or Gorgonzola), and toppings (broccoli rabe, spinach, olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato, proscioutto, mortadella, Ricotta, or pesto).

If you don't feel like customizing your meal, choose one of the eight sandwich creations on the menu that Marabella has already dreamed up. A couple of salads are also on the menu.I was curious as to what Marabella's veggie meatballs would be like, suspecting they would be dense and falafel-like, but came away very pleased to see a loose ball of roughly chopped garbanzo beans and broccoli. Yes, broccoli! I just love vegetable sneak attacks.In order to try out a few of the sauces, I ordered three sliders, each with a different sauce — Alfredo, mushroom, and marinara. All of the sauces at Marabella are seasoned well, but take the safe route by skipping aggressive seasonings. You are not going to be hit over the head with garlic or pepper at Marabella.

The mushroom sauce is a base of Alfredo with mushrooms, and when both the mushroom and Alfredo sauces are paired with the veggie balls, the combination comes off as sweet, thanks to the mild sauces and sweet broccoli. For a little contrast in flavors, I'd recommend the bright and acidic marinara with the subtly sweet veggie balls.

Marabella is a great place to indulge in Italian veggie meatballs, as you won't find them at classic red gravy Italian joints in the city. Do note that the veggie meatballs are not vegan.

Marabella Meatball Co.
1211-B Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-238-1833
Mon-Sat: 11am-9pm