Unarguably Delicious!

Banana Custard Tart, Cost ~$5, Rating 6/10

2018-04-04T20:14:00.001-07:00

Phew! This recipe took time to get through. I was very unaccustomed to making a dough with this much butter. Originally, I was thinking of making a fruit tart but I changed my mind mid-through to include custard rather than cream. Also, these tarts had a bit of excess shortbread because the recipe was intentionally designed to supply the crust for a whole pie (attained from http://www.joyofbaking.com/SweetPastryCrust.html). Because I lacked a pie dish, I used ramekins to create separate tarts for members of my family and molded it as shown below:

Pre-baking the crust:

I didn't use baking beans to prevent the pastry from rising. I relied on making holes in the pastry with a fork but it didn't help much. Next time, I'll stick with the baking beans for sure.

I used the custard recipe from here, seeing that it's rated 5 stars (https://www.deliciouseveryday.com/custard-tarts/). However, next time, I'll be sure to cook the custard entirely separately and then pour it into the pastry cups to set. That's because I wanted to have it set better than it did.

My family enjoyed this treat but I expected much more out of it. Considering it required half and half, a full stick of butter, and then a typical amount of sugar, I would have thought the custard would have a nice zing taste to it, but it just didn't meet my high expectations. It would be worth changing up this recipe to include orange crème anglaise with an alternative pastry dough more suited for baking in ramekins, for a clean and distinct taste. (Perhaps banana bread for the pastry portion would have added a nice twist.)

Well, it's on to the next one, once again.

Mixed-Berry Jalousie, Rating 9/10, Costs $8 to Make at Home

2018-03-31T19:15:00.002-07:00

So this is a great tart recipe to make at home because it tastes extravagant and has a home-made, comforting food touch. It doesn't require too much labor. I know I'll be twice as fast the next time I make it. And isn't that the case with most recipes after trying them once? This dish is perfect for a family of four and you can bet they'll ask you to make this again. My family devoured it in equal sizes, (splitting it into fourths), and it provided for a great, enjoyable, weekend moment. The recipe can be found at: http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/mixed-berry-jalousie

Start of by making the compote aspect of the pastry first. It tastes delicious with the lemon zest so it's worth including it. I used frozen packaged puff pastry (the Pepperidge Farm brand) and it measured out to be about 9 x 9-1/2 inches or something similar to that measurement. I didn't change the size of the pastry to suit the recipe and it still came out fine. As long as you have two sheets of pastry that can fit perfectly over each other, you'll be just fine.

I used egg wash and spread it on to 1" edges of the pastry and placed the compote in the center. Then I placed the second pastry sheet, which was precut as styled in the picture below, on to the top of the egg-washed pastry. To better understand this part of the recipe, please watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEA55UeDMew&t=13s. I wouldn't have understood the recipe instructions as well otherwise.

I wish I had taken a picture of the jalousie when we cut it into fourths. Either way, it came out extremely rich and absolutely indulging. It's worth giving it a shot the next time your craving something sweet to eat! :)

N Thai Palace

2014-01-17T15:15:00.001-08:00

N Thai Palace is a great discover in East Brunswick, NJ. The Penang Curry with shrimp (ordered mild in spice) tasted delicious and was soothing for the throat. The dish was a great deal in part because it came with free Tom Yum Vegetable Soup, and it was also part of the lunch special. It had the perfect consistency, creamy-like, and made my nose run-just what I needed on a cold winter day!

My friend ordered a dish which featured Basil Noodles and dried tomatoes and she loved it as well. It's 50% off for students on Thursdays but only for dinner which my friend and I were unaware of and had just missed the deal by having lunch there on Thursday. The Tom Yum Vegetarian soup was also delicious, savory, and had a sour taste that went well with the spicy flavor. I love Thai soups!! Be sure to check out this recipe Thai Red Curry Soup (My recipe rating: 10/10) for a fantastic Thai soup when you have a chance. Panera Bread needs to learn some tips from N Thai Palace in regards to adding more decently sized pieces of vegetables within the soup.

Additionally, I had read a few reviews on yelp regarding the fried coconut ice-cream and it lived up to its name. It tasted and looked scrumptious!! I definitely recommend sharing this dessert with someone because the serving sizes for the meals are generous and filling. The leaf shaped chocolate on top is dark chocolate and inside is a large scoop of vanilla ice-cream. It is coated in a crunchy, coconut flavored exterior with ooey-gooey caramel.

Speaking of that leaf shaped chocolate has reminded me that one should definitely check out the buffet at N Thai Palace! They have fewer dishes than most buffets but the quality of their dishes is absolutely fantastic. I remember I tried their chicken kabobs and I was in love immediately. Also, they have such a great variety of desserts to choose from and included custards, chocolate, and many more options that I no longer remember. If you're an East Brunswick resident, this is a must-visit restaurant!

If you like the blog, please follow for more recipes and restaurant reviews @ unarguablydelicious.blogspot.com!! Or follow me on tumblr (unarguablydelicious.tumblr.com) or my twitter (@Its_Taran) or my pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/unarguablydelic/) or instagram (unarguablydelicious). Please feel free to share your opinions or your recipes as well because I'd love to hear them!

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Review (from Panera Bread) My review (9/10)

2014-01-15T12:20:00.002-08:00

If you have a food blog, you might have seen a few pictures going around of Red Velvet Crinkle cookies. I decided to try one at Panera Bread because I had an offer for a free birthday pastry from there. The picture below is from http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/11/red-velvet-crinkle-cookies/ and the blogger includes a recipe on how to make them- which I hope to try one day soon.

The photo below is one that I took that I bought from Panera Bread and I have to say, that was definitely one of the best cookies I have ever had. It might have been luck that when I asked the Panera Bread employee to heat it up for me, she knew exactly how many seconds would be just right for the cookie. The best part was that it had a few small nuts and perhaps white chocolate in it (not quite sure) and the texture was perfect. If you order a cookie, please ask them to heat it up-it tastes so much better!

SEA IS FOR COOKIE!

http://givemeinternet.tumblr.com/post/69558975250/sea-is-for-cookie

Spot Dessert Bar (My rating: 3.5/5)

2014-01-13T13:58:00.001-08:00

I visited one of the two Spot dessert bars recently and I have to say that although the desserts tasted great, they were overrated. My friends and I ordered 3 dishes which included the Chocolate Green Tea Lava Cake, the Yuzu Eskimo, and the Kabocha Brulee Cake.

What led me here? I saw a post on facebook of a potted plant that was a dessert and noticed it was from Spot. Yet, when I visited they mentioned that there are two Spot dessert bars in NYC and this one didn't have that on the menu. How disappointing! The one I visited was on the third floor of an international food emporium, called "Food Gallery 32", and located at 11 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10011. The other Spot bar is located on 13 St Marks Pl New York, NY 10003. I think the two was a good 20 minute walk from each other.

I was eager to try the Green Tea Lava Cake but I believe the presentation was better than the taste of the dish. The chocolate could have had a stronger taste and the cake tasted like a really good brownie. Yet, it goes to show that not every dish tastes as great as it looks and some of those tumblr pics are decieving. My expectations were too high to have been met! However, the green tea ice cream flavor was really strong and a refreshing taste from the ones generally bought from the supermarket. I didn't realize this until I tried mochi (a Chinese green tea dessert covered with an interesting doughy texture) from a local Hong Kong supermarket which seemed a little bland in comparison. The leaf shape piece added a crunch to the dish but it wasn't a spectacular part of the dish. Quite frankly, that green powder pictured barely tasted like anything and I think it was just used to fill in the space on the dish.

What I really enjoyed was the Yuzu Eskimo. Every little bit had a strong citrus tasted that went along with the texture of the food as well. It's quite obvious the chefs prefer presentation over quantity. I would have loved to have more pieces of the citrus cream bar. In contrast, my friend strongly disliked it because of it's fruity flavor. If you absolutely can't stand fruity gum or citrus tastes, I think there is reasonable evidence that you will not like this.

The Kabocha Brulee Cake tasted delicious, but it wasn't too memorable. I mistook the brulee to mean that it would have a creme brulee like flavor (which means burnt creme in French). Instead, it had a pumpkin flavor and seemed to be topped with vanilla ice cream although in the caption on the menu, it mentions it is milk ice cream.

The experience was fun and almost every table was full. This was partially due to the fact that there was another restaurant just across the bar that shared the seating within the room. My friends and I went here as a part of my birthday celebration and I definitely will remember the overall experience as an enjoyable one.

East Hana Japanese Restaurant

2014-01-09T18:11:00.002-08:00

East Hana is a great restaurant because the sushi is so well made.

My friend ordered Dragon sushi which I believe had some crab, avocado, cucumber, and more ingredients. The hand roll is pictured on the right and has eel and avocado inside. My dish, the Green Dragon, was mainly composed of eel and avocado. It tasted wonderful and I believe I have found the right sushi place for me.

Although I've tasted better green tea, it was offered for free as a part of the meal. The restaurant is fairly priced and I'm sure I will visit again. If you live within the East Brunswick area and have visited the Hong Kong supermarket there, I suggest you give East Hana a shot!

Fruit Tart from La Crepe

2014-01-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

This fruit tart is so delicious. It is light and for those who are unaware, the white cream texture is simply whip cream which went well with the fruits and pastry bottom. The fruit tart has been done many times before, so I will just say that the pastry bottom was what made this tart so delectable. Yet for $5.30, with tax, I will say it is a bit overpriced.

Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheddar Soup and French Baguette

2014-01-04T19:19:00.002-08:00

Panera Bread always has great service yet their Broccoli Cheddar Soup could use fresher vegetables and more of them. I would like to have crunchier brocolli and carrot pieces within my soup but that may be a personal preference. However, what is with everyone being stingy with their vegetables. Regardless, the French Baguette was fresh and had a subtle hint of cheese within itself. The meal would have been a fairer deal for $3 rather than $4.50 (with tax) and certainly a steal for $2.

Jose Tejas (Tex Mex)

2014-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

My friend and I spotted Jose Tejas and because it was decorated with so many lights, it sparked our curiosity and lured us to take a look inside.

Once we realized it was a kid friendly restaurant, and not just a bar, we decided to sit down and take a look at the menu. The ambiance was very warm and a fiesta theme was apparent- it was the perfect place to enjoy New Year's Eve. We both ordered virgin pina coladas and shrimp quesadillas.

They served really good (tostada-like) chips with salsa as an appetizer.

The food tasted great and the cheese within the quesadilla was mouth watering. The pina colada fulfilled my expectations-considering I have a homemade recipe that I posted on this blog. Check out: How to Make the Perfect Pina Colada !!

I must say that if the ambiance wasn't as festive, I might have thought the food to be above average. Yet the experience was exhilarating and vibrant overall. The best part is that it is decorated with these festive lights all year round!

Egg pastry from Fada in the Hong Kong Supermarket

2013-12-30T10:18:00.001-08:00

A few nights ago, an old memory of a certain pastry I had within an Asian bakery came to my mind and since then, I had been craving for something like it. Realizing it had an egg like flavor, I decided to try a Google search and came across a dessert that went by the name of "Moon Cake". This morning I visited the Hong Kong supermarket and a baker said moon cakes are only in season during September. Yet I found a pastry that was generically named "Egg Cream Puff Pastry" and I decided to give it a shot. As soon as I bit into it, I knew this was the pastry I had tried so many years ago but in a different store. It was so delicious and better than a donut because it held a more yolk-like and creamy flavor and the bread was softer. There was a perfect pastry. It was better than many of those sold at Panera Bread and yet it was only $1.15. I'm sure I will visit the Fada pastry shop at Hong Kong supermarlet more often and this egg pastry will not be my last one.

Hidden Grounds

2013-12-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't written anything in a while! I didn't make time to update my blog but I'll be sure to make more time in the future. I just tried the Moroccan Mint Tea from Hidden Grounds and it tasted very refreshing! It could be used as a good pick-me-up drink. However, for $3 I can’t say the deal was a steal.

Yet the atmosphere of the place is very warm because of the colors, potted plants, and lighting. The place has just the right amount of mess for an urban cafe, and this helps separate itself from the traditional tidy Starbucks while also attracting local hipsters.

A short while later, Spoorthi K. from Hidden Grounds contacted me and mentioned that free hot water refills are available since the tea bag can last 3 cups. I had not realized this and now I think the tea is fairly priced.

Sushi Palace (My rating: 9/10)

2013-08-16T17:55:00.004-07:00

Sushi Palace is a fantastic restaurant! I loved their sushi handrolls and I will definitely order more of them the next time I visit. I loved the eel rolls with avocado as well. The restaurant has the style of a buffet and you can order as much sushi as you can eat. Be wary though, because you can be charged extra if you have excess sushi in your plate.

The salmon rolls were okay and the sushi that has slices of white pieces over it in the picture are the yellowtail fish rolls. I didn't like them as much but I enjoyed trying so many varieties of sushi.

My friends and I also enjoyed the Green Tea ice-cream there and their Red Bean ice-cream (not pictured) and Chocolate ice-cream was fantastic as well.

Bacon Turkey Bravo at Panera Bread and Cherry Danish (My rating: 6/10)

2013-07-15T14:12:00.001-07:00

I haven't cooking anything grand in a while but I did try the Bravo sandwich at Panera Bread. The name is trademarked........Really. Is that even necessary? It wasn't amazing but it was a damn good sandwich for what is was. I ordered asiago cheese focaccia bread and it was delicious.

I had never tasted focaccia bread before so I had to know how it tasted. They also served me this salty bread (as shown in the first picture) that came as an option choice along with the sandwich and it was horrid. Salt on bread? That is a big no-no for me. As strong tasting as the sandwich was, especially with it's huge hunky cheese slice, I would try to order something different next time around just to change things up.

I also got an offer from Panera for a free danish. This review (http://voices.yahoo.com/review-panera-bread-cherry-danish-style-pastry-2822157.html?cat=51) built my hopes for their cherry danish and I ordered it the next morning for breakfast. It did not live up to its high expectations.

To me it was a typical pastry: sweet and yummy but not excessively professional. I ordered a pecan pastry from there a later day and I didn't take pictures of the beauty. That was definitely more filling but the cherry danish was more delicious. I suggest you try it if you want a cheery morning. ;)Until next time!

Butterbeer Frappuccino at Starbucks

2013-07-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

What a perfect drink to go along with reading the HP series! It tasted exactly like how I imagined the butterbeer flavor to taste like.

It calls for :

-A creme frappuccino base

-Whole milk (A guilty pleasure)

-3 pumps of caramel syrup (2 pumps for a small)

-3 pumps of toffee nut syrup (2 pumps for a small)

-caramel drizzle

I got the recipe from this link: http://starbuckssecretmenu.net/starbucks-secret-menu-butterbeer-frappuccino/

This beats my addiction to their green tea frappuccino!

Both pictures are of the same cup of frappuccino but in different lighting. HAHAHA

A blogging break/July 4th- A Foodie Day

2013-07-05T13:05:00.002-07:00

I hope your July 4th went well. Once again, I ordered the Thai Indonesian Peanut Saute from Noodles and Company. Yummm.

I also was able to eat green tea ice cream while watching the fireworks. It was pretty nice.

In an unrelated note, I will be taking a blogging break for a while. I think I might start posting less frequently because I will be studying for the MCAT whilst I study for my EMT course. Good luck to you all with your endeavors and thank you for reading my blog!

French Macarons!

2013-06-27T19:29:00.002-07:00

So sure, my french macaroons don't look amazing but they certainly tasted so!! The filling is dulce de leche which you can make by simply by punching in holes into the can of condensed milk and letting it boil in water for about three hours.

(Check out this link for the how to: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dulce-De-Leche)

Start off by using a stand mixer to create 3/4 cup of almond powder. Then sift the powder so that it light and has the consistency of flour. (I got the recipe for the macaroons from http://lovelyladycakestv.blogspot.com/2012/04/best-french-macaroons.html) Next, you add 1 cup of powdered sugar to the almond powder. This can be made by putting 1 cup of granulated sugar in the mixer. Now mix the two ingredients together evenly.

Then create your french meringue. This can be done by using two egg whites and putting them in a dry mixing bowl. You can choose to hand whisk them but I prefer using the stand mixer. Add a bit of lemon juice once they foam. Then add 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Add each tablespoon in slowly.

Wait until you get a stiff peak with your meringue. That means the meringue should be glossy and not slip off the whisk if you hold it in mid air.

Then fold in the meringue into the mixture until it is evenly spread.

I used a ziploc bag to pipet coin sized amounts onto the parchment paper.

Then I let them sit for an hour on the parchment paper before I put them in the oven so that they would have a little more crunch once they were done baking.

YUM YUM!

Tips to Making Croissants (By revealing my mistakes as a first timer)

2013-06-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I'm not sure if I would try making this again because making croissants can be labor intensive and it can take a few times to get them to be perfect. Although they look good and tasted good, they turned out be more biscuit-like rather than airy and soft....Hmmm. (My dad loved them because they reminded him of a brand of biscuits he used to eat as a kid--Not exactly the reference I was aiming for. ) I looked at quite a few recipes but mainly relied on one from this source: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/breadandrice/r/croissant_dough.htm. For some reason, this recipe calls for adding the cut up pieces of butter into the dough mixture whereas other recipes required you to make an entire layer of butter and incorporate it into the dough once it was done. I changed my mind and decided to take out the cut up pieces of butter in my flour (as pictured below) and form a sheet out of it (which I didn't take a picture of).

I just have to be honest. This was the first time I made dough using yeast and I forgot common sense. I should have used a mixer to make the dough properly. Yet, I rushed through it because I had time constraints. For some reason, I forgot I would have to knead the dough and then add the butter. BIG MISTAKE. Because the dough wasn't properly made, it kept sticking to the counter while I was folding in the butter. (Here, I added my yeast mixture to the flour.)

In order to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter, I added A LOT of flour. It was like a hungry monster; it just would not stop sticking until it ate up as much flour as possible. This thickened the dough and turned it into the perfect pre-biscuit paste.

And so, I refrigerated my pre-biscuit paste overnight. The next day I folded it again to "wake the dough up" and tried to cut them in the shape of isosceles triangles to best of my ability with my dough scraper.

The one on the bottom right was filled with jam. This turned out to be a bad idea because it came out of the croissant and burned quite a lot.

Pictured below was my best croissant. However, once he was done, he came out a bit raw. Most recipes call for you to leave the croissants in the oven between 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Yet I was making biscuit croissants, so that left them pretty under cooked and left me pretty disappointed. I needed an additional 20 minutes!

He looks pretty appetizing here!

It's quite funny how the best tasting one was the one that looked most horried-yes the one that is surrounded by burnt jam. That's because, inside the jam remained its true texture and went well with the biscuit exterior.

I also made a blueberry tart out of the excess dough and it came out delicious!!

P.S. Don't use baking chocolate to fill your croissants. SMH.

Rustic Peach Tart

2013-06-23T18:55:00.002-07:00

This tart was so easy to make and I loved it. I followed the recipe from http://www.joyofbaking.com/PeachTart.html

The recipe calls for the following ingredients:

Short Crust Pastry:

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt

1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams)unsaltedbutter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces

1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

I divided everything by two to achieve one serving size and I simply flattened the dough and put in slices of a peach inside. I didn't add any sugar or anything else and it came out delicious. I set the oven to 425 degrees and left it in there for 30 minutes. YUM! I could have this as breakfast as well!

Honey Fried Chicken

2013-06-22T15:05:00.003-07:00

The recipe I used came from a book called "Step by Step Chinese Cooking" and it is from the Hawthorn Series. The chicken came out really delicious and I will certainly make this again! First I cut up bite-sized pieces of the chicken (of which you will need about one pound) and marinated it for a few minutes in ginger powder, soy sauce, and "Kick'n Chicken Seasoning" from Weber. The recipe is for 4-6 servings.

Then I prepared the batter required. I used 1 cup of cornstarch, 2 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and cold water. You want to mix it so that it is really thick, but no so that there are still clumps of cornstarch lying at the bottom of the bowl. If the mixture is as thin as pancake batter, add more cornstarch to thicken it.

Next, I took Krissi Biasiell's, a contestant for Master Chef, advice on frying from her cook along. She said she learned from her family to flavor the oil by adding in onions and wait until they turn brown. This way, you can also tell when the oil is hot enough to fry food.

Mix in your first piece of chicken breast into the batter and slowly add it into the wok. Woks are better for deep frying because you use less oil yet you also have to be very careful working with them if they are wobbly on the stove because you obviously don't want it to spill over.

Add more in until you can't fit any more pieces comfortably within the oil. Turn the pieces over once the edges begin to brown. Cook the pieces of chicken in batches.

Don't add raw pieces of chicken into the wok until the cooked pieces are removed. To keep the chicken juicy inside, take the pieces out once they turn a golden brown, and don't leave the chicken inside the oil for too long.

Good job, Chef Blamblam!

The sauce I made is also from the recipe. It requires 3/4 cup of honey and 2 teaspoons of sweet chili sauce. Tomato chili sauce is fine. Stir it over low heat until warm and pour it over the chicken.

You can check out my last blog post on how to make the other components of this dish. The other component is Indonesian peanut noodles. The chicken goes well with it! Have fun making this dish!

Hokkaido's Red Bean Bubble Tea (Except instead of those "bubbles", I ordered jelly) My rating: 9/10

2013-06-21T22:28:00.001-07:00

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the "What did Taran eat today?" show. Well guys, I have to review Hokkaido because they have fantastic bubble tea that will lift your spirits. I have to say the prices are a bit above what I want to pay for bubble tea drinks. (I paid $3.25 for the drink below.) Yet, every time I order from these guys, I want to come back! The drink made me feel so full that I skipped lunch--and as a foodie, that is hard to do. They have tons of exciting flavors to choose from. I think I'll be their customer even after I graduate from Rutgers University, which is two years from now. If you're in the Easton Avenue neighborhood of New Brunswick, I suggest you should stop by.

Indonesian Peanut Flavored Noodles (similar to Noodles & Company)

2013-06-21T21:58:00.001-07:00

Let's make some stir fry. Sort of. Yes, this was an attempt to nail the Indonesian peanut noodle meal at Noodles & Company.

Above is a picture of me eating this dish there and I truly savored it.

No, my homemade dish did not pass the test of my palate. Why? Because I ran out of homemade peanut butter. Next time will be the charm, and I'm sure I will conquer this meal. Let us settle on the present however. Today's dish is based off the recipe from this website:

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2009/03/thai-peanut-saute.html

**Edit. I made this dish again, and what I realized was that the sauce needed honey and Sriracha sauce. The recipe doesn't call for it and without the honey, the peanut sauce can seem bland. But if you add about 3/4 cup of honey to the pot, and 2 more teaspoons of Sriracha sauce, the sauce will taste delicious!**

Step 1. Make yo chicken! This is for one serving size. Add vegetable oil, garlic cloves, ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. Add a bit of Sriracha chili sauce, soy sauce, and squeeze in one lime. Add yooooo chicken. Wait until it's white and bravo! You are done with the chicken. Wrap it in aluminum foil to keep it hot.

Step 2. Say the following phrase with a spanish accent please as I prefer it that way: Les végétables. Add your julienne cut carrots, onions, and cut broccoli into the hot vegetable oil. While that is sauteing, create your peanut sauce. USE HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER. Do not be afraid to try making it. All you need to do is peel your peanuts, roast them, throw them into a mixer, add vegetable or peanut oil, a bit of sugar and salt and VAL-LAH. YOU ARE CHEF BLAMBLAM! And once you are done, you will be amazed you just made peanut butter. (Screw JIF!)

Step 3. Add a bit of chicken broth into the sauce pan. Then throw in that peanut butter you just made at home. Be proud, Chef Blamblam! Add garlic, ginger, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and hunai (aka honey) and stir with your wand (aka spatula).

Step 4. Make your noodles...........or use the noodles from a previous dish! Taking the easy way out here, guys.

BLAM! Add it all together and top it off with some sauteed bean sprouts. (Don't let those bean sprouts stay too long in the sauce pan. You want them to be nice and crunchy, not burnt and charry.)

Bon apetit, mi amigo!

Huevos Rancheros (The easy way out)

2013-06-20T11:41:00.002-07:00

Step 1.

Toast your tortilla

Step 2.

Cook your salsa

Step 3:

Make your sunny side and and put all three components together on a clean surface. Enjoy!

For more pictures and a grander recipe, check out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/huevos-rancheros-recipe/index.html

Rita's Gelati 9/10

2013-06-17T20:17:00.005-07:00

AH Rita’s! Your #1 selling treat, the Gelati, have taken hold of my heart. Alas, I fell for your mango flavored gelato today. The rich, creamy, vanilla custard along with the cool iced mango was an escape from the heat. Yet because you are $3.50, I must refrain from being tempted by your scrumptous looking desserts in the near future.

If you like the blog, please follow for more recipes and restaurant reviews @ unarguablydelicious.blogspot.com!! Or follow me on tumblr (unarguablydelicious.tumblr.com) or my twitter (@Its_Taran) or my pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/unarguablydelic/) or instagram (unarguablydelicious). Please feel free to share your opinions or your recipes as well because I'd love to hear them!

Who knew creating Chocolate Souffles could be so fun?!

2013-06-16T22:23:00.002-07:00

I am so happy to report that my chocolate souffles came out wonderful!!! I was a bit worried after adding my egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, that the egg yolks would get precooked because the chocolate was quite warm. However, my whipped egg whites finally came out perfect in that they had the "foot" or "stiff peak" that a chef looks for once I removed it from the mixer. And because my whipped egg white mixture came out so fantastic, the souffles were able to rise perfectly!!

Watch my video for extra help and tips:

The recipe I used was from this link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-souffles-recipe/index.html. However, it calls for 8 egg whites, which is absolutely ridiculous!! I used 5 egg whites and it came out just fine. Online, I found that 7 ounces comes close to 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. Yet, I used a 10 ounce packet for my baking chocolate chips and after measuring the amount of chocolate chips I have left after making the souffles, I realize I have "another 7 ounces worth of chocolate chips" in my 10 ounce packet. Clearly, the online measurements were laughably wrong! I didn't exactly feel like I was wolfing down chocolate whereas when I made cheese souffle, I did. Instead, I felt like I was eating a light cross mixture between fudge and brownies. As much as I would feel guilty about adding in more chocolate the next time I make these, I know I would love the end product a whole lot more.

I was so excited after I pulled them out of the oven, because I was a bit worried about the precooked eggs. Nothing says "professional chef" like mismatched oven mitts hahaha.

Ooh! I almost forgot to add that I made praline today as well to serve as a topping for my chocolate souffles. I meant to melt them, but I used to many almonds, making them "unmeltable".

I was trying to follow this online youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOIrG375k1I. The chef, who goes by Dulcedelight1, uses a melted praline topping over the souffle. Above is my failed attempt at trying to melt them in a size proportional to the ramekins, which are the cermamic pieces used to hold souffles, just so that they would stick to the top of the souffles. Even so, powdered praline is a great addition to chocolate souffles and please be sure to make it. I followed this recipe to make praline : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pralines/ This link is great because you can adjust the proportion of ingredients accordingly to serving sizes.

It took all of my might not to use this melted chocolate and butter as a fondue for the almonds I had lying on the counter next to me.

Before the oven:

After the oven:

(After I realized the praline I had was not meltable (LOL)):

Amazingly Delicious Green Pea Soup (My recipe rating: 9/10)

2013-06-13T15:19:00.002-07:00

The soup will make you fall off your chair in amazement. HAHA Not really but I am definitely going to make this again and I'll be sure to squeeze an entire lime over 4 serving's worth of the soup right before serving instead of half of a lime, which I did today. I love how healthy & filling this soup is while remaining savory. I used a combination of two recipes. One was from the following link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/ham-and-split-pea-soup-recipe/index.html

I used just about every ingredient except for the ham, which I didn't have. I forgot to add the thyme and the red pepper flakes...I guess you're bound to miss things when you're reading two recipes while cooking. The second recipe I also used was from this link: http://www.chow.com/recipes/29519-green-pea-soup

My family grows mint leaves in our backyard and I like picking out the fresh leaves and using them.

The satisfying smell of caramelizing onions...need I say more?

Since this was my first time cooking pea soup, I was surprised that I had to use a blender to get that creamy texture. A lot of you probably saw that coming haha.

I need a new mixer, but my family disagrees. Feel free to donate one to me :)

The color looks great too and as with all warm soups, it's perfect to have on a rainy day.

Bon Apetit!!

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