From The Straits Times    |

Yuzu, champagne, durian and other mooncake flavours in Singapore you need to eat this Mid-Autumn Festival

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Superfoods premium ingredients, local food fads, alcohol-infused delights and beloved classics — they are all catered for this Mid-Autumn Festival.

Crystal Jade Culinary Concepts’ new mini snowskin mooncakes ($28 for a box of four; $50 for a box of eight) include chlorella with melon seeds. Other flavours are lychee with pine nuts, blueberry with cashew nuts and white lotus paste with macadamia nuts.

Chlorella, a freshwater green alga, is rich in chlorophyll, protein, vitamins and other nutrients. The superfood is said to detoxify the body and support the immune system.

“Given the current trend of healthier living and eating, Crystal Jade’s chefs thought to incorporate more wholesome ingredients — fruits, seeds and nuts came to mind,” says a spokesman.

These snowskin creations are only available as mini renditions, as this encourages just the right amount of indulgence, he adds. Crystal Jade’s signature baked mooncakes are also lower in sugar.

Making its debut this year at Sheraton Towers Singapore is Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant’s baked mixed nuts mooncake with Li Bai’s signature X.O. sauce (below, $66 for four pieces), which is homemade with premium Japanese scallops.

As this sauce is well-liked by regular patrons of the restaurant, its chef decided to experiment by melding this with mixed nuts for a piquant surprise, says the hotel’s director of F&B Andy Chan.

What customers want


Bakerzin’s Egg Custard Mooncakes

“We always base our selection of mooncakes on what our customers want,” says TungLok Group’s executive chairman Andrew Tjioe. To determine the yearly Mid-Autumn offerings, the team goes through multiple rounds of discussions, tastings and an internal poll to determine the crowd favourites.

TungLok’s baked mooncakes with white lotus paste and salted egg yolk are a yearly classic and move the fastest. These are typically purchased as gifts for friends and business associates; while for home consumption, customers tend to be more adventurous in trying uniquely flavoured mooncakes, he says.

Its bite-sized range ($54 for a box of 16 pieces in eight flavours) of baked mooncakes is also a hot seller, and enjoyed by both young and old, due to the convenient size and unique flavours. Two new additions this season are red bean with almonds, and black and white sesame lotus.

Heeding customers’ interests is also part of the creation strategy of Bakerzin.

Says Ms Sharon Tay, its chief operating officer: “Our customers are well-travelled and always on the lookout for the newest and latest talk of the town. In order to continuously entice our crowd, there is a need for more interesting flavours for them to have their pick.

“For instance, the current buzz is salted egg yolk ‘anything’. The demand for salted egg yolk is on the rise and we want to innovate and create a new dimension to the flavour, which inspired our egg custard creation.”

Bakerzin’s limited edition Egg Custard mooncake ($52 for box of eight, limited to 1,000 boxes only) boasts a fragrant crust made with premium butter that crumbles and melts in the mouth, and a centre that is creamy with a tinge of saltiness.

Mandarin Orchard Singapore is also riding this wave, launching its mini snowskin salted egg custard with Manuka honey corn ($65 for a box of eight) this Mid-Autumn Festival. The subtle savouriness of the salted egg yolk custard is balanced with the sweetness of the corn and Manuka honey; and ensconced in fluffy snowskin.

Catchy characters


Peony Jade’s Piglets mooncakes 

Meanwhile, families with children might be familiar with Peony Jade’s catchy character mooncakes. The brand has introduced piglets, inspired by the traditional piglets in a basket, and Stunned-Like-Vegetable ($72 for a box of four, advanced order required).

Limited to just 300 boxes, this egg-like snowskin creation that looks perpetually surprised is filled with luscious salted dark Valrhona chocolate, feuilletine and Milk Rocher. It was inspired by a popular item on the restaurant’s dim sum menu. The snowskins are made from all-natural colouring, says Mr Dominic Han, head of marketing, The Quayside Group, which owns and manages Peony Jade.

He adds: “There is a strong awareness with character mooncakes; it is also easier to market because of the unique outlook. However, we typically focus more on our core products as these character creations are limited edition and we do not have the capacity to create these in large quantities.”

They are usually purchased by parents for their children. Occasionally, some corporate clients who want to make a statement also buy these as gifts.

Intoxicating infusions


Conrad Centennial’s Champagne and Strawberry Snowskin Mooncakes 

Mooncakes with a shot of alcohol are a boozy sweet treat, and a perennial favourite.

This is the first time that Conrad Centennial Singapore is introducing alcohol-infused snowskin flavours — rum and raisin, and Champagne and strawberry ($64 for a box of eight, above).

Children can tuck into its new cranberry cheese and green tea with white chocolate snowskin creations, or the Golden Peony signature, sweet potato in crispy filo pastry ($64 for a box of eight).

These golden gems comprise boiled sweet potatoes that are whipped till light and airy, then wrapped in thin layers of homemade filo pastry.

Inspired by Japan’s cherry blossoms and movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bakerzin created snowskin delights Champagne sakura and chocolate cream liquor ($54 for a box of eight pieces, four alcohol-infused flavours in all).

Mandarin Orchard Singapore’s all-time favourite is its mini snowskin lychee martini and white chocolate mooncake ($65 for a box of eight), which contains a smooth creamy filling with a hint of martini encased in luscious white chocolate, enveloped in a pillow-soft skin.

“It has been our signature flavour all these years due to the burst of rich lychee martini flavour from the chocolate. Low sugar white lotus paste is used to complement the intense flavour of the lychee martini,” says the hotel’s Executive Sous Chef Liew Tian Heong.

Decadent durian

Goodwood Park Hotel’s Mao Shan Wang Durian Snowskin Mooncake

Goodwood Park Hotel’s famed ‘Mao Shan Wang’ durian snowskin mooncake is back again this year and is available on its own, as well as part of the four-piece Snowskin Combo, which also includes yuzu lychee, mango with pomelo and cempedak snowskin mooncakes.

InterContinental Singapore’s snowskin ‘Mao Shan Wang’ durian mooncake is made from the thorny fruit’s pure durian extract and topped with a sprinkling of edible gold dust. The creamy delight is aromatic but not overly pungent.

Indulge in Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel’s pure ‘Mao Shan Wang’ top grade durian snowskin mooncake. Each bite fills your mouth with the luscious creamy flesh and a subtle hint of sweetness.

Big in flavour are Carlton Hotel Singapore’s mini ‘Mao Shan Wang’ durian snowskin mooncakes. These are made fresh, without preservatives.

Baked wonders

Concorde Hotel Singapore’s Imperial Ivory is back by popular  demand. This mooncake features a buttery pastry skin, cooling winter melon paste filled with chunky dried longan, melon kernel seeds, macadamia bits and a single yolk.

Peach Garden’s line-up of classic baked creations sees two additions this year. The premium wild kumquat paste is imbued with the fruit’s citrusy note, while golden pandan paste with one yolk is jade green within a charcoal baked skin.

Innovative snowskin

A symbol of longevity, Szechuan Court, Fairmont Singapore’s peach-shaped mooncakes make meaningful gifts. In addition to the classic baked option, its contemporary pastel-hued delights include new offerings Imperial Yuzu (mini snowskin yuzu chocolate crunchy pearl) and Cranberry Snow (mini snow skin cranberry and white lotus).

Mini blueberry with vintage Hua Diao wine (low sugar) and mini salted caramel with hazelnut crunch are two of the new snowskin delights offered at Hua Ting Restaurant, Orchard Hotel Singapore. Enjoy the balance of sweet and tart blueberries infused with the heady perfume of the Chinese wine in the former, and the crisp layers with velvety caramel custard paste in the latter.