Tonight we ordered meals from our usual Chinese takeout spot and added a couple of appetizers from Trader Joe’s.
Well, I have finally found quality scallion pancakes! I feel like I’ve been waiting for years. Whenever we order it takeout, it ends up being soggy and disgusting. Even when dining in-house at some restaurants, they never manage to be crispy enough. Thank you TJ’s for producing this wonderful scallion pancake. They have two versions-- this was the Taiwanese kind. I’ve tried the other one in the past and while they were good, they did not resemble the “traditional” Americanized-Chinese restaurant creations. The dough was layered and paper thin like pastry. Even going against directions and using the air fryer turned them into glorious puffy and golden brown cakes.
We also had fried vegetable dumplings from TJ’s that were wonderful. This gave me a chance to try out new cooking chopsticks that the BF bought last week. Let’s just say I need a lot more practice with them!
To drink I had a Tito’s and lemon-lime seltzer from a new brand I noticed called Waterloo. I’ve seen it in a couple of supermarkets and thought I would try it. WELL, I never thought I would complain about seltzer but it was disgusting. Actually had a bizarre cotton candy aftertaste. Its just normal seltzer like Bublee or Polar or Schweppes. Very weird. I don’t know what to do with my remaining 7 cans.
We enjoyed another excellent dinner at Corso 98 in Montclair, NJ. I enjoyed a pork chop with a sweet sausage, raisin and fennel stuffing, hot cherry peppers, and broccoli rabe pesto. Mrs. P enjoyed the eggplant piccata she had last time. We also enjoyed a refreshing watermelon salad with a fried polenta cake, arugula, mint, honey, pistachio, Calabrian chili, and ricotta. Another excellent repeat dish from last time was the whipped ricotta with caramelized onion jam and toasted pine nuts. We also enjoyed an excellent porcini pappardelle with pancetta. It all went great with an excellent Syrah. We took home a flourless chocolate cake that Mrs. P repurposed into smore’s.
Clarification for those of you who don’t know me - my “Spring Onion” is how I refer to my 6-year old kid. I can’t remember who coined that…it may have been dearly departed @smtucker?
But one (sad) day, he will become my “adolescent leek.”
Summer in New Jersey. Tomatoes, basil, zucchini, corn off the cob, and Fluke (aka Summer Flounder). Some preserved lemon tossed in at the last minute added a bright punch.
Ooh exciting! I have had the Korean style ones (Pajeon) - and love them. (I had to erase them from my mind so I don’t buy them too often, because they pack a whopping punch.)
BUT - I haven’t seen these Taiwanese ones at my local store as of last week. Must look this week!
Looks like you may want to use a bit more oil on the dumplings - they look like they turned out well! but the uneven browning is a typical sign of not enough contact across the fried surface. It won’t stick with a good non-stick, but the frying and texture won’t be quite the same
One of my local stores has been carrying Waterloo seltzer lately too, and I LOVE the strawberry flavor. However, I tried the grape the other day, and it was absolutely disgusting. Undrinkable for me. Thanks for the heads up to avoid their lemon-lime as well!
Feel your respective pain with the bad tasting seltzers; due to the market being out of my go to brand, picked up a six pack of La Croix (yuck) lime flavored. Absolutely couldn’t drink more than half can, total. Not wanting to insult the UPS or FedEx drivers, didn’t put it out for them either. Opened the cans, watered the seedlings outside, and recycled the aluminum. Surprisingly, the plants survived.
Though we do not eat poultry, I like your salsa of Worcestershire & Tangerine marmalade to use for a thick slab of fish in oven and a sprinkle of dried red cayenne - guindillas … and love deviled hard boiled eggs and a fennel coleslaw would be refreshing !
VERY enlightening! Air drying (which wouldn’t have worked on Saturday, as I didn’t take them out of the freezer until Sat. morning) and using less baking powder than I used seems to keep them crispy enough to stand up to the sauce/glaze.
i’ve had it, as the shop was in my neighborhood. it was really good, but the shop closed down, and they’re only doing retail now. i could find it nearby, though… they have a lot of other great flavors too.
Lamb merguez, tzatziki and flageolets with roasted tomatoes, garlic and thyme. Thanks to the person (@Mr_Happy I think?) who posted flageolets recently, reminding me how much I love them and that I had half a package in the cupboard. They are such great beans! Thinking of using some in a salad…
As I recall they also sold a couple of other flavors but I can’t remember what they were. I took a look at theirs flavors thinking it would jog my memory. It didn’t but HOLY SH*T!! I want to try every one of them.
Tagging @CurlzNJ as she is my partner in ice cream crime and I went to make sure she sees this.
