Did you know Yan Yan snacks came not only in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry – but delicious choco hazelnut and yogurt, too?  Until recently, the most interesting thing I knew about Yan Yan was that it occasionally featured 2-in-1 flavored dips (ie chocolate/strawberry).  I was pretty stoked to come across this new twist on the old classic.

C H O C O   H A Z E L N U T   Y A N   Y A N

Attractive packaging, similar to the pink and blue varieties you’ve seen.  Notice the toasty color and cascade of golden hazelnuts?  That’s how you know you’re about to peel back some yummy goodness.

The inside compartments are the same – long biscuits on one side, small pocket of frosting on the other.  The choco hazelnut frosting tastes a lot like Nutella.  I guess the only difference is that it tastes a tad more like chocolate than hazelnut.  Also, the flavor is not as layered or intense, and the nuttiness comes off as an afterthought – something you search for and notice upon a slight lag.  Trust me, though, because it’s definitely there!

This carton of Yan Yan cost me about $1.25 – $1.50 plus tax (Tokyo Lifestyle 4101 Campus Drive Suite 4237 Irvine, CA 949.509.9501).  Pricey for a repeat purchase, but still worth the time of any avid snacker.

I came across these macarons in the frozen dessert section at my local Trader Joe’s (about a month and a half ago?).  “Imported from France” the handmade sign bragged.  “Melts in your mouth.”  For the bargain price of $2.99, why wouldn’t I want something French melting in my mouth?

T R A D E R   J O E’ S   P A R I S I A N   M A C A R O N S

Trader Joe’s currently only carries this box featuring two types of macarons: vanilla and chocolate.  Perhaps they have more flavors up their sleeves and are waiting to see if this item is a quick seller?  In any case, check out these close-ups of the vanilla.

Front:

Side:

Notice the little “foot?” Very nice.

Interior:

The vanilla macarons taste pretty fantastic in all consideration.  They come frozen and are supposed to remain stored in the freezer.  However, like most properly-made macaron wafers, they freeze well and thaw completely in a matter of a minute.  The vanilla carries a noticeable trace of some type of liquor – maybe bourbon.  I think this may be what keeps it from freezing completely.  The wafer remains tender, not tacky.  The butter cream remains delightfully smooth.

Chocolate macaron, front:

Looks pretty good yeah?  Keep going.

Back:

Macaron car crash!  Completely destroyed in the back.  And not just this one, every single chocolate one in the box.  And not just this box, every single chocolate one in the several boxes I bought (at two different locations!) within one month’s time.

Back of another:

Crash!  Boom!  BaM!

Slight side view:

Aside from nearly every chocolate macaron being damaged, they are also very hard and sticky to eat (think stale Tootsie Roll texture).  So after maybe my fourth box, I figure out the remedy: Leave the chocolate ones out to thaw considerably longer than the vanilla.  If the vanilla takes about two minutes to come to consistency, the chocolate will take at least a half hour – if not more.  I’d leave them out for 45 minutes before eating.  On a positive note, the chocolate macarons in the last box or two that I buy are much more intact than the first several rounds.  Hopefully Trader Joe’s has found some sort of packaging solution.

The big difference in thaw time is annoying, but you can always keep the vanillas in the fridge while the chocolates finish on the counter.  Considering how chic (read: expensive) these cookies are, I would definitely buy the pre-made Trader Joe’s brand for parties and teas you host at home.  If the chocolate ones continue to arrive increasingly intact, the value just can’t be beat.

*Click here to find the Trader Joe’s location nearest you.  Consider calling first to see if they carry this product.

Pepsi Japan will be debuting a new seasonal flavor on October 20th – Azuki (or Red Bean)!  Personally, I could see it working well enough on the taste buds.  Couldn’t be any stranger than Pepsi Ice Cucumber or Pepsi Shiso, which actually sounded pretty good!

P E P S I   A Z U K I

Unfortunately, we in the States will still be limited to Wild Cherry (or for those of us who are even more alternative, Pepsi Jazz in French Vanilla, Black Cherry or Caramel Cream).  Who knows, perhaps some specialty shops in Los Angeles will bring in Pepsi Azuki for the American masses.  We will certainly make some phone calls, and update you if this happens!

*Click here to learn more about Pepsi Azuki

I’ve come across a new flavored rum that really strikes my summer fancy; It is a guava rum concocted by the award-winning folks over at Cruzan.  The liquor (which I believe premiered last summer) has really climbed the ranks among the company’s already-impressive line of flavored rums.

You will be blown away by how much it tastes like the real deal.  Not only is Cruzan the first company to launch a guava flavored spirit, it may have achieved perfection with its first shot.

C R U Z A N   G U A V A   R U M

As you can see, the bottle says that the rum is made “with natural guava flavor.”  Not sure what that means exactly, though I do know that the rum is made from distilled molasses as oppose to a combination of molasses and sugar cane.  Cruzan Guava is 26% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is light for rum but not necessarily light in general.

There are so many possibilities with Cruzan Guava Rum.  The cheapest price I can find for a 750 mL bottle is $10.99 through Crown Wine & Spirits.  Sweet!

*Image courtesy of Drinkhacker

Not surprising that cupcake boutiques are the latest fad in trendy cities like Beirut and Dubai.  After all, celebrities love partying and luxuriating at the pricey digs in these Middle Eastern locales.  And where there are Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses, you can be sure $2 dollar cupcakes will be soon to follow!

Y E S,   W E   S P E A K   C U P C A K E !

Sugar and Spice: Fadi Jaber says that women account for 95% of his business at Sugar Daddy’s, which has locations in Dubai, Beirut, and Amman

What borders?
By Annie Louie Sussman

“AS a young student at the multinational Aramco school in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Fadi Jaber, a son of Palestinian refugees, always preferred his American classmates’ cupcakes, brownies and chocolate chip cookies to his mother’s pastries: knafah, qatayef and baklawah.

But when he tasted a vanilla-frosted vanilla cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village in 2004, it changed his life. He quit his marketing job at Unilever and used his savings to enroll in a baking and culinary management program at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.

And after an internship at Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea, he was ready for his next move: In July 2007, in Amman, Jordan, he opened Sugar Daddy’s, the shop that brought the cupcake craze to the Middle East.

Cupcake shops have become as ubiquitous as hot dog stands in some American cities, and have spread to Rome; Istanbul; Berlin; Seoul, South Korea; and Sydney, Australia. Now Mr. Jaber has proved that even the Arab world is not immune to such a Western frivolity.

Patrons at Sugar Daddy’s, which sells American-style cupcakes in the Middle East

Members of Jordan’s royal family stop by the shop in jeans and sweatshirts, ordering boxes of cupcakes while their bodyguards wait outside. It is rumored that Queen Rania is a fan.

Since December 2008, the shop, which also sells cheesecakes and brownies, has been in the well-to-do neighborhood of Abdoun, which is thick with embassies and upscale restaurants. Mr. Jaber has also opened a Sugar Daddy’s in Beirut and in Dubai.

Most of his clientele (95 percent are women, he estimates) were familiar with cupcakes from living or studying abroad. Others knew them from the TV show “Sex and the City,” which has been shown on regional satellite stations for a few years. One customer asked him to draw lips on every cupcake. When he asked her why, she replied, “Because that’s soooo ‘Sex and the City.’ ” Read more

*Photos courtesy of Simon Milne-Day for The New York Times

I collect Morinaga’s Hi-Chew fruit candies everywhere I see them.  So far, I have tried: grape, apple, orange, lemon, melon, yogurt, mango, strawberry, lychee, and a bevy of others (with mango and yogurt being my favorite).  I’m not the only one who likes them either!  They are widespread among Asian food and candy bloggers.  There was even an entire piece about them published in this July’s Gourmet magazine!

Several weeks ago, I was at a local grocery store when I spotted Hi-Chew Dragon Fruit Candies!  Eep!!  I immediately picked up a couple packs, and took them home to share.

Outside wrapping:

Inside candy:

Dragon fruit Hi-Chews tastes nothing like the actual fruit. When consumed fresh, dragon fruit taste similar to kiwi… only noticeably less sweet. This candy kind of tastes like fruit punch. The seeds are a nice touch though.

If you are still scratching your head, here is a photo of what an actual dragon fruit looks like. This one is from my yard:

And here is a photo of what they look like on the inside:

Gorgeous, right??

Many Japanese and Vietnamese grocery stores carry some flavors of Hi-Chew, often rotating new supplies. Saigon City Market in Westminster is currently carrying dragon fruit flavor (Saigon City Market: 15471 Brookhurst Street Westminster, CA 92683). Also, Nijiya Market is known for always having at least a couple different kinds… though I have yet to see dragon fruit there (Nijiya Market: 2130 Sawtelle Boulevard Suite 105 Los Angeles, CA 90025).  In stores, they are sold for about $1.50 to $1.99 a pack.

*Last image courtesy of simply-thai
*Click here to learn more about Hi-Chew, and here to purchase online!!

According to today’s Boston Herald, my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor is getting a temporary makeover.  What does everyone think?  Love it or grieve it??

H U B B Y   H U B B Y   I C E   C R E A M

Ice Cream Company Fetes Gay Marriage
By Jerry Kronenberg
September 1, 2009

“Ben & Jerry’s is temporarily renaming popular “Chubby Hubby” ice cream “Hubby Hubby” beginning today to celebrate the start of legalized gay marriage in its home state of Vermont.

“The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction, and something worth celebrating with peace, love – and plenty of ice cream,” Ben & Jerry’s CEO Walt Freese said in announcing the sugary switch.

Ben & Jerry’s, which has long backed liberal causes, plans to rebrand “Chubby Hubby” as “Hubby Hubby” for 30 days to show support for Vermont’s new law.

The move is mostly symbolic, as Burlington-based Ben & Jerry’s isn’t changing labels on “Chubby Hubby” pints sold in stores.

Spokesman Sean Greenwood said revising product labels takes 18 months, although he said Ben & Jerry’s hasn’t ruled out retailing “Hubby Hubby” in the future.

In the meantime, a wedding-themed Ben & Jerry’s truck will hand out free “Hubby Hubby” across Vermont today. Scheduled stops include the Vermont Capitol, where lawmakers passed a gay-marriage law that takes effect today.

Ben & Jerry’s six Vermont ice cream parlors also plan to sell special “Hubby Hubby” sundaes during September.”  Read more

*Click here to find out more about Ben & Jerry’s Hubby Hubby ice cream