Ben & Jerry's That's My Jam Core Review

It's been so hot in Houston... and humid - like a sauna you can't run away from. I've gotta admit though that summer this year hasn't been nearly as bad as other years. It only started getting really hot in August instead of the typical all summer long heat that occurs. I am trying to enjoy it though after the never-ending winter this past year.

So to cool down, I got some ice cream! Ben & Jerry's apparently has a new line of ice creams out - "core." Normally, I would go for anything nutty, like peanut butter, but this for some reason caught my eye since I was craving chocolate chips. I grabbed the That's My Jam flavor which has chocolate and raspberry ice cream (with chocolate chips in the raspberry half) and a raspberry jam core.

That is raspberry jam with seeds. I know a lot of people who hate the seeds but I love them. I don't know how people will feel with seeds in their ice cream though. It didn't bother me much. The so-called raspberry ice cream didn't really taste anything like raspberry, probably because the chocolate chips overpowered the flavor. But I tried it without the chocolate chips and I would say the raspberry flavor is very very light, almost non-existent. It didn't bother me though because the raspberry core does all the work.

The jam is soft straight out of the freezer and pairs nicely with the chocolate notes here. Chocolate and raspberry is such a great combination - just thinking about it is making me crave a chocolate cake with raspberry filling. This is the ice cream version of it and I've yet to see this combination offered by any brands. The core idea is brilliant, it's like a real sundae in a pint. Sure, there are banana split flavors, sundae flavors, etc. offered by many brands, but everything is all swirled together and just becomes a pint of mish-mash. I like tasting the components individually instead of having everything mixed together. Texturally, this ice cream is pretty firm - it's not soft out of the freezer like Blue Bell. Growing up on Blue Bell, I'm used to a fluffier texture and Ben & Jerry's is pretty dense. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm impatient when it comes to eating ice cream and having to wait for it to thaw a little is painful.

I always have a habit of looking at the nutritional label of all packaged foods I buy. Not like it matters here for ice cream, but I do like to see what kind of ingredients are used - this helps me when I try to re-create recipes or adjust recipes to my liking.

Anyhow, I checked on the Ben & Jerry's website and found that currently have a total of four core flavors: Hazed and Confused - chocolate and hazelnut ice creams with fudge chips and a hazelnut fudge core (I am dying to try this one!), Peanut Butter Fudge - chocolate and peanut butter ice creams with mini peanut butter cups and a peanut butter fudge core (yeah, I wanna try this one too, but after the hazelnut one), Salted Caramel - sweet cream ice cream with blonde brownies and a salted caramel core (this didn't look interesting to me until I saw the blonde brownies component), and of course That's My Jam.

If you haven't tried their new core line, you're missing out on this new creation of packaged ice creams. It's really genius and takes the mess out of making a sundae. I found this at my local H-E-B, although they didn't have all varieties available. You won't regret it!

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Fromager d'Affinois Truffles Review

My first love has always been cheese before it was sweets. When I started running a lot, it seems I altered my body's chemistry and I started craving sweets more and more. I've found that since I've taken a break from excessive cardio and running completely, my true taste buds are starting to return.

First cheese love before being introduced to gourmet cheeses? Cheddar, of course. But one day I heard about brie cheese and how creamy it is, especially triple creme. I went on a brie frenzy and tried all sorts of brands.

Then not too long ago, I was browsing the Murray's Cheese section of my local Kroger and stumbled upon Fromger d'Affinois. It's brie's creamier, more buttery cousin and not as pungent. I had been eating brie lately and was on my weekly grocery shopping trip at Central Market when this truffle version caught my eye. I mean, truffles go great with anything savory. I love it on fries, I love truffle infused oil on my baked potato, I like it in my mustard, it's just such a great flavor. To mix it in with creamy buttery cheese? That's a guaranteed winner.

This was not cheap. That little wedge cost about $10 and I can eat that pretty darn fast. But I won't. Because I've learned to savor food. And also because my bank account is not made of gold.

You can see how creamy and soft this cheese is. It's definitely softer than a lot of brie cheeses, similar to a triple creme brie. For some reason, I noticed it is a little more "oily" as it didn't stick to my dish as much as brie does. Doesn't matter to me, if you're eating cheese, are you really watching what's oily and what's not?

This cheese is pretty soft so you don't need to let it come to room temperature like you do for some brie varieties. My first taste of this was euphoric. The rich butter flavor and super creamy texture of Fromager d'Affinois with a hint of truffle. It's not as pungent a truffle flavor as a lot of the oils, but it tasted fresher somehow, bordering on shiitake mushrooms. It doesn't overwhelm the cheese where you lose the cheese flavor but it complements each other. I usually go for the original flavored cheeses since additional flavors sometimes mask the true flavor of the cheese, but this was soooooo good. The rind is not as pungent like that of brie and I think contributes to the flavor profile.

If you like truffles and you like cheese, this is like a dream combination. Fromager d'Affinois is made with microbial rennet so it's suitable for vegetarians. When I was vegetarian, I had the most difficult time finding french cheeses that did not use animal rennet. This was my go to when I couldn't find a vegetarian brie. You might like this even better than brie.

I've been seeing Fromager d'Affinois at more and more grocery stores, but this Truffles variety was only available at the Central Market near me. If you have not tried the original flavor and can't find the Truffles variety, try that instead, although this one is pretty darn special. I'm sure Whole Foods would be willing to order it for you if your local one doesn't already carry it.

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Ruuska Fire Dill Pickles Review

Pickles are a fun crunchy food to eat when that primal instinct of a need to crunch and chew starts calling. Instead of parking my butt on the couch with a bag of potato chips, pickles are a more refreshing and flavorful alternative. I passed by some unique pickles, Ruuska All Natural Pickles in Fire Dill flavor, while at Central Market buying big eye tuna for the 4th of July weekend and decided to try them. I'm always game for trying the "smaller" brands that I don't see that often as they are a little more creative with flavors and technique and usually have cleaner ingredients.

The combination of herbs and spices piqued my interest since I do like my cucumbers spicy. I also love dill and I don't often see celery seed, thai chili, or habanero used in a lot of pickle flavor varieties. This flavor, Fire Dill, is classified as high heat according to the front label.

They certainly did not skimp on the spices and herbs so this is bound to be one flavorful pickle. And by the looks of it, one spicy one too.

Oh my, look how fresh they are. The cucumbers still retain their white flesh unlike commercially prepared pickles which have been sitting for a long time. And look at the actual sprigs of dill, not just dried dill thrown into the pickling juice. Sooooo... let's have a bite!

The pickles are come sliced spears, each about four to five inches. As I bit into one, I noticed how much of a cucumber it still tastes like, unlike a lot of brands where it tastes like... pickling juice? I don't know, these tasted so fresh and was not overly salted. It was a pickle, but then it was still a cucumber. That's the only way I can explain it. Crunch was decent, although the skin was a little thicker than I preferred, making the crunch a little less than I"m used to. At first, I thought, these are not high heat. It's not spicy at all. Until I was done with the cucumber. The spice tends to hit you after the pickle is gone. It's not that spicy, but it's spicier than when you are chewing on it. Still, this is a spicy pickle, I wouldn't mark the heat level as high as they did on the label, maybe 3/4 to the top of the highest heat level on the front of the container. The flavor is wonderful. It tasted strongly of the actual peppers used, not just a sensation of heat, yet the cucumber flavor shined through. Everything is subtle, but comes together in full flavor. These would be a great accompaniment to sandwiches and burgers and to slice it up and add it to a burger would give it a nice kick. Just in time for summer.

I found Ruuska All Natural Pickles at the Central Market in Houston. They carried some other flavors and sliced varieties as well. These are in the refrigerated section across from the milk. They were about $4 if I recall correctly. I'll be back to try some more since these are the best pickles I've tasted. I just can't get over how this pickle still tasted cucumber-y but yet still like a pickle. Keep your eyes open for these and grab a container or two!

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Flatout Flat Bread Multi-Grain with Flax Review

I love bread, did I mention that already? I could live off of bread, seriously. But sometimes eating a very "bready" bread for lunch at work leaves me sleepy. I found this flat bread by Flatout at HEB this past week and caved in and bought it. I've seen this across a couple of health blogs lately and its macros are pretty good. This particular variety isn't too carby and has a good amount of protein and fiber. I'm sure we've all had those less than pleasant... digestive moments after eating too much bread so I welcome the fiber with open arms.

One thing I noticed that this brand emphasizes is that it makes "amazing pizza." I have yet to make pizza with it although I'm very curious and that does sound delicious. I used it to make a wrap and to my surprise, this flat bread has a good elasticity to it without tasting or feeling rubbery. I was able to roll up my chicken and crunchy romaine without it tearing.

Okay, it did tear a little but that was because I overstuffed it and could barely even get the seams together. The first time I made it without overstuffing it and it was perfect.

The flat bread is a pretty decent size, longer than it is wide which is perfect for a wrap. It's not dry like some flat breads and this particular variety was slightly sweet. Perfect, I like a little sweetness in my breads.

Up close, you can see the bread is pretty thin, but not too thin. Not too thick for a wrap either. I wonder how it would hold up to pizza though.

My wonderful wrap consisted of some romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast, mushroom, and a splash of salad dressing. It was so good! I don't usually like eating wraps and sandwiches since I like my food deconstructed - this way I can taste each component to its full potential, but I was looking forward to this. It's definitely convenient when I don't have time to prepare lunch for the next day - I usually grill a huge batch of chicken breast for at least a week to 1.5 weeks in advance so all I have to do is chop some lettuce and assemble. I would recommend after rolling together the wrap to wrap it in foil and eat it out of that - it'll hold everything together. This isn't exactly a burrito with closed ends and extra elasticity so it will fall apart. You can go to the Flatout website to see where it is carried near you. I found it at HEB at the end of the bread aisle, not necessarily on their typical shelves but the extra shelves they add on to the aisle. This was the case at two HEBs I went to so I am assuming they did this for a good number of their stores.

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Califia Farms Cocoa Noir Cold Brew Coffee Almondmilk Review

I can't live without coffee. I don't think the world can turn without coffee. There is no life without coffee.

I went to the Montrose Whole Foods Market yesterday to get some cold brew coffee when I saw coffee almondmilk by Califia Farms. I've seen these jugs of almondmilk coffee and people grab them off the shelves like their lives depend on it. I thought, well, I like coffee and I like almondmilk... but the jugs are so big! As I was pondering whether to buy it or not, a Whole Foods employee stopped in his tracks to tell me all about this mysterious coffee almondmilk. He was so passionate about it and was telling me how these fly off the shelves and tastes amazing as well as does a great job of delivering a generous energy boost. He told me they just recently started carrying single-serving size versions and would get one for me to sample. How nice is that? I love how passionate Whole Foods employees are and they genuinely want people to try food because it is good and not necessarily for sales. Since it was comped, I don't really know how much this 10.5 oz costs, but it is good so it will be worth it.

I got their Cocoa Noir variety which is like a mocha. As you can see on the bottle, it is vegan, gluten free, packaged in a BPA-free bottle, and its ingredients are non-GMO verified. Score!

Looking at the nutritional label, you can see it's vitamin-boosted and doesn't contain chemical ingredients. I don't have any sensitivities to carageenan or gums, so it's not something that bothers me to see it in the ingredients list. Their lecithin is derived from sunflower and not soy (for all you soy-intolerant people out there), although keep in mind they don't claim it to be soy-free.

I shook up the bottle before pouring myself a glass; there are some flecks of the almond milk not completely mixed in, but it's not something that bothers me. It doesn't affect the product quality in any way.

I felt a need to treat myself this morning so I added a little bit of whipped topping. Yum. This was such a treat! The coffee is just dark enough with a strong mocha presence and the almondmilk has a subtle thickness and is very smooth. The product did not have to be shaken before serving (I didn't see this stated on the bottle) as I noticed there wasn't any residue when I turned the bottle upside down at the store (large bottles are clear, single-serve is not). I should have taken a picture of it being poured out so you can see how creamy it is. It's definitely not too sweet but not bland either. It does however, have a strong almondmilk aroma (duh, it's almondmilk), and if you've ever put coffee and almondmilk together, it does not yield a coffee flavor the way you would expect when mixed with cow's milk or soy milk. If you're not used to this flavor, you may not like it. I personally enjoy almondmilk with coffee (cold, not hot) and fell in love with this product.

Next time you go to Whole Foods, make sure you purchase yourself some Califia Farms Coffee Almondmilk! They have a couple varieties and I've seen the mocha and plain coffee versions in the large jugs. I feel a need to go buy a big giant jug or two now. It's so good!

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Las Vegas: Payard Patisserie & Bistro

Wow. That is all I can say about this place. Just wow. On Saturday (05/10/2014), we went to Payard Patisserie & Bistro @ Caesar's Palace. We've been to the bakery before to buy desserts and coffee, but had never tried their restaurant or any of the savory menu items. We STILL have not tried their crepes, but I aim to next year. After a hot walk from our hotel at Aria, which took a good 30 minutes or so, we only had to wait about 15 - 20 minutes. The dining room is intimate and small, I think their maximum occupancy sign stated somewhere between 40 - 50 people. The kitchen is set up in the center of the restaurant and the dining area sort of wraps around, a circular restaurant setting if you will. Looking in to the right are sofas up against the wall - we didn't get an opportunity to sit on that side and instead sat at the same table two days in a row. We ended up on the left where the window facing some of the shops were.

I already knew what I was ordering for mom before we got here since she LOVES lobster. And since Francois Payard is well-known for his pastries and buttery croissants, I ordered mom the Lobster Eggs Benedict on Croissant. It comes with generous chunks of lobster atop a buttery croissant split in half with two poached eggs slathered in hollandaise sauce. I had a bite and the first thing I noticed was how crispy the exterior of the croissant was, but not dry. The butter aroma was so fresh! I mean, I have never tasted a true butter croissant until that day. It was the perfect balance of slight sweetness, crispy but yet flaky crust, and moist but not soggy inside. The eggs of course were perfectly poached, whites were not runny and yolk was not overcooked. And the hollandaise! I haven't had really good hollandaise but this was not too overwhelming and complemented the dish very well. Especially with the chunks of fresh and succulent lobster which was cooked to just done and not rubbery. Can you see how happy mom is with her plate?

Unfortunately, I stuffed my face too much from the day before and did not end up ordering the lobster eggs benedict. I wanted to try their brioch french toast since it is one of their signature items, but I was too sugared and buttered out. Instead, I ordered oatmeal. I know it sounds boring, but after trying it with their sauteed berries, I was a super happy girl. The steel cut oats were cooked to a creamy consistency with the perfect bite. The portion was generous as you can see. The sauteed berries were a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. I'm sure sugar was added and the berries were quickly sauteed to release the juices but maintain a slight bite and not turn into a pile of mush.

I absolutely loved this idea of sauteed berries over my oatmeal. I do have a bias towards oatmeal since I love it so much, but really, this was good even if you don't like oatmeal. We came here again on Sunday for Mother's Day! I had a feeling it would be booked, so I made reservations that morning and I'm so glad I did - I saw them turn away all those who did not have appointments. Annnnndddddd.... we ordered the same thing again lol.

Except this time I ordered the oatmeal with caramelized apples. The waitress then asked me if I had tried their sauteed berries... So when I did try the apples, I asked for the berries again! The apples were good, but I just like mine a little bit more tender and this didn't come out warm like the berries did. But I still ate both the apples and berries with my oatmeal. I'm still dreaming about the oatmeal and I'll need to force myself to order something else the next time I come back.

As per usual for breakfast, I ordered mom a cappuccino. I think Payard by far had the best cappuccino of all the restaurants we dined at in Vegas this year. The aroma was dark and bold, but not bitter or acidic. It had the light smoky flavor characteristic of a lot of french-style roasts. The milk was not overly foamed here, yielding a creamy consistency. I find some places over-foam their milk and the cappuccino ends up being dry. I had my oatmeal with coffee and was offered coffee to-go as well! Service here was excellent both days.

So I cannot just drop by Payard and not buy anything to take home. I browsed through their chocolate assortment and decided to buy this container of chocolate covered nougat. It was not cheap. But you get what you pay for.

I have a habit at looking of ingredients when buying anything, especially chocolate and sweets. I just really like to know I'm getting real chocolate and not PGPR or some kind of imitation. That's not something you really have to worry about with a lot of the french bakeries and chocolatiers, but I still like to look for my own entertainment (yes, I know I'm odd, leave me alone).

Enough babble about the ingredients - moving on to funner things - eating it! So I was a little taken by surprise when I bit into one. I thought it would be a soft nougat center, like the nougat I got from Jean Philippe. But it was crunchy with small pieces of nuts ground into it. It was still good mind you. The green ones were white chocolate and the brown ones were dark chocolate. This was a satisfying crunch of sweetness and I may be buying more of these types of chocolates as I find them. It's probably less unhealthy to get the crunch from an actual nut (like chocolate covered almonds), but that sugar rush from the crunchy sugar is just so much more fun. Not to mention it's got caramel notes to it.

All in all, my experience at Payard was amazing. Did I mention I saw Francois Payard on Sunday!? I am always starstruck when I see chefs. More so than when I see non-chef celebrities. Is that weird?

Anyway, you can find Payard Patisserie and Bistro inside Caesar's Palace. From the front lobby entrance, go towards the casino and go straight to the back. It is diagonally across from the buffet and directly across from Rao's. The bakery is obvious the but the restaurant is a little hidden - facing the bakery, go to your left and it's right next door. I recommend reservations as the restaurant is small.

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Las Vegas - Jean Philippe Patisserie

One of my absolute favorite foods. Sweet crepes! And only at the best place in the world - Jean Philippe - located in both the Aria and Bellagio. I have tried a variety of their crepes and opted for something new this time. Pictured above is their berries crepe, which contains marinated berries with fresh raspberries and whipped cream over their sweet crepe. This is a refreshing "light" crepe, but I don't really like my strawberries cooked. I think next time I will ask for their berries crepe with raw berries instead. The crepe batter yields a slightly chewy, flavorful, and thin crepe.

I ordered the passion crepe for my mom with marinated exotic fruit which includes mango and I think pineapple. This one does not come with whipped cream and instead comes with coconut sorbet. Their coconut sorbet is really good - not too sweet and has little pieces of dessicated coconut. I've yet to try any of their other gelato flavors but plan to the next time I'm there.

In the past I've ordered their chocolate crepe which includes brownie pieces, chocolate shavings, and chocolate syrup. I was absolutely obsessed with this variation for the longest time! It really is decadent. Their apple and pecan crepe is also a favorite too, but it's just too sweet. In the past, we've ordered their bananas foster and it's the one crepe I would not recommend. The bananas are way too mushy and overcooked. If you like bananas foster, head over to Mon Ami Gabi at Paris and order it there. You can see a picture of it and read the review here. They also offer any of their crepes as a souffle crepe, which is really just a crepe with pastry cream folded inside. It's really rich and I would recommend sharing it if you opt for the souffle crepe.

If you try their candies here, you must try their nougat. Especially their chocolate nougat. It's surprisingly not too sweet and is loaded with hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios. I've tried their plain vanilla, but it's not nearly as chewy as their chocolate. It's light on the chocolate flavor but adds another dimension to the nougat overall. It's addictive. I brought some back for my friends at the gym and they thought it was amazing. I have bought a lot of nougat brands in search for something comparable to Jean Philippe's nougat and nothing comes close.

This year, I noticed another nougat flavor. They had a raspberry one which I did not get, but I'm a sucker for pistachio anything. Especially when the ingredients contain pistachio paste. It's a bit more expensive than the bar, but I just had to try it! Oh and it's better portion control I guess (I can eat the whole bar in one sitting, really). It definitely has a good pistachio aroma and Jean Philippe is always generous with the nuts in any of his candies that contain it. I found that I preferred the chewiness of the chocolate nougat bar over this. Now if he can get the texture of the chocolate nougat bar and the pistachio flavor in one, that would be like a dream come true.

Since I stopped being vegetarian, I tried some gourmet marshmallows! I never bought them before because of the gelatin, but I was happy to try them now. I tried all of the flavors, which were vanilla, lemon, tangerine, and raspberry. My favorite is the raspberry. The vanilla tastes like those valentine heart candies for some reason. Not really vanilla-y. I like how the powdered sugar outside of the marshmallow creates a crust. When you bite into it, it's a lot softer than commercially-made marshmallows and moist. It's a lot more airy too. As good as it tasted, I think I prefer my vegetarian marshmallows over this. But now that I'm allowing myself gelatin, I'll have to try making a traditional marshmallow - I'm thinking coffee flavor.

Jean Philippe Patisserie has more than just sweets. Besides their dessert case and baked goods, they offer sandwiches. I also noticed that they offer omelettes now, cooked on their crepe machine. I always order the smoked salmon sandwich here. It is soooooo good. It comes on a dill infused bread and some kind of dill mayo with sprouts, onion, boiled egg, and of course smoked salmon. Their bread is so fresh and the dill really stands out. I wouldn't get it if you're not a fan of dill. The onions are pickled it seemed, or at least marinated in some kind of vinegar mixture. I always get this sandwich to go to eat at the airport on the flight home, although just keep in mind the onions in this sandwich. I don't know about eating it on the plane and make sure you have some gum handy. He doesn't skimp on the onions, but the amount in this sandwich pairs well with everything else going on.

You can find Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Aria - as you walk in from main entrance near the check-in counter, walk down on the right towards the back across from their gift shop - and in the Bellagio - as you walk in from front entrance, go past the check-in area and garden area, stay on the left and go down the hall, it is across from the gift shop.

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Madecasse 80% Cocoa Review

I heard great things about Madecasse, including its fair trade practices and cocoa flavor. I got this at Whole Foods Market but also found it at World Market. 80% is the highest cocoa content they have while offering a lower 70% as well as a few unique flavors, such as citrus and pink pepper.

As you can see, the brand is proud of its fair trade practices which does a bit in enticing me to purchase this bar (not because it's chocolate, not at all). I always check the nutrition facts, mostly the ingredients, since there are certain ingredients that are red flags for me for poor-quality chocolate (e.g. partially hydrogenated oils, fats other than cocoa butter, corn syrup, etc.).

You can see here the ingredients are simple and minimal. I noticed the "Made in a factory that handles nuts" label and it's another brand to cross off the list to use for confections for my niece since she is severely allergic to both peanuts and certain tree nuts... for now. I'm determined to find a way for her to become tolerant of peanuts, so we can have peanut butter cakes and pies for every birthday! It's unfortunate she can't have peanut butter, she's missing out on the very essence of life.

The bar is scored into 24 pieces. I personally like it when the bars are scored into smaller squares, rather than larger ones. Of course, this plays against me when people ask for a share. I have no excuse to say no.

Flavor - I didn't really like this chocolate bar and won't buy it again. I prefer dark chocolate with coconut notes but this one was more on the tangy rustic side with light fruit notes. It almost reminds me of Starbucks Pike Place roast, a little burnt and a little sour. I didn't feel it was as smooth and melt-in-your-mouth as a couple of other brands I've tried. The tang just really threw me off from experiencing what other notes were present in the chocolate.

I will try some of their other flavors though, the citrus and pink pepper (63% cocoa base) sounds unusual and their toasted coconut (70% cocoa base) as well as espresso bean (milk chocolate base).

On another note, I should be having some restaurant reviews coming soon from one of my favorite destinations to stuff my face!

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