May 2010 Archives

Well, wasn't summer lovely? All six days of it.

As the rain falls and we dig out the woollies we'd packed away, Mövenpick is hoping it's just a glitch and the sun will return. 

You see, the premium ice-cream brand has come up with its own take on the smoothie - using Mövenpick sorbets - to satisfy our cravings for ice cold drinks when the temperature soars.

The first recipe idea involves blending three medium scoops of Mövenpick Passion Fruit & Mango sorbet and a small banana with the juice of one small sweet orange and 50ml ice cold unfiltered apple juice, garnished with apple julienne, mango coulis and mint leaves. Mmmm...a taste of paradise.

The second combines three medium scoops of Raspberry & Strawberry sorbet with a small banana, two strawberries and the juice of one small sweet orange, garnished with sliced strawberries and lemon balm leaves. Sounds like a Wimbledon winner to us.

On checking the weather forecast Product Junkie has discovered the break in the weather is indeed temporary, no doubt caused by the impending Bank Holiday, and things are due to improve towards the middle of next week.

So get those blenders on standby.

Move over goji and açaí, there's a new kid in town.

Despite having a name that sounds like the early vocalisation of a toddler, when it comes to nutritional qualities baobab (bau-bab) beats many foods hands down with six times the vitamin C of an orange, twice as much calcium as milk and more magnesium than spinach. 

Baobab is an exotic fruit from Africa and better suited as an ingredient rather than eaten on its own. Its off-white, powdery fruit pulp looks like sherbet and has a unique tangy taste described as 'caramel pear with subtle tones of grapefruit'. It can be blended with anything and will instantly boost the nutritional value of many products and act as a flavour enhancer.

Back in 2008, EU Novel Foods approval gave the green light to supply the fruit pulp to the UK and Product Junkie is reliably informed it's now on the menu at the Eden Project in Cornwall where one million visitors a year will be treated to Baobab cakes and Baobab Ice Cream in the attraction's café.

If you're anything like Product Junkie, there are times when nothing quite hits the spot like some good old fashioned British grub.

Ah yes, with its diced steak and kidney pieces suspended in a rich, thick gravy spilling from a suet pastry case, steak and kidney pudding - or 'babby's yead' if you hail from North West England - is surely the epitome of British comfort food.

But wait, here's a bit of innovation. Someone's only gone and crossed it with that Brummie favourite, the balti.

That clever someone is frozen foods producer Glendale who has added Chicken Balti Pudding to its Great British Pudding Company range of Steak & Kidney, Lamb & Mint and Steak, Mushroom & Ale.

The curry filling in the 370g portion is spiced with cumin, cardamom and coriander while the golden suet crust contains kalonji seeds.

So it's hats off to Glendale for tweaking a successful formula to create an Anglo-Asian spectacular.

Mind you, Product Junkie can't help thinking that perhaps the curry filling of choice should have been chicken tikka masala. After all, it is supposedly our national dish.

The rather marvellously named Mr Todiwala's Splendidly Flavoursome Indian Sauces made their debut recently and alluringly promise to deliver "exotic spices to yield flavours both elegant and refined".

Of course 'exotic', 'elegant' and 'refined' could very well refer to the fabulously popular chef patron of Cafe Spice Namaste himself, who excellently identified a business opportunity in offering his customers the chance to take a bit of the superbly tasty restaurant experience home without gracefully pocketing the cutlery.

Majestically, Cyrus said, "For years, visitors to Café Spice Namaste had been asking me to create a range of authentic cooking sauces that they could use to cook at home."

Well now they have their wish with the gorgeously fresh Makhani, Bhuna, Dhaansaak Daal, Vindaloo and Chettinad sauces, following in the footsteps of the Mr Todiwala's range of award-winning hand-made pickles and chutneys.

One can only imagine sales will proceed magnificently.