Monthly Archives: November 2020

Easy Mini Rye Loaves Recipe

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I don’t use a lot of bread and mini loaves stay better in my freezer. Here are delicious easy to make mini rye loaves. This makes 8 mini loaves so depending on your appetite this is somewhere between 8-16 servings.

Ingredients for 8 servings

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour + plus extra for kneading and resting the dough in

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons dark rye flour

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon (heaping slightly) kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)

2 Tablespoons caraway seeds + plus extra to top loaves

1 1/2 cups warm water (to temperature recommend on yeast package)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup semolina flour or corn meal (this is for resting your dough balls on)

1 egg white – lightly beaten to brush loaves with two times each)

French Salt flakes (to finish loaves with)

caraway seeds (to finish loaves with)

Directions

In a large bowl add the sugar, yeast and water to the temperature recommended on your yeast package and mix. Wait about 30 minutes for a foam to appear so you know your yeast is active. Mix in the flours, salt, caraway seeds, and oil. Transfer this dough to a stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Do it at medium high for about 10 minutes and until dough pulls away from bowl. Knead it and make a dough ball. Set in in a large bowl with some flour to rest on. Cover with plastic wrap. Leave this on the counter for at least 4 hours.

Set oven to 425 degrees F.

Sprinkle parchment lined sheet pans with semolina flour or corn meal.

The dough get divided into eight pieces that you knead into balls. Give the balls room for rising on the sheet pan(s). If desired slash each dough ball the three slashes across the top. Paint each dough ball two times with the egg white. Sprinkle each dough ball with salt and caraway. seeds. They go in the oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked.

Mini Rye Loaves

Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Richard Blais Style Brisket Recipe

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Brisket was on sale for around $2.50 a pound so I thought I’d make some things with brisket. I haven’t made a pastrami in a while so I was thinking I’d make a pastrami again. I’ve been to a few of celebrity chef Richard Blais’s restaurants that were really great. I also thought a few of his recipes I followed were really great so I wondered how he would make a pastrami. I did a search for Richard Blais Pastrami on the internet and it lead me to a Richard Blais Brisket Recipe from www.seriouseats.com . It’s very different from the way I’d typically make a brisket so I wanted to give it a try. Half of my brisket will be a pastrami and my other half will be a Richard Blais Style Brisket. I love the aggressive spices and how easy this recipe is. I didn’t have the correct mustard at home for this recipe so I substituted something different that I thought would work. The recipe calls for yellow mustard but I thought Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac might be tasty and I added a dollop of Amora Extra Forte. These are both exceptional mustards. The Amora has this horseradish sort of twang to it and the Pommery is just delicious. They have a completely different taste than yellow mustard so the results will differ. The recipe makes 6-10 portions.

Ingredients for around 8 portions

One 3-4 lb brisket – preferably fatty end

1/4 cup coriander seeds – cracked (I put in spice mill and stopped before powder)

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

2 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup brown sugar – packed (I used dark brown)

1/3 cup yellow mustard (I used Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac and a dollop of Amora Extra Forte)

Directions

In a small mixing bowl mix together the coriander, salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne and set to the side.

Rinse brisket with cold water and blot dry with towels. Season the brisket with the spices from the small mixing bowl.

Heat the oil in a big fry pan on medium high heat.

Sear the brisket on all sides till brown. When done put the brisket on a pan to cool and rest and lightly cover it. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

Set oven to 300 degrees F and have a middle rack ready for the brisket.

Make the brisket paste. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar with the mustard.

Make an extra large aluminum blanket out of two large aluminum sheets. (you put one sheet on top of the other and fold up the long bottom end slightly and open to seal up the brisket (once it is slathered up with mustard paste).

Slather up the brisket with the mustard paste. You are suppose to use all the paste.

Seal up brisket with the foil….Make sure that it won’t leek. (somehow I screwed up and mine did leek some….)

This goes on a roasting rack in a pan on the middle rack of your oven for up to 10 hours in your pre-heated 300 degree F oven.

Richard Blais Style Brisket

I couldn’t see what way the grain goes and I accidentally cut it the wrong way but it still was good. The rest I cut better.

It is suggested to serve with mashed potatoes. Tightly wrapped leftovers should stay fresh for about a week.

Here is mine cold.

Richard Blais Style Brisket

Above is a cold piece that was re-heated in a 350 degree F oven with some water and the cauliflower on a covered baking sheet on the lower rack for around 30 minutes. Came out really great that way. The water with all the flavoring on the meat made a nice juice for the brisket.

Enjoy!

A special THANKS! to Richard Blais for another amazing recipe and also to www.SeriousEats.com for posting this great recipe.

The Forking Truth

Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale AZ – Worth A Fork*****Now Ginny’s Same Owners New Menu

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Twist Bistro and Gallery is a restaurant and art gallery located in north Scottsdale Arizona. They opened during the pandemic around May of 2020. Twist Bistro and Gallery offers a seasonal menu of modern detailed foods that swing towards Mediterranean cuisine. This restaurant is a husband and wife team. The husband is the chef and the wife runs the front of the house and did all the beautiful artwork on the walls that are also offered for sale.

To the left is a long bar with bar stools

Today we sat on the patio and they started us off with a generous serving of these delicious fresh warm complimentary feta and dill studded muffins with scallion honey butter. (YUM! these are really great!)

My husband tried one of the special crostini.

It was made with that special luxury Iberico ham from special black footed pigs that eat mostly acorns from either Spain or Portugal. This kind of pork is more marbled and red than regular pork. There was also melty brie cheese and blackberry mostarda on the toast.

Then we shared the farm to table salad that they were offering today.

This salad had all kinds of things in it tied together with some sort of lavender vinaigrette. There was grilled squash, arugula, radicchio, almonds, cheese, cranberries, and apples. It sure was unique and different!

I tried the chef’s fish special.

It was broiled wild caught mild fresh tasting lemon sole in a basil white wine broth with house made pasta and topped with fennel salad.

My husband tried the Sonoran Paella Verde.

It was a very detailed dish that was packed with grilled Main scallops, gulf shrimp, chicken, chorizo, crusty – green chili tomatillo rice, pumpkin seeds, hominy and tortilla hay. My husband kept saying that this was really REALLY good!

Since I wasn’t doing take out I didn’t have to worry about my dessert melting. We tried the light refreshing lemon sorbet.

I was surprised that it was topped with mixed berry jam. I am surprised again…This lemon sorbet taste just like Rosati Italian water ice to me. I haven’t had this since I left Pennsylvania. That water ice is everywhere there. Haven’t tasted water ice like this in a long time.

Here are some of the other foods we tried from Twist Bistro and Gallery.

black truffle ricotta mushroom crepe

loch Duart salmon – black rice, vegetables, tomato salad, pistou sauce

shrimp and sausage diablo – vegetables, cheesy polenta

beignets

everything flatbread with house made lox, wild boar meatballs with gnocchi, chicken and dumplings with goat cheese and blackberry mostarda, strawberry rhubarb cobbler and muffins

falafels, steak sandwich pallard, a very detailed Mediterranean salad with added salmon and mascarpone cheese cake

southern breaded shawarma kabobs with minted cucumbers, olives, jalapeños and preserved lemon basil syrup, loch duart salmon, shrimp and sausage diablo, muffins mascarpone cheese cake

Moroccan festival soup, grilled Hawaiian opah special, steak sandwich.

Everything from every visit was delicious!
*****TWIST BISTRO IS NO MORE******SAME OWNERS TURNED THIS INTO GINNY”S WITH A NEW MENU

Twist Bistro and Gallery in North Scottsdale is Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

www.Twist-Bistro.com

Every THING is subject to change and your experience can possibly differ.

The Forking Truth

Forking Amazing Roasted Cabbage and Carrots with Cotija Cheese Pomegranate and Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette Recipe

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No story here. Well not really. I almost always have a cabbage around and I almost always have carrots around. I’ve learned that vegetables always taste even better if you whip up some sort of vinaigrette for them. I learned that carrots tossed in a spiced sauce and then roasted come out amazing too. So I always have many southwest style ingredients at home and this is how it came out. I don’t mean to brag but this really did come out amazing!!!!! Actually FORKING AMAZING! This will make around 6-8 smaller side servings. My idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size. This comes out really super great so maybe you will get even less servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

2 whole pickled jalapeño peppers – chopped (I recommend my home made jalapeño pickle recipe found here on www.TheForkingTruth.com ) (Vinaigrette )

1/4 cup scallions – chopped (vinaigrette )

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste (vinaigrette )

1/2 cup canola oil (vinaigrette )

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (vinaigrette )

1 orange – just the fresh squeezed juice (vinaigrette )

1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice (vinaigrette )

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (vinaigrette )

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (vinaigrette )

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (vinaigrette)

1 teaspoon honey (vinaigrette )

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (vinaigrette)

1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems) – chopped (vinaigrette )

1 lb carrots – peeled – cut into chunks – most no lunger than an inch

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground annatto (also called achiote)

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

4 Tablespoons jalapeno cilantro vinaigrette

1 small cabbage – remove core – rough cut one inch cubes

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fine shredded cotija cheese

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped

Directions

Set your oven to 450 degrees F.

Make the vinaigrette. The first thirteen ingredients get blended together. (pickled jalapeños, scallions, garlic cloves, canola oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, 1 teaspoon honey, black pepper and one cup of fresh cilantro. After blended put to the side. (4 Tablespoons get removed to go on carrots latter)

Your cauliflower gets spread out in a single layer on baking sheet(s) Spray or drizzle with olive oil.

In a medium sized mixing bowl add the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons sea salt, chili powder, oregano, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground annatto, fennel seeds, ground mustard, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 4 Tablespoons jalapeño cilantro vinaigrette. Mix well and add carrots and mix well. Add to a baking sheet in a single layer.

Put the carrots on the middle rack of the oven and the cabbage just below the carrots. Cook till the carrots are soft and the cabbage has crisp dark ends. (In my oven this took 20 minutes but as we all know ovens do differ)

The vegetables go either in a dish or a bowl and drizzle the remaining jalapeño cilantro vinaigrette all oven the vegetables. Add the cotija cheese, fresh cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cabbage and Carrots with Cotija Cheese, Pomegranate and Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette

Forking Delicious!

The Forking Truth

Oh NO My Bread Didn’t Rise – Rye BAGELS Recipe – ****With UPDATE*****

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My rye bread dough didn’t rise. I never had dough that didn’t rise before. Some rise more than others but this didn’t rise at all. I even put my bowl of dough in a warm oven and it still didn’t rise. I thought maybe if I boiled the dough something good might happen and it did!

I knew my dough was for 8 portions so I cut the dough into 8 pieces. I rolled each one into a log. Then I dipped the ends in water to make them stick together. I boiled them in medium boiling water for 7 minutes turning them halfway though.

Placed them on baking sheets sprayed with non stick spray.

Sprinkled them with caraway seeds and French salt flakes.

Put them in a 425 F degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Some 15. Some up to 20.

They accidentally came out better than any bagel in Phoenix and were more like an east coast bagel than any bagel here….warm, moist, a little dense, delicious and chewy!

By accident they came out Forking AMAZING!

As for my update********the next day I made the recipe again. This time I used my regular yeast ( one packet of Fleischman’s Active Dry Yeast) The dough was completely different. I also needed to use one less cup of flour too. The Sour dough yeast made the dough much stickier.

Oh NO my bread didn’t rise – Rye BAGELS

Ingredients for 8 servings

3 cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour (possibly some more flour for kneading and more for sitting inn a bowl)

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons dark rye flour

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon (heaping slightly) kosher salt

1 – .63 packet sour dough yeast (maybe the secret to this recipe…usually I use regular yeast) (purchased it from WinCo)

2 Tablespoons caraway seeds + plus extra for topping bagels

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup canola oil

French sea salt flakes for topping (finishing) bagels

non stick spray to spay on to baking sheets

Instructions.

Flours, sugar, salt, yeast, caraway seeds, water and oil all go in your mixer bowl in your stand mixer. Mix lightly with a spoon so when you mix the flour doesn’t explode all over the place. Connect your hook attachment and bring the mixing up to medium high. Let it go around ten minutes. It’s done when the dough pulls away from the bowl and turns into a big dough ball. (If it didn’t then you might need to add a small amount of bread flour) Take the dough ball out and knead it into a ball.

The dough ball sits in a bowl with some flour and some flour on top of it. Cover with plastic wrap.

Mine didn’t rise………If yours rises it will make nice bread or rolls. I Don’t know if it will make the nice bagels mine did.

After 90 minutes of mine not rising I put a pot of water on a medium boil. Rolled out 8 sections of dough into logs and dipped the ends one at a time in water so the dough would glue it’s self together in a circle shape.

Using a mesh spoon I put three at a time bagels in my pot of boiling water for 7 minutes turning them halfway threw. Took them out with slotted spoon on to a non stick sprayed sheet pan and topped the bagels with caraway seeds and French flake sea salt.

They went in my pre-heated 425 F degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes. I took them out when they seemed cooked all the way threw.

This is the yeast I used.

Honestly the bagels came out with an incredible amazing flavor. Usually I bloom the yeast in water when I make a yeast dough but this time I didn’t because sometimes you don’t when you make bread. It came out FORKING GREAT anyway.

Oh NO my bread didn’t rise – Rye BAGELS

If you find yourself in the same situation maybe you can make your dough that doesn’t rise into bagels too.

The Forking Truth

Tuna Salad With Dried Mulberries Avocado Shallot And Crisp Curry Leaves – Slightly based on Yotam Ottolenghi’s Avocado and Curried Prawns and Lime Recipe

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I was reading a lot of recipes. I wanted to do something with tuna and avocado because that is what I had to use. A long time back I have heard that many caterers add curry to tuna and I have done that before. But it was only this week I read about frying curry leaves so I gave it a try. This recipe is slightly based on Yotam Ottolenghi’s Avocado and Curried Prawns and Lime Recipe. I used his flavors so it came out really great… but mine is less creamy and a little different. My husband said it tasted like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant. This recipe only makes two servings.

Ingredients for around two servings

canola oil to fry with (about 1/2 in high in a smaller pan) (infused oil gets used for dressing and to sprinkle on salad. You will have leftover infused oil)

1 shallot – sliced thin

1 pepper – hot or mild – sliced thin

20 fresh curry leaves

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 lime – the fresh squeezed juice (maybe more if your lime isn’t too juicy) Zest sliced off to infuse oil. (this juice gets squeezed on avocados)

pinch sea salt

3 Tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 teaspoon curry

1 1/2 teaspoon pure honey

2 Tablespoons infused oil

1 lime – the fresh squeezed juice (this juice goes in dressing)

1 avocado cut in slices

6 oz tuna – drained

1 oz dried mulberries

2 Tablespoon fresh parsley – chopped

2 Tablespoons scallions – sliced thin or chopped

sea salt – to taste

ground black pepper – to taste

two handfuls of mixed greens or sprouts to put under tuna

Instructions

In a smaller fry pan add oil and put on medium high heat. When oil is hot add the sliced shallots and pepper. Fry until golden. Remove and place on a lined cooling rack or sheet tray lined with paper towels. Turn heat down slightly to medium. Add curry leaves. They fry up very fast. Remove curry leaves when crisp (20-30 seconds) and place on lined cooling rack or sheet tray lined with paper towels. Take pan off the heat and add coriander and mustard seeds and lime skin. Let this sit at least 20 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, curry powder, honey, infused oil and lime juice and mix well.

Spread out the avocado on your serving plates. Dot the avocado slices with a small amount of dressing. Make a few dressing dots on the plates.

To this bowl add the tuna, mulberries, parsley, scallions (salt and pepper to taste) Mix well.

Finish dressing up the plate and use all the shallots and pepper and arrange on the plates.

To the middle of the plate add a handful of salad. On top of the salad add a mound of tuna.

Sprinkle the plate with a small amount of the infused oil.

lately top with curry leaves.


Curried Tuna Salad with Dried Mulberries, Avocado, Shallots and Crisp Curry Leaves

This is something very special. A SPECIAL THANKS!!! To Yotam Ottolenghi for inspiring this amazing FORKING DELICIOUS recipe.

The Forking Truth

Confluence Restaurant Carefree AZ – Always Worth a Fork

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Confluence is a small but upscale restaurant ran by a husband and wife team in Carefree Arizona that is just north of North Scottsdale. The food that is served is high quality modern American Cuisine. The changing seasonal menu usually contains a few hot and cold appetizers, a few fresh fish options, a few meat options and a few desserts. Tasting options are also available. Currently Confluence offers lunch and dinner every day but is closed on Sundays.

Today we sat on the patio. It’s around five degrees cooler in Carefree than Phoenix. Tonight it is almost too cold to dine on the patio but with the fireplace and a heater it’s very comfortable.

Everyone else is dining inside.

We started out with thick slices of the most delicious fresh baked country bread with high quality olive oil and the very detailed white wine poached sea trout.

The flavors all go together well and the fish is prepared to perfection. The flavors dance a bit in your mouth. Sweetness from a little apricot. Pickled shallots cut the fat and sweet. Key lime poppy vinaigrette ties everything together.

For my main I went with the hamachi. The fish dishes are maybe the best fish dishes in all of metro Phoenix. All of them are expertly prepared and are surrounded by interesting and surprising flavors.

The mild white fish is meaty but very tender and melts in your mouth. It has a nicely seasoned exterior that is crisp. The magic here is the way the flavors go together. These blacked figs are really heavenly. They are seared with crispy exteriors and go insanely well with the black garlic and labne. The broccolini is the crunchy neutral player here. Enjoying this plate is like a gift. Now I know that figs, black garlic and labne is a magical combination. I can even imagine these flavors as a not too sweet dessert!

My husband went with the Iberico Puma.

Iberico pork is very special. It comes from free range pigs from southern Spain and Portugal. The pigs eat mostly acorns and their meat is very different than from regular pigs. Iberico pork looks more like beef with the red color and marbling. It’s a more juicy pork with a unique flavor enhanced from acorns. Here it was accented with sweet potato, blue corn – corn bread, green chili, pepitas, and cipolllini onion.

It would be a big mistake to skip dessert here. The desserts are usually just as spectacular as the food.

Tonight we enjoyed sake poached pear with angel cake, candied pecans and yuzu curd. This is just wickedly amazing. That yuzu curd is a bomb that goes crazy well with the soft as a feather angel cake and sake poached pears. The candied pecans add that yummy sweet nutty salty just right crunch to complete all that taste sensations.

Confluence in Carefree AZ is Always Worth a Fork!

Worth A Fork!

www.RestaurantConnfluence.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience could differ.

The Forking Truth

A little taste of Lure Fish House in Scottsdale AZ – Week 34 Take Out Food

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Take out and delivery are less risky dining options during the pandemic. We do consider patio dining during off times.

For our first visit we decided to do take out from the newly opened Lure Fish House in Scottsdale. They are a family owned restaurant with four California locations and this brand new one in Gainey Village. They offer a seasonal menu of all kinds of fresh flown in seafood at reasonable prices.

It looks like they have at least a dozen outside umbrella topped tables.

Inside looks cozy with an oyster bar.

Looks like they have a lot of booth seating and many are closed for social distancing.

I tried the Sally’s Sand Dabs.

Oh WOW! This is really GREAT! I got a very good portion of DELICIOUS fresh sand dabs. They are so tender and fresh tasting in a perfect lightly buttered herb crust. The caper sauce is just right and accents everything in a delicious way. The sides I went with were a light and not too sweet pineapple slaw and a cilantro laced corn salad. The kernels were sweet with a nice fresh texture.

My husband really ENJOYED the Tequila Lime Shrimp Pasta.

This is also really great but is a very VERY spicy creamy tomato tequila lime sauce with spinach and Gulf shrimp, garlic toast and pasta. I tried a taste of the sauce. It has great flavors to it but is MIGHTY HOT that builds. We hope that the restaurant doesn’t neutralize this dish to please the masses because this dish will be too hot for about half the people out there. BUT WE LOVE IT THIS WAY!

We also tried a little bit of the rolls. They are very good with a developed taste. They will not go to waste here.

They offer a nice variety of desserts and today we went with the key lime pie.

It seems light and is flavored nicely. The graham crust is tasty. You can’t go wrong with this one.

My dogs got to enjoy some sand dabs.

“Lure Fish House was really great!”

www.LureFishHouse.com

That was a little taste of Lure Fish House in Scottsdale AZ

Everything is subject to change and your experience may differ.

The Forking Truth

Chili Mustard Glazed Butternut Squash With Bay Leaves

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Did you ever follow a recipe from a magazine and discovered that it taste terrible? That is how I started to developing my recipes. When I come across one I don’t like I do my best to make it taste good. I thought this one looked good and seemed ok…but the taste was not for me so I fixed it and it came out good in the end. Depending on the size of squash you use the servings may differ. I used a medium small butternut squash. It looks like four side servings to me. Your idea of serving size might differ from my idea of serving size.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

neutral non stick cooking spray

1 butternut squash (whatever size you want)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

fresh crushed sea salt – to taste

fresh ground black pepper – to taste

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

chili paste – to taste (all brands differ..you might want only a little or a lot….I used Calabrian Chili Paste that is delicious and only medium hot…I think I used a little more than a Tablespoon)

2 teaspoons mustard – I used Pommery Mustard Royal Cognac ….It’s like a combo of grain and dijon but laced with cognac

brine from jarred hot peppers to taste (I didn’t measure….I think I used about a quarter of a cup)

8 dried bay leaves

1/3 cup jarred sweet or sweet/hot peppers for garnish

Directions

Set oven to 425 degrees F. Set up a rack for the top third of the oven.

Spray baking sheet or a baking dish with non stick spray and set to the side.

Peel squash, cut in half (long ways) and scoop out seeds and membrane.

The squash go in the oven for only 15 minutes to get softer so you can cut it up easier.

While the squash is getting soft heat up the sauce.

In a small fry pan on medium high heat add the brine, mustard, maple syrup, butter and vinegar. Mix it up and let sit thicken some till it coats a spoon around 7 minutes. Take it off the heat.

Either cut in slices or be fancy like me and hasselback the squash.

I used chopsticks to hasselback the squash so I wouldn’t cut all the way threw.

Then each half of squash gets 4 bay leaves stuck into it.

Spray or rub the squash with oil and generously add salt and pepper to it.

Brush it with the sauce you just made.

Put it in the oven for only 10 minutes.

Repeat with brushing the sauce on the squash.

Leave it in for another 10 minutes.

You might want to do this a third time.

You want the squash to be soft and cooked.

Sprinkle some jarred peppers for serving.

Chili Mustard Glazed Butternut Squash with Bay Leaves

This is really Forking Delicious! Enjoy!

The Forking Truth

Universal Yum Box – Russia – My Forking Thoughts

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I’ve subscribed to www.UniversalYums.com . It’s a subscription service that sends you an international box of snacks once a month. They offer three different size boxes.

Small (called a Yum Box)- 6 snacks, a 12 page activity booklet with a recipe) around $15.00

Medium (called a Yum Yum Box) 12 snacks, activity book & more around $25.00

Large ( called Super Yum Box) 20 snacks, activity book & more around $40.00

So far I’m just doing the basic 6 snack Yum Box.

I open the box and wonder what I’ll get?

I look at the first few pages of the activity booklet first.

I read a little about Russia. I see a recipe for beef stroganoff. Turn the page and I see some fun facts.

The box also comes with a scorecard so I can jot down my thoughts.

I should have read the next page before we started the tastings because they recommended to do the tastings in a certain order. I accidentally tasted the best one first. I picked it because it was a smaller treat and I wanted to start with something small.

We start by sharing one of the snacks.

I’m not sure what it is called but it is a wafer bar with cocoa, hazelnuts and peanuts.

WOW! It’s all melty like REAL chocolate.

Gosh this is delicious. I never tasted a wafer bar with such a delicious coating. No wax here! This is really good. It’s not even like a candy bar. It’s more like the chocolate ganache coating from a pastry shop. American candy bars are very inferior compared to this…….Even the wafers and fillings are good. WOW! I sure wouldn’t mind more of these.

Here is the next one we tried.

I have no idea what the package says but this is a pack of two white chocolate and hazelnut filled wafer bars.

The wafer bars are crisp and the filling is unusually good. More like something from a bakery and not from a shelf. No waxy feeling at all. No chemical taste. It’s rich with the right amount of buttery sweetness. I just wish the hazelnut flavor popped a little more but this is still really good.

We only wanted a little bit of sweet so we opened the Yum Bag.

I wonder what is inside?

Looks like fruity gummies and something more interesting with coconut and hazelnuts. I go for the more interesting.

It’s like a wafer bon bon. It’s a white chocolate coating mixed with shredded coconut that coats a wafer shell filled with extra sweet frosting that has a hazelnut center. This one its slightly waxy and slightly too sweet. Not my favorite.

Here’s the next one.

I was suppose to try this one first. It’s some sort of coated milk cake.

This one lacks sweetness and also lacks a good flavor. It is flavored with something I can’t identify. This its my least favorite so far.

Ok next was mushroom croutons.

They smell sort of odd. They are light, airy and crisp in texture. They taste better than they smell. some of them actually taste like mushroom base. (base the stuff you add to soup if you didn’t make a stock) some of them have more flavor and salt than others in my package. For me some of them run a little salt forward but they really do taste like mushroom. Not bad!

Next.

These are suppose to be Swiss cheese flavored potato chips.

They smell sort of buttery. They have a powdery exterior and are very thin but in my package the chips are not very crisp. At first I can almost imagine a Swiss cheese flavor but that quickly turns to an artificial margarine type flavor. I really don’t like these chips.

These were the gummies from the yum bag. They might be good but I don’t like gummy candy so I made my husband try them. He thought one did taste like lemon or something citrusy but he couldn’t identify the other one.

The last one.

It looks good……..????

I go to taste….The chocolate is extra milky and the filling is more like jelly than the creamy look it has on the wrapper.

You know I can sure go for another one of these………..The was the wafer with cocoa, hazelnuts and peanuts.

Those were my Forking Thoughts on Universal Yums from Russia.

I can’t wait to try what I get next month!

www.UniversalYums.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience and opinion may indeed differ.

The Forking Truth