Getting Canned...Episode III

A little over a year ago Russell did a 2-part guest post taste testing canned coffees, specifically Japanese canned coffees.  After 4 cans, he was finished because all the sugar was making him sick.  If you are interested, you can read his original posts here and here.

I recently went down to Los Angeles with my parents to attend my cousin Ada's wedding & on our way home, we made our obligatory stop @ the Marukai market for some fresh sashimi & fish collar.  While my parents were picking their way through the fish, I was wandering around for snacks.  I came to the refrigerated beverages aisles, saw all kinds of canned coffees that I had not seen @ home before, & it dawned on me: it's time for another round of taste test!  My dad was completely unfazed when I loaded up the shopping cart with cans & cans of coffee...but I think that's because I promised to pay him back.

When I got home & was putting the cans away, I thought that rather than putting my coffee snob of a boyfriend through another tasting, I should do it myself.  You can keep reading for the details but the take home point is "don't waste your money, it's not worth it."

Specimen #5: Dydo Original Blend Coffee
Like all the other canned coffees we have tried, this one is way too sweet; however, it did have much more coffee flavor than the ones I have had before.  Even though it doesn't look like there is milk in the coffee, it tastes a little bit like it does.
Volume: 6.7 fl. oz.  Calories: 70  Sugar: 13g

Specimen #6: Mr. Brown Iced Coffee
This coffee was not very sweet.  It was milky but not overly so.  Unfortunately it did not have a lot of coffee flavor.
Volume: 8.12 fl. oz.  Calories: 103  Sugar: 18.5g

Specimen #7: UCC Black Coffee
This is the first canned black coffee I have had & without distractions from the milk & sugar, the lack of coffee flavor really stand out.  The good thing about this is that it comes in a really cool-looking bottle.
Volume: 9.7 fl. oz.  Calories: 5  Sugar: 0g

Specimen #8: Pokka Milk Coffee
This was honestly the worst of all the canned coffees I have ever had in my life.  It was very sweet & it was very milky.  Actually, it reminded me of the milk you would have left over after finishing a bowl of fruit loops.
Volume: 8.1 fl. oz.  Calories: 100  Sugar: 16g

Specimen #9: Pokka Aromax Black Coffee
The first sip made me feel like I was drinking real, albeit pretty weak, coffee.  Unfortunately, every sip afterwards was really bland.
Volume: 5.8 fl. oz.  Calories: 0  Sugar: 0g

Specimen #10: Lotte Let's Be (Mild)
This came in very, very close to being the worst.  It wasn't coffee'y, it wasn't milky, it was just sweet.
Volume: 5.92 fl. oz.  Calories: 70  Sugar: 15g

Specimen #11: Dydo Milk Coffee - Yamitsuki
Yamitsuki in Japanese means "addicted", at least according to Google Translate.  While this was one of the better contenders of this taste test, I don't think I will ever become addicted to it.
Volume: 16.9 fl. oz.  Calories: 200  Sugar: 40g

Specimen #12: Suntory Boss Black
I was looking forward to trying this one because on the can it says "made with espresso & drip method."  The coffee tasted bland but somehow was able to leave a fairly strong aftertaste on my palette.  Bonus points for the name.
Volume: 6.52 fl. oz.  Calories: 0  Sugar: 0g

It took me about 10 days to finish trying all these cans & bottles of coffee because (1) my system doesn't handle caffeine the way it used to & (2) these just did not taste good; nor were they satisfying (they're tiny).  Like I said before, these canned coffees are not worth the money & even the black coffees were disappointing.  Should I keep trying to find the best canned coffee there is, or should I just call it a day & accept the fact that a good canned coffee probably doesn't exist?

Quick & Easy - Faux Garlic Mash

We have been using our menu planner  for a couple of months now & usually I'm pretty good about sticking to it & having all the ingredients ready ahead of time.  But for the last week or so I have been kind of off my game in the meal planning department.  Actually, I was so bad I read the wrong line of the calendar & made salmon (on the menu the week before) instead of tuna casserole.

Anyway, I was making lamb for dinner a few nights ago & as I was putting the baggie of lamb + marinade into the fridge I noticed that I didn't have any starch or vegetables to go with the meat.  All I had in the crisper drawer were a couple of really old lemons, a few really old limes, & half a head of leftover cauliflower.  I didn't want to go out to get new produce since it was closing in on 5pm but we had cauliflower not too longer ago & Russell isn't exactly a fan of it.  Alas, I must work with what I had...but there has to be some way to jazz it up.

I had been reading a lot about new ways to use cauliflower so I thought I would give it a try.  A quick few minutes on Google & I was ready & armed with a highly rated recipe from Food Network.

The ingredients list seems much shorter than for real mashed potatoes...
     0.5 head cauliflower, cut into medium-sized chunks
     0.1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
     2 cloves garlic, peeled
     1 tablespoon unsalted butter
     Salt & pepper

And the directions seem that way too...
     Boil the cauliflower chunks until they are soft (~6 minutes)
     Drain the cauliflower & pat the chunks dry while still hot
     In the food processor, combine cauliflower, cheese, garlic, & butter; blend until almost smooth
     Season with salt & black pepper to taste

Makes 2 cups

I had Russell taste the mash for seasoning & he could not tell it was not potato.  In the middle of dinner, I finally let him know he was not eating mashed potato.  He proceeded to guess a variety of vegetables but he could not believe it was cauliflower, even when I told him that's what it was.  The original recipe called for cream cheese which I didn't have so I used butter instead.  It did the job but I think the cream cheese would have made the mash a little bit thicker in texture & resemble slightly more like potatoes.  I did some rough calculations & this recipe comes out to approximately 112 Calories per serving while good 'ol homemade garlic mashed potatoes made with light cream is about 300 Calories per serving.  I am not saying I am going to completely give up my mashed potatoes but on days when I would like to indulge but really shouldn't, this comes in as a great option.

Marnee Thai Closed After "F" From Health Inspector

I love Thai food.  Sadly, Russell can't stand having it but once a year & that's only because he wants to hear people say "Happy New Year" in a Thai accent.  The good news is, we have started making some progress in increasing Russell's tolerance for Thai food.  The bad news is, our favorite Thai restaurant is now temporarily closed after getting an "F" from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

During a health inspection on Monday, Marnee Thai @ 9th/Irving received a food safety score of 58 (out of 100) & is now shut down pending re-inspection.  The immediate closure is also prompted since the restaurant failed to clean up its act from a previous citation that happened in January 2012.  Among the long list of health violations were "live cockroaches on prep table/shelving," "rodent droppings on floor and shelving," and "utensils stored in/on surfaces with a build-up of debris, food residue, grease, and grime."  According to an article on Inside Scoop SF, a spokesperson for Marnee Thai expresses that she is hopeful the restaurant will reopen for business within the next week after they have corrected their violation.

In addition to this week's low scoring, the 9th/Irving branch of Marnee Thai has received mediocre food safety scores in the past.  According to records at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the restaurant received a score of 71 in May 2011 which dropped to a 66 in December 2011.  Across all available inspection reports, the restaurant has consistently been in violation of having "high risk food holding temperatures."  Comparatively, the other branch of the restaurant - located on Irving between 23rd and 24th - received a score of 86 during an inspection in February.

In my experience, I have eaten @ seemingly dirty restaurants & was able to leave with my health intact.  I have also eaten @ seemingly clean restaurants only to have to rush home to use the little girl's room.  Food safety scores aren't everything & it alone certainly won't deter me from going to any particular restaurant.  However, having a knowledge of this score & knowing where to access it can be very helpful.  And it can help pass hours and hours of time.  If you ever want to know the scores of any restaurant in San Francisco, you can visit the public health department's Food Safety Program website.

You can find the entire food inspection report on Marnee Thai here.

7x7 Big Eats 2013 - Old Jerusalem Restaurant

Location: 2976 Mission Street, San Francisco, California 94110
Date: Saturday, March 23rd
Food: Stuffed falafel
Price: $1.25 each
Comments: I haven't had many falafels in my lifetime but these were really, really delicious.  The crust is crispy but not oily & the inside wasn't too dense or mushy.  There were whole pine nuts mixed together with the chick peas to add crunch  & the chopped onion on the bottom added moisture.  It's slightly larger than a regular falafel but not as large as I'd expected for a falafel that is supposedly "stuffed".

From the Oven - Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

You know that saying about how when there are too many coincidences it's no longer a coincidence?

Well it was a coincidence that:

1. I found a really interesting chocolate cake recipe on Pinterest that I was dying to try.
2. There is Baileys that's been sitting in my fridge for way too long.
3. Russell has a new food-related toy that I gave him for his birthday that he has yet to try out.
4. We need to get beer for the house.
5. St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

With all these coincidences in front of me, I had no other choice but to use them to my favor...& make them into not a coincidence.

I had to substitute a couple of the ingredients...
     4 ounces all-purpose flour
     0.6 teaspoon baking soda
     0.25 teaspoon salt
     1.5 ounces all natural cocoa
     5 ounces sugar
     0.5 cup hot chocolate
     4 ounces butter
     0.75 cup Guinness
     1 egg
     0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then it's melt, dump, & stir...
     In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, & salt
     In a pot, heat the cocoa, butter, sugar, & hot chocolate until the butter is melted; cook for 10 minutes
     To the chocolate mixture add in the Baileys, whisk in the egg, & then add in the vanilla
     Slowly sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix everything together until well incorporated
     Pour the batter into a cupcake tin already lined with wrappers
     Bake at 320F for 30 minutes
     Remove cupcakes & put them on a wire rack until they are cooled completely

Makes 12 cupcakes

Theses cupcakes are so good!  I honestly think these are the best things I've ever made out of an oven.  The cupcakes were moist, chocolatey, not too sweet, & end with just a hint of bitterness from the Guinness.  I think the flavors would have been much more balanced if I had used coffee instead of hot chocolate but I didn't have any coffee in the house.  Never did I envision a day when there would be no coffee in my house.  Ugh!  To complete the cupcakes I topped them with a Baileys whipped cream.  I must admit that I didn't make the whipped cream; nor was it made using conventional methods.  The truth is, Russell made the topping by combining heavy whipping cream & Baileys in his fancy siphon food whipper & then aerosolized it by adding in nitrous oxide (N₂O).  The whipped cream tasted really strong so I might do a café au lait frosting next time instead.

I wasn't sure what to these cupcakes because someone once told me that Irish car bomb is an offense name.  S/he didn't tell me why & I never figured it out; I still haven't figured it out.  Also, I didn't think this was truly really an Irish car bomb since it lacked the Jameson whiskey.  I want to try & include the whiskey into the recipe next time to accurately represent the drink I've named it after.  Maybe I should half the coffee & replace it with the Jameson.  Or Maybe I should just go with all Jameson!