shiokadelicious!

Cheesy Foursome

It’s more cake again today, I’m afraid. Are your teeth aching already from all the sweetness of the previous two days? Well, just bear with me; no more cake posts after this – for the next few days at least – I promise.

My friend showed up at my door the other day, bearing a box of mini cheesecakes; and since I was not one to turn down any sort of dessert without a perfectly good reason (such as maybe being ill and completely bed-ridden), I accepted the sweet gift with much joy; never mind my beginning-of-the-week-decision to eat healthy and cut out all desserts for the next two weeks.

These mini cheesecakes were from the Marriott Hotel. I had never tasted Marriott’s cheesecakes. For some reason, it simply never occurred to me that they might do very good cheesecakes. Apart from the Ritz Carlton, I tend to buy my cheesecakes from non-hotel sources. I don’t even particularly like the Hilton cheesecakes very much, even though half the country raves about them being the best in town. I find them too rich and dense for my tastes. I can barely manage half a slice, and even that small amount usually leaves me with a decidedly uncomfortable, heavy-as-a-rock, indigestible lump of rich cheesiness sitting in the pit of my stomach for the rest of the day. And that’s not a feeling I enjoy.

But these ones looked prettily dainty and elegant…

(And yeah, he had already popped one into his mouth before I could even reach for my camera; thus the gaping space in the box!)

There were four varieties for me to savor: raspberry, Oreo (my usual favorite flavor for cheesecakes), strawberry/blueberry and New York-style.

“These are raspberry cheesecakes”, I said in a tone that hinted, “you should know I don’t like raspberries in any form”.

“They’re for me and the rest of the family who might want to taste the cheesecakes”, he said in a tone that implied, “you mean you are going to eat everything all by yourself?!”

“Oh… ok… would anyone like some cheesecake?” I asked.

And yes, the rest of the family did want some cheesecake too.

“These cheesecakes are so small and cute”, I said in a tone that suggested, “how come there are only 8 mini cheesecakes meant for so many people”. (My “many” being four people in total.) But these were truly very small cheesecakes; almost bite-sized. Well, okay, not quite bite-sized; I exaggerate. But definitely 2-mouthfuls-sized cheesecakes; or for someone with a daintier bite, like yours truly, 4-mouthfuls worth of sweet delight to every mini-cheesecake.

“I thought you said you are on a diet?” came the rejoinder.

I gave one of my “looks” – you know, the “well, why did you buy the cheesecakes then?” look – and proceeded to cut each small cheesecake into half, so everyone could taste a tiny piece of each flavor (minus the raspberry version for me, of course).

I’m usually a sucker for Oreo cheesecakes. It does not matter how wide an array there is in front of me or how delicious other cheesecakes may look, if Oreo cheesecake is among the choices available, almost always (not always, but very nearly) I would plump for the Oreo.

It used to be that I absolutely adored the Baker’s Inn’s version. That was about 4-5 years ago. Nowadays, I have yet to find one that I particular love. Could this be a candidate to fill the Oreo cheesecake void in my life? Could this be the start of a brand new, long-lasting relationship, I wondered?

This Marriot-made version wasn’t too bad at all. The Oreo crust and crumbled topping were slightly too moist, but at least they weren’t cloyingly sweet. The cheese filling was very nicely soft, smooth and fluffy with just the right amount of denseness – plus, with none of that temple-aching sweetness. The rich cheese flavor was nicely counterbalanced by the fairly light, fluffy texture. The only thing missing were the chunks of Oreos in the filling; but I guess with such a small sized cake, that probably wasn’t practical.

Over all, not too bad at all. I would have happily eaten one whole mini cheesecake by myself; maybe make that two whole mini cheesecakes by myself. But that was before I tasted this…

Ah! This was a stunner. It took my breath away; and I wasn’t expecting it to, which made it even more breathtaking I suppose (if you can follow the logic of that). The colors were very pretty: the cheery, bright summery redness of the strawberry slice, with the quiet cool suaveness of the blueberry, juxtaposed against the pure, smooth creaminess of the cheese. A perfect splash of color against an elegant pale yellow canvas.

Yet, I was expecting something fairly ordinary tasting; it looked like it was simply a regular baked cheesecake topped with a couple of fresh fruits for aesthetic effect. But oh, I was so wrong. One bite and a “mmmmm… wow!” escaped, unbidden, from my lips. This was good!

It wasn’t just any regular baked cheesecake; this was a lemony baked cheesecake. And it was good! (Oh, have I said that already?) The lemon notes were fairly subtle, yet distinct, and oh so elegant. Very nicely balanced; nothing jarring, nothing obvious – just a delicate zesty tang that was absolutely delightful!

The texture of the cheese filling was also lighter, smoother, fluffier than the Oreo one. It was melt-in-the-mouth tender, with just the right amount of denseness and richness. Very nice indeed! Now this, I could have a whole big piece of!

This looked like an approximate of a New York-style cheesecake, with an added swirl of chocolate decoration on the top. Meeting my palate straight after the lemon-berry cheesecake, it had a hard act to follow; and it didn’t quite manage to rise to the occasion.

It wasn’t a bad cheesecake. Not at all. In fact, it was a fairly good version, as far as New York-style cheesecakes go – or more accurately, New York-style cheesecakes according to my taste preferences. The texture was somewhat heavier than the rest of the cheesecakes in the box, but decidedly lighter than most other versions of New York cheesecakes. There was a nice fluffiness to the dense filling which made it highly more-ish.

Still, I was more infatuated with the lemon cheesecake. That was something I would buy for myself from the Marriott. Of course, I would hardly complain if people decided to show up at my doorstep with more of the stuff! The other two cheesecakes (that I tasted) were good too; they were definitely worth a taste-run.

There’s also something to be said for buying mini versions, rather than regular cheesecakes. They’re great! They allow you to split the guilt and spread it throughout the day. (Portioned-out, bite-sized packets of guilt, what would Freud have said to that?) You don’t have to eat an entire slice of cheesecake in one go – which is usually a rich and heavy experience by most standards. Besides, it’s a lot more fun (I think) to walk by the fridge and sneak out a small cheesecake every few hours or so. It makes the entire day so much more pleasurable, don’t you think? A day filled with small, elegant mouthfuls of luscious, sweet treats. How nice!

And how remiss of me to have completely overlooked the Marriott as a source of good cheesecakes. Well, no more. It has been added to my little “food black book”.

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.

It’s Beginning to Taste A Lot Like Christmas

One of the things that make Christmas christmasy for me is the food. Somehow Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without certain epicurean experiences. And it’s not the savory foods that do it for me – no, I do not think about baked ham or roasted turkeys. Christmas for me is defined by all the sweet treats of the season. (Yes, my sweet tooth is quite legendary in this family). Weeks before Christmas I would start dreaming of fruit cakes, mince pies, chocolates, cookies and what have you…

This year, the festivities have had a rather late start for me. I have been too busy to do hardly any Christmas baking. My fruit cake attempt a couple of weeks ago could hardly be called a “resounding success”. But… all is well…

A friend of my brother made us a brandied fruit cake, and it is delicious! It isn’t too sweet (hard to find in commercial ready-made fruit cakes), has a nice, tender crumb and is moist with a balanced taste of brandy. It has a nice homey feel to it – simply decorated, without glazing etc. Our family doesn’t like glazed cherries in or on our fruit cakes, so this suits us to a T.

Apparently, she takes orders for her cakes, which she bakes part-time (over and above her full time job). She does all sorts of cakes from butter cakes to cheesecakes, and is also supposed to have come up with some interesting creations like tequila cakes and vodka cakes. I’m curious and am awaiting a list of her cakes from my brother, so that I can try out some of her other creations. I like her style of baking (and I’m not just saying this because she is known to my brother), and her prices are rather reasonable. I think her fruit cakes go for S$28 for a 6-8” cake, compared to easily $40+ to $50+ from shops.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in contacting her for her cake list or to place an order, please drop me a line, and I’ll pass you her contact number. Okay, yes, this is a mini 30-second plug... but we do like her fruit cake very much. And good things should be shared ; )

Whilst shopping at Cold Storage supermarket the other day, I picked up a box of Tartufo Italian Christmas cake (S$14.90). Each year, I’ve seen these Italian cakes on sale, but have never been tempted to try them, until now. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact, I have always associated “tartufo” with Italian gelato for some reason. The fine print on the box said “Italian leavened cake with gianduja hazelnut paste, coated with plain chocolate and decorated with chocolate curls”.

When I opened the box, this was what I found… it looked suspiciously like an extra, extra large muffin!

(Note my first – not very successful – attempt at mood lighting photography. Haha!)

The inside revealed nice, slightly gooey chocolate cream filling, with the lightest hint of the liquor. The texture of the cake had looked rather coarse and dry , but it tasted tender and fairly moist. I actually feel it is more inclined towards being a rich, sweet bread rather than a cake.

I wonder… is this a traditional Italian Christmas cake? Or is this a modern invention? I’m really curious about the story and tradition behind these sorts of Italian Christmas cakes… I’m presuming it is fairly authentic as it is made in and imported from Italy. Anyone knows? I’m always fascinated by the different foods eaten in different cultures to celebrate the same festivity.

I’m also really curious how this cake/bread can keep for so long. It came non-vacuum sealed in a paper box and the expiry date on the box said May 2004!

It was nice though. I liked it. I would like to try some of the other varieties next year. I think there must have been at least 5-6 varieties, with different cream fillings or toppings, that I saw on display the other day.

The cake also came with a complimentary cute little mini Panettone – Italian leavened cake with raisins and candied orange peel.

I would guess this is the original Italian Christmas sweet loaf? And the counterpart to the German-originated Stollen. I’m more familiar with this German version of a sweet, rich, brioche-like, fruity, spicy bread/cake with a marzipan center. The tradition of eating Stollen at Christmas apparently arose from the ancient practice of the local bakers’ guild of the city of Dresden’s to present to the Bishop of Narumburg two long white breads, called “Stollen”, on Christ’s birthday and on Michaelmas. I think the characteristic oblong shape of the Stollen with a folded ridge down the center is supposed to represent the Christ Child in swaddling clothes.

The Italian Panettone is quite differently shaped. Is there a significance to this? What’s the tradition behind the Panettone? Strangely, I don’t think the English have a tradition of eating sweet breads at Christmas. I only remember and know of plum puddings with brandy sauce, rich fruit cakes and of course, my favorite, mince pies. One is supposed to eat one mince pie a day on each of the 12 days of Christmas (from 25 December through to 5 January, before the epiphany on the 6th), to ensure one has good luck in each of the coming 12 months of the new year. Interesting, huh?

Ah… fruit cake, Panettone and mince pies… it really is beginning to taste a lot like Christmas!

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.

Secret Recipe

A very dear, old gal-pal was in town for a short visit. (No, it’s not the gal-pal that’s old, but the friendship – all of 22 years to be exact! And no, we aren’t that old, we were just at a tender age when we became friends). ; P

So, we met up for tea on Tuesday at Secret Recipe.

I like the Henry Park outlet. Unlike the other outlets, this one is not situated in a crowed, busy shopping mall, but in a small cluster of quiet, sleepy neighbourhood shops. The pace slows down… families linger over a light meal or a cup of coffee. No hustle and bustle, no hassle…

This Malaysia-based chain of cake shops/cafes is famous for its utterly decadent cakes and desserts – rich creamy cheesecakes, dark fudgy chocolate cakes and brownies etc.

My friend had the apple cheese slice, and it looked really good – a crispy biscuit base, generous chunks of apple, all topped with a layer of baked cream cheese.

I had the moist chocolate cake. Ok, I admit, it looks plain messy in the photo. But that’s because I asked for it to be served warm, and the chocolate fudge/ganache topping melted when the cake was heated. And looks are deceiving. This cake was really good… we are talking seriously rich, seriously fudgy, seriously chocolatey cake. For a chocoholic like me, this was pretty much heaven! A layer of mocha in the center gave the cake a whole new dimension. Shiok, shiok, shiok!

The only difficulty with visiting this café… trying to decide which cake or dessert to order. And if you’re on a diet, stay well clear!

Secret Recipe
42, Henry Park
Holland Grove Road

Food: 4½ / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Ambience: 3½ / 5
Price: $

$ <15
$$ 16-30
$$$ 31-50
$$$$ 51-75
$$$$$ >75

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.