Tuesday 21 April 2009

Almondy Almond Tarta with Daim


I first sampled the Almondy Daim (formerly Dime bar) tart in a branch of Ikea amongst a range of other Swedish produce, and it was an instant hit. The pastry free (and therefore also gluten free) tart is made with layers of layers of ground almonds, a vanilla-ish buttercream, and in this instance a chocolate topping with lots of bits of Daim bar caramel. Despite all the potential sugar overload, it is remarkably non-sickly and exceedingly moreish.
The tart comes frozen, but defrosts in around 10 minutes so none of that remembering to put it in the fridge the night before that you get with some other frozen deserts.
Price: Can vary depending on retailer, but around the £2.70 mark.
I rate it 9/10.

Friday 10 April 2009

Sesame Prawn Toast- M&S


Sesame prawn toast, a perennial Chinese takeaway favourite. I have grave reservations about the authenticity of this item; chopped up prawns spread on white bread with a coating of sesame seeds doesn't exactly scream out a taste of Canton but in terms of tastiness it's hard to go wrong with fried bread and seafood.
This M&S version is definitely one of the superior examples of what supermarkets offer in this field. The bread is golden and crispy without being greasy and there are proper chunks of chopped up pink prawn meat rather an unidentifiable grey gloop. A thin layer of sesame seeds adds a contrasting texture without their strong flavour becoming overwhelming. These toasts also contain ginger in the prawn mix, which was a little unexpected. I am not a huge ginger fan but they do add a little extra element to a dish that some might find a bit bland otherwise. So, in terms of texture and taste this product is definitely one of the best sesame prawn toasts that I've tried so far. It makes a nice side dish to have with a noodle stir fry, and overall works out cheaper (and probably healthier) than a takeaway. Just set those authenticity concerns to one side.
Price: £2.99 for 8 pieces
I rate them 7.5/10.