In Which an Antipodean Treat Helps One to Chill Out – Quite Literally…

Tim Tams… FROZEN Tim Tams…

The summer heat has finally gotten to a number of people.  One friend literally wilted in the heat while waiting for the bus, the victim of dehydration.  Another friend has been suffering from serious nosebleeds and has taken to strapping an ice pack to the back of her head when she goes to work.  A colleague’s blood pressure soared to astronomical heights and had to be taken to a hospital ASAP.  Eep.

Me, I ended up with a bad case of dizziness that literally floored me Thursday last week and ended up feeling poorly a few days ago when the trains broke down and everyone spilled onto the streets to grab buses home.  It has, as far as I know, been the worst summer ever.  (Thank goodness, though, that the rains began to pour last night…)

Lucky for me, I decided to beat the heat and the blues with a two-edged sword - Tim Tams; more specifically frozen Tim Tams.

Arnott’s recently put out an Asia-specific version of these popular Aussie biscuits which are best served chilled in the fridge prior to consumption.  They are, unfortunately, not as good as the proper shipped-from-Down-Under kind as the chocolate is compound and rather waxy.  But, in a pinch as obvious as this, they’ll do - just.

In my personal opinion, these are better frozen rather than just refrigerated.  They taste better that way, the cold minimizes the waxiness of the compound choc, and the biscuits are slightly crunchier.  The Antipodean, who is currently spending a week or so home in NSW, is of the opinion that I should try freezing real Tim Tams next time; it’s what he does in the summer – and, yes: it is substantially better.

He also noted through the screen that I was munching the Tim Tams along with an iced coffee (again, alas, instant; but what the hell…).

“When you get your hands on a packet of real Tim Tams, babe,” he said, “I’ll teach you the Tim Tam Slam.”

“Promise?” I asked as I munched through the third cookie in the tub.

“Promise.”

“Well, kid, you got yourself a deal…”

(But, no: there is no way in hell that you’ll get either of us to try those vile cheese-flavored Tim Tams that are currently the rage in Indonesia.  We have our standards, you know!)

In Which the Cookies Were Overloaded with Chocolate and Other Good Things…

Each one is packed with flavors and interesting textures

Just a quick recipe from me for today.  If you seriously love chocolate – as in truly, madly, deeply love chocolate – this cookie is for you.

Demolition Derbies, so named because they’re pretty much a train wreck’s worth of ingredients in every batch, are chock-filled with four kinds of chocolate (cocoa powder, grated white choc, dark chips, and coarse chunks of milk chocolate), nuts, soft almond nougat, oatmeal, and cereal.  You get cookies that are absolutely crunchy on the outside, chewy within, loaded with chocolate goodness, and are utterly addictive.  I daresay their name also fits them because you and your friends and family will be demolishing loads of these goodies in no time flat.

These go down so well with a cold glass of milk, but grown-ups will find these a perfect match for a cappuccino, a mocha, or maybe a dirty chai latte.

Demolition Derbies

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tablspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flakes or cornflakes
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup soft almond nougat, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup salted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 packed cup dark brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees / Gas Mark 4.  Line standard-sized cookie sheets with either waxed paper or baking parchment; barring that, you could also use Silpat liners.

Cream together the butter and sugars till light and fluffy.  Whisk in the cocoa, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda.  Add the flour and the oats and mix well until a soft dough is formed.  Mix in the chocolates and the other ingredients until well-combined.

Scoop level tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets and chill in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, just to crisp up the outsides.  Remove from oven and leave to cool for about ten seconds on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 72 (6 dozen) cookies.

In Which the Supermarket Bakery Steps Up its Game…

Probably won’t bring you good luck, but it tastes pretty good…

Just a quick post!  For most people, the only breads you can get at your average, ordinary supermarket are standard-issue loaves of mass-produced Pullman or “tasty” loaves of cottony white sandwich bread or buns.  Of late, however, supermarkets have been offering better bread choices for customers: the sort that surpass standard-issue loaves in terms of both taste, appearance, and value.

SM Supermarkets, in particular, have begun to offer what the counter-staff refer to as artisan rolls: a selection of filled, shaped breads in assorted flavors.  The Irish Crown, a savory bun made with wheat germ, candied walnuts, and blue cheese is one such example.  They have other savory rolls and sweet buns as well.

In Which One’s Favorite Flavors are Enjoyed at the End of the Day…

Almond biscotti latte + lemon square

I am a sucker for most things lemon- or almond-flavored.  The former peps me up while the latter calms me down.  So just imagine how I hit the jackpot when I scored a lemon square and an almond biscotti latte over at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

The lemon square, a nice, hefty example of the species, was just the right mix of tart and sweet, the lemon curd smooth on the tongue, the shortbread base properly buttery and crumbly.  The flavors went amazingly well with the latte, a seasonal offering, that was just fragrant, nutty, and properly bittersweet.

It was just the thing I needed to wrap up yet another hectic day at work.  :)

In Which a Waffle Sarnie is Consumed…

Anyone want a waffle?

The waffle sandwich in all its iterations has been a fairly common sight in Filipino food courts and train station stalls for the better part of over three decades.  In the early 1980s, tubular waffles filled with cheese or frankfurters were popular post-grocery shopping treats.  In the late 1990s, sugary Pegi Belgian waffles were sold from mall kiosks in chocolate, coffee, strawberry, and classic plain vanilla.  Waffle Time, another tube-waffle peddler, upped the game in the noughties’ by offering the usual cheese and frankfurter combos, but also a number of swankier flavors like fruit jam, cheesedogs, tuna mayo, chicken salad, and even a choice between Belgian and Swiss chocolate.

And not there’s Famous Belgian Waffles, another mall/food court stall that claims that they are the original waffle sandwich.  Really, now…

Their waffle-wiches are priced in the middle of the P 20 for a Waffle Time log and P 80+ for a Pegi waffle or its descendant, the Starbucks waffle with whipped cream and syrup.  So you pay about 35 – 45 for a standard, one-filling foldover and 45 – 55 for a double-stuffing sarnie.

I’ve had the chocolate and peanut butter combo shown above.  It’s passable: compound chocolate, chunky peanut butter – a combination that works pretty well.  However, even while warm, these waffles are all floppy and the edges never seem to crisp up.  Until FBW can find a way by which they can add crunch and structure to their waffles, I’ll stick to the cheap stuff: they have the formula down pat, so why change anything?