Posts
There is always something about Snowskin mooncakes that rivet my attention. The idea of a soft and chewy skin coupled with the sugary goodness on the inside is as delicate as the dew on a blade of grass. I think that in our modern era, the snowskin mooncake is definitely a way of having traditions keep up with the younger generations.
This particular pure white snowskin mooncake hails from the famed Raffles Hotel. Packaged in an elegant box featuring a chinese lady in her traditional attire on the cover, the box alone is exudes the moments of time coming to a stand still.
Inside the box, one would find a second layer of wrapping, that of the baking paper emblazoned with "Original Raffles Hotel Mooncake" - leaving me to wonder if there are fake raffles lying around!
Still, I was impressed with the neatly arranged snowskin mooncakes in the box. Each had their own little 'apartment' in the golden tray. Well, it had to be golden else it wouldn't be from Raffles Hotel, would it?
Perhaps the real deal comes from tasting the mooncake itself, regardless of how well packaged the traditional goodie comes in. I found the snowskin mooncake to be soft but not too mushy. There was a delicate balance between the sweetness of the 'skin' and the filling.
As part of a new creation, the snowskin mooncake came with a white chocolate ball filled with liquor. The chocolate simply melts in the mouth while the alcohol slowly oozes out onto your tongue, leaving you in sheer ecstasy. It was a memorable experience.
Now, at this standard, quality and texture, its no wonder these snowskin mooncakes are from Raffles Hotel. Any less, and it would not be fit of the name.
Customs and Traditions : The Mooncake Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival)
3 comments Posted by Justin D. Pereira at 10:59 PM
The Mooncake festival traditionally takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese Calendar. To celebrate the harvest from the summer traditionally , farmers had the festival on this day when the moon was the fullest and the brightest, thus marking the end of the season.
It is one of the two most important events in the Chinese Calendar, with the other being the Lunar New Year. Family members will come together for a day of reunion and eat moon cakes and pomelos together.
In Singapore, one might also be able to catch children in the parks and gardens walking around with their brightly lit lanterns (whether battery powered or the traditional candle, they are still lanterns..how I miss mine)
This year the Mid Autumn festival will fall on the 14th of September and there will be beautiful lightings and scenery at the Chinese Gardens.
The mooncakes you see displayed in this post are made by my Aunty Florence. Her pastry is firm and crispy while the filling is not too sweet. These mini versions of the standard sized mooncakes are to me more enjoyable as it does not leave you with a memory of over-indulgence (Though I can finish a few at a time=)
