The indomitable Travelling Gourmet delves deeply into the scrumptious cake inspired by the Moon…
Mooncakes are not in season yet…but my friends at the Pan Pacific Hotel, and in particular Executive Chef Sheldon Tan, kindly let me try their new creations today. I would swear you to total secrecy but what the hell, you’ll be able to buy and taste them soon enough, so…
The Fab Four!
Modern and healthy (very important nowadays) too are not one, not two BUT FOUR spanking NEW snowskin mooncake flavours. Kudos to creative Executive Chef Sheldon Tan.
The Fab Four include Apricot Brandy with Sweet Potato, and who can resist Champagne Strawberry made with the King of Wines plus there is also Black Forest with Chocolate Pearls and Hazelnut Feuilletine. These divine snowskin mooncakes, crafted with healthy & less fattening low-sugar lotus seed paste, are set to make your taste buds dance in delight!
Not many hotels are rolling out low sugar mooncakes so Pan Pacific is a pioneer in this ‘out of the box’ innovation.
It seems like yesterday that I was the first gourmet in the world to match Mooncakes with wines at the Marriott in 2003. Accordingly, I decided to do some mooncake and wine pairing this year too. I relished the Champagne Strawberry Mooncake with crisp and fresh Devaux Champagne… and it was devilishly good! Lovely too with Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin NV champagne, another favourite of mine. The velvety textured 2mm thin snow skin is very tender but not sticky while the smooth as silk lotus paste and creamy center is very pleasing to the palate.
Hazelnut Feuilletine has a crunchy ball inside…so satisfying when you sink your teeth into it! A lovely mix of hazel nut, lotus seed flavours and varying textures. Perfect with some Kahlua Coffee liquer on the rocks. “Feuilletine” comes from the word “feuille” meaning sheet (as in paper sheet) they are used in pastries to give a crunch to a mousse or cake. The extremely thin crepes known as “gavottes” are crushed to create the crunchy texture.
Another yummy winner is Apricot Brandy with Sweet Potato and I like this with Michel Chiarlo Moscato mellow dessert wine with good acids to serve a foil to the sweetness of the mooncake.
As for Black Forest with Chocolate Pearls, let’s just say that if you have a passion for Schwarzwälderkirschtorte which means Black Forest Cherry cake (yes, it originates from Germany since the 16th Century), you’ll adore this one. With this rich dessert, no wine, but a really good Vanilla Ice Cream, homemade using Vanilla pods from the island of Mauritius!
The 15th Day of the 8th Lunar month falls on Monday 12th Septyember 2011-the Mid Autumn Festival.
Enjoy these tempting and happily not sinful temptations with your paramour. and tell her as you munch each lovely morsel, “Darling, look at the moon, lah…hold me tight and and kiss me…”
Good mooncakes do strange things to you…
ENJOY! {:-)
Pan Pacific Singapore’s mooncakes will be available from 1 August to 12 September 2011 at Hai Tien Lo from 12pm to 2.30pm and 6.30pm to 10.00pm, and Mid-Autumn festive booth on Level 1 from 11am to 9pm. For enquiries, please call 6826 8032 or email celebrate.sin@panpacific.com.
Pan Pacific Hotel
7 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square
Singapore 039595
Tel: 6336 8111
The Travelling Gourmet 