Minor YEA to the Pumpkin Cheesecake Croissants. Two to a package. A blob of cheesecake a bit larger than an Oreo, atop a square of puff pastry. The directions are to remove from freezer, let sit at room temperature while the oven heats to 350F, then bake 30 minutes or so, until pastry is well-browned. My oven was already hot as was the pan, so the pastries were out of the freezer no more than 5 minutes. The pastry came out beautifully crisp - EXCEPT. Although the half the bottom layers were crisp, the layers right beneath the filling were mushy and white. That’s absolutely understandable given that the cheesecake on top of it started out frozen. I was suspicious of the instructions but followed them. I have a second package, which I will thaw before baking.
These may appeal to people who aren’t wild for pumpkin and don’t want a whole pie, but for whom it’s not the holidays without a bit of pumpkin.
I had those small frozen baguettes in my freezer a while, cooked last night. Said 400°, directly on oven rack, 4-6 minutes. Mine took longer but when browned a bit were not that cooked inside. Edible if you aren’t picky but I wouldn’t buy again.
Here’s a new product that I’m all sorts of happy about:
Best application: slice thin. sear in a hot pan. place browned slices in your instant ramen bowl along with an egg and green onions. For bonus-level, take the pork fat left in the pan you did the searing in, add a little onion or garlic. Drizzle flavored liquid pork fat into ramen.
Yup, I’ve been buying those pork bellies in my MA or NH Trader Joes for at least 8 years, based on my first pork belly post on my own FB wall from July 2014. They can be hit or miss, from a fat cap-to-meat ratio, and their boxes are now sealed so you can’t peek at the shrink wrapped piece of pork inside. But the last couple I’ve gotten were good.
The other thing I’ve noticed that’s at least relatively new is the “Aussie Style” chocolate covered sandwich cookies. which is to say, TJ’s version of TIM TAMS.
Italian Custard Cream Puffs… Don’t waste your money. Very disappointing. For years I have requested they bring back the frozen profiteroles they used to carry.
As others said, YEA for the WW couscous. Absorbed a bit more liquid than called for, but I think that’s like rice - some people like it softer, others firmer.
I remember seeing that clip when BBCAmerica first started airing Graham Norton in the early 2000’s. By sheer coincidence, a coworker had come back from Australia or NZ and gifted me a few small packages of TimTams (more or less unknown in the US at the time), so the ex- and I were able to try it almost immediately. Needless to say, we were sold.
When I had the occasion to actually go to NZ myself a few years later for work, there was considerable luggage space given over to various TimTam flavors on the way home. Dark Chocolate Caramel was a personal fave.
