skyr.is: Vanilla

Skyr? What the hell is skyr?

Well, I first heard of skyr on an early episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern where Andrew was in Iceland, and decided that should I ever find it "in the wild" here in the United States, it was something I was going to have to try. It just sounded that good.

If you've never heard of skyr -- and unless you are a seriously hardcore Björk fan, or you've watched every Travel Channel piece on Iceland where the host vomits after sampling locally made hákarl, you probably haven't -- no worries, Gigi is here to explain it to you. Skyr is a dairy product that, while it outwardly resembles a super-thick yogurt (like Turkish yogurt), is actually a form of soft cheese. My understanding, prior to actually seeing it, was that texture-wise it would be like a cross between Greek yogurt and cream cheese. It can be flavored with various fruits mixed in, as yogurt often is. In Iceland the most popular variety is unflavored, although it is traditionally served topped with fresh cream and sugar.

Also, and equally appealing, is the fact that Icelandic livestock is raised the old school way, grazed naturally on the grasslands without the use of growth hormones, chemical feeds, and other nasty stuff. Obviously the milk produced by these animals is of a quality you probably won't find anywhere in the United States (unless maybe there's an Amish dairy near you), so how could the skyr made from that milk not be good? I'm telling you, it just sounded better and better. But would I ever come across any?

Yes! As luck would have it, the branch of Whole Foods on Manhattan's Upper West Side happens to carry a commercially imported version. While I did not find the plain variety on the shelf (they do carry it, but were sold out) they did have a vanilla flavored -- which is as close as I could get.

So how was it?

Well, the contents of the little tub looked exactly like (the far more commonly available United States) Greek yogurt. The package gave no indication that I should do anything to the product other than to give it a good stir prior to eating...so that was all I did to it.



The texture reminded me of a cross between Greek yogurt and sour cream. Basically not as thick or as thin as either; sort of in the redheaded stepchild middle ground. And once I actually tried it, that was pretty much the perfect description of the mouth feel as well. It had a nice aroma -- tangy, yet clearly vanilla.

But how did it taste? I know I keep going back to Greek yogurt, but that really is the easiest comparison. It was very much like vanilla Greek yogurt, but less acidic. It's sweeter than Greek yogurt, though not as sweet as a typical American yogurt. There's also another flavor note that I can't exactly place. Sort of like a soft cheese -- perhaps mascarpone, or maybe if I was really stretching it, I could say it reminds me of the aftertaste of cream cheese. But even that doesn't exactly pin it down. It's not a bad taste at all, just a tricky one to identify.

I would have liked to try it served in the traditional way, but I didn't have any cream or sugar on hand to mix in, so I had to skip that. But I did have some sweetener (yeah, my favored Splenda), so I also tried adding a packet to see how that changed the flavor. I'm not sure that this version actually needed either addition, but it was still fun to try. I will admit I did like it a little better with the added sweetness. Yes, it was good straight from the tub, but I think my sweet tooth is taking over a little. I can also tell you that the added sweetness pushed the flavor I couldn't quite nail a lot closer to that of cream cheese.



All in all, I'd like to see skyr gain wider availability in the United States. It's tasty, and for me it's a happy medium for when I don't want something as sweet as a mass market American yogurt, yet at the same time I'm not in the mood for something as tangy as Greek. This really bridged the gap between the two perfectly.

If you're an open-minded yogurt fan and you come across this on the shelf, it should not be missed!



PURCHASED FROM:
Whole Foods

PRICE:
$2.99

CALORIES:
150 calories per 6 ounce serving

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Fat free

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
skyr.is

New Tree Chocolate Granola Bar

I have liked New Tree chocolate since the very first bar I found on a visit to Zabar's in New York City. The first one I tried was the Tranquility bar, which is milk chocolate and lavender (new and improved review to come soon -- but for now, my rather lame first review can be read here). I love unusual flavors and New Tree has no shortage of those. Since I started trying New Tree's chocolates, they have changed their packaging from the old heavy cardstock and rather simple drawings of the theme ingredient to a glossy, sleek photo-style envelope. And it looks like chocolate bar itself has been re-molded as well...which is yet another reason for me to redo my older reviews.

The bar I'm reviewing now is part of New Tree's expansion into healthier options that take another step into more unconventional flavor combinations. This bar, for example, boasts having antioxidants and three times the fiber (along with 30% less sugar) than its similar counterparts. And if that's not a good reason to eat chocolate, then I am just going to call it a day permanently. Other than raw fruit and veggies, that's about as close to health food as I really feel the need to get.



Anyway, New Tree's Granola bar is a 31% milk chocolate that not only features little bits of granola, but is flavored with lime and green tea as well. I love green tea with lime as a drink, but will they play well together with chocolate? I am looking forward to finding out.

I do, however, have one complaint prior to actually tasting anything. It is a minor complaint, but it irks me. While New Tree has indeed changed the exterior packaging to a more modern look -- which I really like -- the new package illustration also shows a change to the molding of the bars themselves. That's all well and good...except that the bars actually are still molded just as they were when I first tried them almost four years ago. As you can see below, the bar is broken up into smaller square tiles rather than the brand-name embossed bar portions with the jaunty little tree designs that you see on the label. I realize that's not a big deal in the grand scheme of life -- but it's not truly representative of what you're getting. It's like a chocolate version of that hot girl you meet with the seemingly titanic rack: it looks great pushing out against her shirt, until you remove said shirt and find out you got duped by a push-up bra. Yes, I know the chocolate still tastes just as good (and the girl probably does too, but that's not within the scope of this review), yet it's still a disappointment. I guess the lesson here is that, much like many other aspects of life, it is the inside and not the outside that should count. It's just that sometimes the inside has to work a little harder to win you over once the outside has let you down.



So, after all that dime-store philosophizing, how did the inside work out?

Pretty well, actually. Regardless of its molding, the little squares have a great aroma. It's zesty and floral with a nice creamy finish. And the taste is even better.

The first thing you taste is the lime. It's bright and tangy but not sour or overpowering.



I am not sure that if I didn't know this bar had green tea in it that I would have guessed exactly what I was tasting. Actually, on first taste, it reminded me of mild pepper rather than tea. Then again, it is tea extract, and I can't say I have ever tasted that before. Maybe tea extract is just peppery? (Anyone out there have information on that?) Peppery or not, though, it was quite good.

The little clumps of granola are toasty and oaty and perfectly crunchy, which adds a nice contrast to the smooth texture of the chocolate. And, speaking of the chocolate: even three-years-plus after trying it for the first time, I am still in love with it. New Tree is a Belgian company, and -- yes, I have said it before -- those people can give the Swiss a run for their money any day when it comes to making chocolate. (But neither the Belgians nor the Swiss should get too complacent, because there are plenty of other countries who want a piece of the high-end chocolate action, and some of those efforts might surprise you. For instance, I've reviewed an Icelandic chocolate that was absolutely delicious, which you can read about here. I've also reviewed a very nice assortment box from Bolivia, which you'll find here.)

The chocolate is just strong enough that the lime and the tea flavors don't run it over. There is a really rich, milky taste to it. It's definitely on the sweeter side, but I think that with the tart lime, that's for the best. I can see where the lime might be too aggressive otherwise.



It has a reasonably smooth melt -- but remember, there are the bits of granola to melt around. It's a pleasant contrast.

Bottom line: As someone who loves citrus and chocolate together, this bar was an easy winner for me. I really think lime needs to be paired with chocolate (and not white chocolate!) more often. If you should see this bar, by all means get it. You won't be sorry.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company.

CALORIES:
170 calories per 100 grams.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Allergen info not listed.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
newtree.com

Ferrero Pocket Espresso To Go

One of the many perks of having both a food review blog and friends who travel, is that said friends are often nice enough to bring back foreign treats for me to review.

My friend Jess, for example, recently got back from an amazing month of studying art in Italy. (Jess will someday be a famous artist -- and when she is, I will be able to brag that she once brought me candy.) While she didn't jump at the chance to put me in her suitcase and smuggle my lame passportless butt out of the country, she did very generously bring me back some tasty offerings.



One of those goodies was this package of Ferrero Pocket Espresso To Go.

Now, I am already a fan of Ferrero Pocket Coffee candies (as opposed to these little mini-drinks). I've never done a review of those myself, but I love them. Cybele did both a review and an "Eat With Your Eyes" post, which you can see here and here.

Anyway, Jess -- being the cool person that she is -- saw these and thought of me.

Both Pocket treats are espresso based and both contain dark chocolate. Where they differ is that while Pocket Coffee is a liquid-filled candy, Pocket Espresso is actually all liquid and is meant to be drunk via the universe's cutest, tiniest straw!



Basically, Pocket Espresso is the world's tiniest coffee pod/juice box type product. Think of those little plastic packets in any diner or fast food joint that contain condiments, and you've got the size and shape. There's no denying that I love this product based on its packaging alone...but as we all know, the really important question this is: how does it taste?

I can understand why the pods are so tiny -- it's a small package, but it packs a BIG caffeine punch! The texture of the liquid is somewhere between actual espresso and chocolate syrup. It's not as thick as syrup, but not at the same time it's not as thin as coffee.



Tastewise: Again, that same comparison works pretty well. It's got that deep, dark roasted flavor that, while not as complex as a good espresso, is as good as one could ever hope that a coffee-flavored candy would get. Complementing the coffee is dark chocolate. It's a little woodsy, and not terribly sweet.

Let me tell you, these things may sound kind of odd but they were really good. I think the portion was perfect -- if it was any bigger, you'd probably be bouncing off the wall. If I had more of these, I would have liked to have tried chilling one (although I wonder if it would have caused it to thicken too much to suck out through the straw). And I think it would be killer poured over ice cream.

Like most things Italian, I have to say this was pretty awesome! (OK, I will grant you I am biased to all things Italian.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from my super cool friend Jess.

CALORIES:
47 calories per pod.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Does not appear to be available in the United States...but who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and find it at an import shop. As the label is entirely in Italian and my Italian sucks, I am unsure if this contains any possible allergens.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
ferrero.com

McVitie's Snickers Flapjacks

It's funny how even when it's still in English, some food names can be completely different in different places. Here in the U.S. when we hear "flapjacks," most of us immediately think about pancakes. Apparently in the U.K., Flapjacks can actually refer to a popular type of snack item.

My thanks once again to Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds for sending me this pack of McVitie's Snickers Flapjacks. I have been dying to try them since I read Jim's review back in October of last year (see it here).



Jim, to be fair, didn't like the Snicker's Flapjack all that much -- but he did say that it had a really good nutty smell. He also said they had an almost too moist, crumbly texture. But I happen to have a soft spot for that particular kind of texture (I am weird, I know).

Anyway, the package contains five individually wrapped bars.

Each bar is slightly longer and just a touch thinner than one of our "Fun Size" Snickers bars. The chocolate topping is much lighter in color than you'd guess from the packaging illustration -- in fact, it's almost a butterscotch color. And as Jim said it would, the bar does indeed have a very strong nutty smell. Looking at the bar I couldn't help but think that it looks like a hunk of chocolate (or butterscotch?) covered particle board. It's a taupe-colored mishmash of grainy looking bits, studded with peanuts. It is far from what one would call a pretty bar.



Looks aside, how did it taste?

Fortunately, it did not taste like something cheap furniture is built of. It is super moist -- moist to the point that it falls apart the moment you bite into it. The main flavors seem to be peanuts and oats. The chocolate, incidentally, may look like butterscotch, but it doesn't taste like it. It actually tastes just like any other commercial, mass market milk chocolate. It melts very easily, and while I have a feeling that on its own I would say it's too sweet, here it added a much needed kick. Without the sweetness of the chocolate, the oats would be too bland and the nuts would have nothing to jazz them up.



Also oddly missing from the Flapjack was any trace of caramel. Why is that? Caramel is such an important part of a classic Snickers bar that I don't get how they could possibly skip it here.

It's sort of hard to rate these. As a chocolate/peanut/oat flavored snack cake, they really aren't bad. I did like the texture, and I liked the fact that the cakes are just sweet enough without going overboard. On the other hand, as a Snickers flavored item, they are an epic fail. There's no caramel, and it just doesn't much seem like a Snickers bar at all.

In the end, I think I am going to just split the difference and go with:



PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds

CALORIES:
167 Calories per Flapjack.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains peanuts, milk, soy, gluten, and is processed on equipment that also handles eggs and nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
unitedbiscuits.com

Snickers Pods

Once again I have to give a shout out of thanks to the amazing Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds for sending me gobs of goodies from the U.K.

Today's reviewed item has been quite the world traveler. Snickers Pods are not a U.K. item, but are actually a product of Mars Australia. So, before it was even opened, this package made the trip from Australia -- well, to be picky, they are actually made in New Zealand -- to an import shop in Cinabar's corner of the U.K. Then from the U.K. it flew all the way to Southern California. All of which means that these Pods went (using nearest major cities to give you a better geographic picture) from Auckland, New Zealand, to London, England, to Los Angeles, California. That's a grand total of 16,846 air miles -- or 27,111 air kilometers -- just so I can get my chance to get my nom-noms on. (Wait...did that sound unprofessional? I meant to phrase that as: So I can have my chance to try yet another hopefully amazing foreign delicacy. That sounded better, right?)



I could not resist, though. As soon as I read Cinabar's review of the Pods (here), I had to try them. First, because I am just an all-around a fan of Snickers. Secondly (and to be honest, this was my main reason), there is just something about them that screams Scooby Snack! I can't explain why that is, but something in my mind just thinks if there was ever a human version of a Scooby Snack, these Pods would be it.



The Pods consist of a crunchy hemispheric shell that is full of a caramelly Snickers-type filling, and topped with chocolate.

So what do they taste like?

The wafer reminded me slightly sweeter, sugar cone style ice cream cone.



The center has a very thin layer of yellowish creme. It looks like caramel shown on the package (though not nearly as thick as the picture would indicate). That layer is where the peanut flavor and the caramel flavor reside. It's interesting because there is no mistaking the nuttiness -- it's just as present as it is in an actual Snickers bar -- but the creme is perfectly smooth, and there are no actual nut pieces to be found.

The chocolate layer is thicker than I was expecting. It's as perfectly smooth and creamy as any Mars chocolate ever is. The only thing I can say is that it does have that sweeter taste that many mass-market chocolates made outside of the U.S. tend to have.

I actually really liked these Pods. The added crunchy texture to the classic Snickers taste was a good combination. I would definitely buy these if I could get them on a regular basis.



PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds.

CALORIES:
545 kilojoules per 25 grams. (I have no idea how many calories that equals.)

ADDITIONAL INFO:
May contain tree nuts and barley.

McVitie's Mini Hobnobs

Once again, a round of thanks to Cinnabar of Food Stuff Finds for sending me goodies from across the sea.

Hobnobs -- or in this case, Mini Hobnobs (and as everyone knows, almost everything is cuter when done in a mini version) -- are a beloved U.K. treat. Hobnobs are a digestive biscuit that is enrobed in milk chocolate.



The biscuit (or cookie, to those of us on this side of the pond) is a hard, oat-based cake. Each Mini Hobnob is about the diameter of a U.S. half dollar coin. I dunno, something about them just makes me feel like I should be watching a Hugh Grant movie (I am thinking "About a Boy").

So how do they taste? Pretty darn addictive is how! The milk chocolate layer sits on top of the biscuit. It's very smooth and cool on the tongue. It's creamy and sweet, but it manages not to get too sweet.



The biscuit itself reminded me of a cross between a graham cracker and an oatmeal cookie. It's crunchy, yet airy...and I said it before, addictive!



I really love these! They are very simple, and that's what largely what makes them so good. Oats and chocolate -- and that's it. And it's a combination that works brilliantly.





PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from Cinabar of Food Stuff Finds

CALORIES:
194 calories per snack pack.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk, soy, and gluten. May contain nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
mcvities.com

Niederegger Marzipan Ingwer

Back during my last trip to New York at the beginning of the year, I spent my last night there going all out at a couple of my favorite stores. I kept telling myself that I would get around to reviewing the bulk of the goodies before Christmas...but so far, I have not been doing a really good job of it.

But today was just a marzipan kind of day, so into my bounteous stash I went. Happy happy, joy joy! Not only did I have marzipan, but I have marzipan with ginger in it!

This bar consists of semi-sweet chocolate (52%) that enrobes a generous slab of marzipan which is studded with bits of ginger.



First, the bar is nicely scored and molded.

The chocolate was indeed dark-looking. While my bar was well within its shelf life and showed no bloom (it was actually quite glossy), what annoyed me was that the chocolate shell had splintered away from the marzipan in several places. It's not an overly thick layer, but it is not exactly wafer-thin either. Maybe that's for the best, though. The chocolate, while not bad, never really rises beyond "meh." Its strongest flavor is a peppery warmth from the ginger. It's very brittle and doesn't have much of a melt. No, it's not awful, but I would never want to eat it all by itself.



But forget the chocolate -- let's talk about the marzipan! Omigawd, to be able to get a loaf of this stuff! Of course there is the sweet, cherry-like almond taste you expect of marzipan. It's not too sweet, it's not bitter. The texture is moist but not sticky. Grainy but not dry. It's really the perfect marzipan.

And what could possibly make such a thing even more perfect? If you guessed ginger, you would be correct. And there was just the right amount of it. You smell it and feel the heat it gives off more than you actually taste it. But it's wonderful. It's not too much and not too little, it complements the marzipan while not distracting from it.



Maybe it's a good thing that the chocolate on this bar was not better, because it may have been the only thing that kept my few remaining fragments self-control in command. If you like marzipan, you simply must get your hands on this bar.

Be sure to check out Jim's review. He loved it too.



PURCHASED FROM:
Barzini's (New York City)

PRICE:
$2.29

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
niederegger.de

Thornton's Viennese Truffle Bar

Believe it or not, this is my very first Thornton's bar EVER! I am well aware of the Thornton's line because of Jim's many reviews, and of course Cinabar's Foodstuff Finds reviews. And once again, we have Cinabar to thank for a review of yet another U.K. product. Everyone say thank you to Cinabar for sending out this bar as part of our epic "Oceans Be Damned!" candy swap!



This little bar is roughly the length of a Twix, and consists of a mousse center (it looks like chocolate mousse from the picture) that's encased in what Thornton's calls its "special mixture of white and milk chocolate," and then the whole thing gets a little sprinkle of sugar.

Even through the packaging, the bar feels short and pudgy...kinda like Ricky Gervais.



The question is, would the bar prove to be as deliciously wonderful as Ricky?

No worries, Ricky. You can sleep soundly tonight.

Let's start with the texture. When I read the word "mousse" I expect to get something that is fluffy, light and airy. I will grant you that this bar has traveled well over 5,000 miles to get to me -- and maybe something happened in transit that caused the texture to change. That said, the overall texture of the bar was more like what we in The States consider to be fudge-like. It's very dense, a little grainy, but it is cool on the tongue. In any case, "mousse" would not be the word I would use to describe it.



Taste? It reminded me of raw cookie dough -- and in the worst way possible. It's way too sweet, and yet oddly salty (and not in the good way, either).

What's weird is that it doesn't actually taste much like chocolate. It just tastes like sugar. Intense sugar that burns the back of your throat. If there is a difference in taste between the two layers, I couldn't tell you what it was.

Yeah, as a matter of fact I think I will send the rest of the bar to Ricky and see if he can get Karl Pilkington to feed it to monkeys. There really isn't anything nice I can say about this bar.

Be sure to check out Jim's review here. He didn't like it much more than I did.



PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds.

CALORIES:
195 calories per bar.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains milk and soy. May contain nut traces.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
thorntons.co.uk

Bendicks Bittermints

Once again, we have the fantastic Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds to thank for this review. As part of our amazing U.S./U.K. candy swap, she sent me this adorable tube of Bendicks Bittermints.

The tube is filled with individually wrapped patties. The patties consist of a firm peppermint fondant enrobed in a whopping 95% dark chocolate! 95% is some seriously deep stuff -- and even Bendicks' own website describes it as being "almost too dark." But the candy also features the stamp of the British royal family, and I like to think that maybe eating these candies is what put the hot into Prince Hot Ginge (AKA Prince Harry):



...and hopefully not what sucked the hot out of Prince William. Seriously, how the hell did this:



...turn into this?:



Anyway...what were we talking about again? Oh yeah...candy...anyway...



So, Bendicks Bittermints. The tube-sized version is slightly smaller than the size of our mini York peppermint patties. When you open the tube, there is a very intense chocolate/mint aroma that wafts up and pimp-slaps your senses (but in a genteel way).

Breaking the patty in two, you can see that the chocolate layer is just thick enough to give a nice seal to the mint fill, but it's not a thick shell. The mint fondant itself looks sort of like an Arctic white chunk of hard cheese. It's sort of dry and crumbly looking -- if you were expecting smooth or fluffy, you are in the wrong place.

Do not let looks deceive you. The chocolate is indeed extremely strong; it's a little dry, and the flavor is mostly of cocoa. It's sort of earthy, and it's not sweet at all. But before you get to the point where you are wondering why you ever bit into it, the mint kicks in.



It is a powerful mint! It's like an Altoid to the tenth power. In fact, at first it's almost too strong. It's not a sweet mint, either -- it's strong and herbal and clean, but it doesn't taste medicinal. It melts smoothly, even though it feels grainy when you first bite in. And it melts fast on the tongue.



The power of the mint doesn't wane for a good five minutes. And by the time the bite is starting to die down, you find yourself reaching for another...and then another...and yet another... Yeah, these things are just plain addictive.

Many thanks to Cinabar for causing me to add another candy to the Can't Keep In The House list! (Jim also reviewed them and gave them high marks. Read his review here.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Gift from Cinabar of Foodstuff Finds.

CALORIES:
55 calories per patty.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains soy. May contain traces of nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
bendicks.co.uk

Henry Goode's Soft Eating Liquorice

It is not exactly a secret to my readers that I am a big fan of licorice. It's also well known what brand I love best. But I am always looking to try new kinds, and when the folks at Henry Goode's asked if I was up to giving their Soft Eating Licorice a try, I of course said yes.

Each piece of licorice is a soft little log about 2 inches long. The logs are indeed quite soft and smooshy.



The smell from the waxed paper bag is subtle, sort of like molasses. So I bit into the log expecting a molasses-type sweetness. Instead I got a sweet (but not too sweet) yet strong anise flavor. No molasses in sight (or taste). Tastewise, what it really reminded me of was chewing on fresh fennel stalks. (Yes, we did do that at my house -- fennel was a favorite snack of my grandfather). Despite the fact that fennel is often mislabeled in stores as anise, the two herbs are quite different. (Fennel looks sort of like celery, only with a big whitish bulb at the bottom, and the leaves are feathery.) But what they have in common is anethole, which gives both herbs their similar tastes.



It's a very clean, very simple, fresh chew. It's not as strong as, say, your average black jelly bean. Nor is there any of the brown/sugar molasses taste of my beloved favorite. But I still loved the flavor.

The chew was good. A little sticky, but again, it's all good.

One of the best things to come out of England! (After Jim and Cinabar, of course.)



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
180 calories per 50 grams (I have no idea what that equates to in terms of pieces).

ADDITIONAL INFO:
No added salt, contains wheat, suitable for vegetarians. Halal.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
henrygoode.co.uk