typetive's Profile
Alternative to Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips Needed
babyducks - See's are also made by Guittard. It's a slightly different recipe than the Guittard branded chips from the grocery store though. Good stuff.
How do you 'Gussy Up' your Frozen Waffle?
Yuzu Marmalade (also known as Citron Tea at Little Tokyo Market) and Chevre - I eat it like a sandwich.
I'm out of Yuzu Marmalade, so yesterday I had sliced Figs instead.
Other than that, I usually eat them straight out of the toaster with nothing on them.
If anyone is looking for coconut M&M's
Wild Cherry M&Ms were introduced as a Limited Edition, but they are now permanent.
If anyone is looking for coconut M&M's
Pretzel M&Ms are supposed to be out this month, though I've been scouring the stores and haven't seen them.
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/candy_tease_october_2009/
I tried some at a trade show last year, they're like the old Crispy M&Ms, except saltier. They're a little larger than the Peanut M&Ms.
If anyone is looking for coconut M&M's
They're milk chocolate with coconut flavor - a little larger than the regular M&Ms.
See photos here:
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/limited_edition_mms_coconut/
I've found them so far at Walgreen's pretty faithfully and even a few CVS.
For those who like actual coconut in their coconut candies, I prefer the Almond Joy Pieces, they're new from Hershey's and feature coconut & almond bits mixed into the milk chocolate inside a shell (like Reese's Pieces).
Attempting to make a family recipe organic -- sub for organic dark corn syrup in caramels?
I've used brown rice syrup in place of plain corn syrup for caramels before.
It worked just fine, but what I found was that the caramels did have a darker flavor, mostly a malty one. (Brown rice syrup contains maltose plus complex carbs instead of glucose.)
Honey, brown rice syrup, molasses & organic corn syrup all work pretty well, just a bit different.
Japanese candy
Ooh, it must be back, I just saw this on eBay today.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Morinaga-Hi-Chew-Candy-Lychee-Flavor-20-x-7pcs_W0QQitemZ260490392479QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca66ff39f
Note that the packages are in English, which usually means they're made in Taiwan, not Japan. The flavors, I've noticed, are not quite as intense with the Taiwan-made product.
Japanese candy
I prowl the Japanese candy aisle pretty regularly and haven't seen the Lychee recently. The last time I saw it, it was in a mixed bag. But the most recent mixed bag I got had Pineapple instead of lychee.
However, the Lychee Kasugai Gummies are pretty awesome. For hard candies they also make a very good version of those.
There are some great other flavors of HiCHEW lately like Blood Orange, Cotton Candy, DragonFruit & CamuCamu.
Krackel bar discontinued
Krispies hold up well when mixed with chocolate. They respond poorly to moisture, so make sure they're well coated in chocolate and they'll keep that crunch. Then make sure you store them in an airtight container.
I don't recommend the Coco Krispies for candy making because they're sweetened (and the regular ones really aren't) ... however, mixing it with some extra dark chocolate might actually be good because the sweetness would be so noticeable. (Instead of just competing with the sweetness of a milk chocolate.)
Definitely chose a low humidity day to work with it.
Krackel bar discontinued
The Krackel in the miniature are now made with vegetable oil based chocolate (mockolate) instead of this Pure Hershey's they've been advertising.
However, EWSflash, they do make a dark chocolate version. There's a set of Special Dark Miniatures that has both a dark Goodbar (though they don't call it that) and a dark Krackel.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/typetive/2776537861/
crispy m&ms
The coconut M&Ms are a limited edition item that came out in June. Once they're gone, they'll be gone (unless Mars decides to make them regular/seasonal).
I saw them today at Walgreen's. They had them up by the register and were really pushing them last month.
crispy m&ms
Quite simply, they weren't popular enough to continue selling them.
You can write to Mars and ask them to bring them back.
They have returned a few times as a limited edition item, except perhaps a little different. Most recently there was a Crispy Mint version for the Indiana Jones movie last summer.
They do still sell them in Canada/Australia/Indonesia and you can find them on eBay every once in a while. I've been finding them ever so often at a wine shop that sells imported candies in Los Angeles called Mel & Rose.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/typetive/208743748/
Malodorous plastic food packaging (and other rants)
I don't think you're nuts at all.
I can't stand cling wrap, much of it smells like pungent artificial skunk to me. In many cases, if I get a product that comes in such wrapping I have to take it out and let it "breathe" then repackage it.
I also won't go to places that use those foam containers for hot soup ... it just ruins the whole thing for me, even if I pour it into a real bowl right away.
Don't get me started on plastic cups ... how can people not smell that? (Some folks think I'm being all eco because I drink my water at the office from a glass I brought from home, really it's that the plastic cups in the kitchen smell like toxic waste.)
What is your favorite type of nougat?
I'm a big fan of nougat. I'm not picky, I like both soft and hard nougats. I prefer it with nuts and don't care with it with dried fruits but a good candied citrus peel can be good.
Valerie Confections in Los Angeles does some really nice classic French nougats that include candied lemon or orange peels. (Covered in dark chocolate.)
I really like Arnaud Soubeyran for the nougat de Montelimar - the lavender honey notes come through quite strongly. It's expensive though but I splurge a few times a year. (Oh, and I think they do a fig one too, awesome as well.)
For a really good artisan nougat I recommend Nutpatch Nougat from Tasmania - great honey flavor and hazelnuts grown right there at the farm. It's kind of hard to get a hold of these days though, which is rather sad.
I also enjoy See's Awesome Nut & Chew Bar which has a soft nougat that's more of a cross between nougat and marshmallow - it has a soft stringy quality to it but an excellent flavor.
I've had Massam's from South Africa - though the texture is really good and I love the nuts, the doughy "cereal" flavor doesn't really float my boat.
In a pinch I pick up Ferrara Torrones - they come in bars that I often find at delis and usually at a decent price (about $2.50).
Help Me Find Guittard Chocolate
I saw the little disks of Guittard couveture at Williams Sonoma over the weekend (Glendale Galleria).
I have seen them at Cost Plus World Market, but that was around the holidays, I don't know if it's a regular thing for them.
A bucket of fresh figs -- What do I do?
I made a fig preserve a couple of years ago when I had a bumper crop off my tree:
4 parts peeled figs, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 part sugar
1 part honey
1 or 2 T. lemon juice (depending on amount of figs)
Simmer on low until the figs are completely translucent.
I used mine with a cheese course and spread on waffles in the morning until it was gone.
Anyone been to Mercado Chocolaté Loco
I haven't been to Universal Citywalk in at least 12 years. But I really like chocolate & was planning to go check out the new show ItSugar next week.
I was curious what fellow hounds thought of Mercado Chocolaté Loco that's also there.
Anyone been? What do they have? How are the prices?
Starbucks has a line of truffles
I rather liked them. I liked the chai truffle the best, but mostly because it was strong on cardamom and not clove like many other chais are.
I think they're fun, but given all the other great choices out there for the price, it's not something I'm planning on buying.
Best Spicy Chocolate
What do you mean by corn syrup in the Lindt Excellent Chili? I don't see that on the ingredients - did you get yours from a different country?
Kinder Bueno Chocolate Bar
In Los Angeles I get them at Mel & Rose Wine & Liquors on Melrose. They usually have a good selection of many of the Kinder items.
Does sushi have parasites?
The parasites present in fish are in their gut. The life cycle of these worms is that once an animal dies the parasites sense this and move out of the gut, through the intenstinal walls and into the flesh in preparation to be eaten.
When a fish is caught and processed immediately (gutted) virtually all chance of this happening disappears.
Further, most fish that is called Sushi Grade is flash frozen at sea, which also kills virtually all of these parasites that might have snuck in there. When in doubt, excellent sushi chefs will check a very thin slice (think of a piece of lox) and hold it up to the light ... the worms are large enough to be visible.
These worms are not the common tape worms that humans have been plagued with for millions of years. The Anisakiasis larvae can come from ceviche or sushi. They can cause nausea, vomiting, cramps, abdominal pain and intestinal gas. It will usually pass though (and it's highly likely that most cases of infection go unreported because they resolve themselves).
Tastespotting... oh noes!
Do a google search like this:
site:tastespotting.com salmon
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Atastespotting.com+salmon&btnG=Google+Search
Then click on "cached" in the search results. You'll get the info, though without a lot of the formatting.
Do it quick, because you never know when Notcot will cut off the image access.
Tastespotting... oh noes!
I saw another anon comment that said the same thing.
It seems that when you take down a site without much of an explanation we're all just gonna sit around like pundits and spin it any old way.
To continue doing that ... I wonder what other legal issues there would be besides copyright? (All the text was so complimentary, so it couldn't be defamation. Some sort of dispute over hosting ... someone contesting ownership of the idea?)
Tastespotting... oh noes!
Free advertising?
For whom?
How is it shortsighted?
If the photo is stolen, the photo is stolen. (Often they would NOT be attributed properly and it would be incumbent upon the photographer to pursue Tastespotting.) I didn't have this happen, but I know that was one of the grumbles I heard behind the scenes.
Great milk chocolate?
I've picked up Galaxy at import shops. If you have Cost Plus World Market in your area, they have it sometimes.
I think the milk chocolate is quite different from the Dove Milk, but the darks are rather similar.
I really enjoy the Japanese KitKats, it might just be that their packaging keeps them super-fresh.
Great milk chocolate?
Choxie is only sold at Target (though sometimes it shows up on eBay).
Maria - I don't know how they use the milk to make the chocolate sweet (though I'd hesitate to call it "sweet" chocolate either). The bar itself tastes a little bit like toasted peanuts, so it may be caramelized in some fashion. The box says that it was made in Columbia by Eneh Compania Nacionale de Chocolates
The entire ingredients list is this:
MarieBelle Mayan Chocolate Bar 70% Single Origin Columbian Cacao Unsweetened
Cocoa Mass, skim milk powder, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, soy lecithin, PGPR-90 polyglicerol poly ricinoleate (emulsifier), natural vanilla. (Kosher)
Great milk chocolate?
maria - it's been quite a while since I had the Vosges, but I'd call them very similar (so similar I'd wonder who was making the Vosges). Seeing how Choxie is about half the price and probably easier to find, it's worth the try.
(I do eat a lot of chocolate, here are some of my reviews - www.typetive.com/candyblog/category/chocolate )
In the category of "odd" milk chocolate, I'm working my way through a bar from MarieBelle (NYC) called Mayan Chocolate Bar that has no added sugar. It's 70% Columbian cacao but has milk in it as the "sweetener".
Great milk chocolate?
I haven't tried that one Kagoo! Sounds pretty good. I had an almond w/sea salt milk bar from Choxie the week before last that was surprisingly good as well. A much darker milk chocolate so it was rather smokey tasting.
