Friday, November 19, 2010

Christmas 2010: Sweets at Hilton Singapore

The second half of Hilton's Christmas Event showcase Executive Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo's creations and this year, he has brought along six log cakes creations.

Of the six, three were showcased in the buffet and without doubt every single one is unique in its own way.

Chef Christophe highlighted his liking to incorporate fresh fruits into his dessert creations and Passionata is no exception with the use of sliced bananas and passionfruit to compliment milk chocolate mousse. This is one combination that will not go wrong with most. Varying textures derived from sliced bananas, vanilla sponge cake and mini coconut meringue makes it different from the regular chocolate-banana cakes available in most patisseries.

Hilton Xmas log cake 2010 - Passionata

Mont Blanc or rather chestnut lovers will not want to miss out this cheesy twist to the traditional cheesecake. Cheese-Nut, a chestnut cheese log cake laced with brandy and rum, topped with glazed chestnuts turned out to be my favourite among the 3. Using chestnuts imported from France, the strong flavour of chestnut makes the cheesecake closer to a flavourful mousse and the smooth texture compliments well with the crunch derived from the crumble and chestnuts bits.

Hilton Xmas log cake 2010 - Cheese-Nut

Needless to say, Hilton has always been famous for its cheesecake. Well, this log cake is no exception and it is Yuan's favourite logcake for the evening. The main difference between the regular cheesecake available at the Deli and NYC lies in the use of crumble. To make sure that the base remains crisp and buttery, Chef Christophe baked the crumbles once more with additional butter and the resulting effect earns the nods of most diners.

Hilton Xmas log cake 2010 - NYC

When Chef Christophe introduced this creation, Yuan thought that the presence of many flavours will confuse the diners on what they are eating. In case you are wondering what the components are, it consists of crispy coconut, pistachio sponge, banana passionfruit jelly, passionfruit mousse and glazed pineapple. Surprisingly, each layer actually stood out and the presence of each individual layers complements pretty well.

Special attention has been placed to make these glazed pineapple, in which the fruit is brushed with caramel and baked in the oven for 2 hours, turning at 10min interval. Moreover, the incorporation of butter and whipped creams makes the passionfruit mousse very light as opposed to the usual sharp and extreme sour taste.

Hilton's Xmas Special

Apart from the log cakes, Chef Christophe also showcase his Special Christmas Chocolate Collection, with flavours ranging from Lemon, Whiskey, Coffee, Pistachio, Mint and Passionfruit but what caught our attention is the lemon tart that resembles like a Christmas Tree.

Layered with crumbles, lemon jelly and lemon curd, Chef Christophe aims to bring out the maximum flavour and tanginess of his lemon curd by adding sugar to lemon zest and leaving it for >24 hours. The clever use of white chocolate and mini macarons shell brings out a burst of flavours.

Hilton's Xmas Media Event

One of the more unforgettable desserts is Chef Christophe's tiramisu where he ingeniously used white chocolate shells and gold dust to mimic a Christmas bauble.

Christmas Chocolate Collection

Encased in these white chocolate shells is a sugar free tiramisu where emphasis is placed on using pure espresso and the sweetness of this delightful dessert comes from the milk chocolate mousse and crumbles. Simply the best in the entire spread of desserts.

Tiramisu

Prior to the event, Hilton Singapore has given us a Panettone. Said to be an European Christmas must-haves, this sweet bread is filled with high-quality ingredients and dried fruits, imported from the south of France. As for the recipe, Chef Christophe has spent two years perfecting the recipe for the Panettone. The niche of this Christmas bread lies in its crusty sugar crown the the overall texture is so light that this was finished within a day.

Sugar-crusted fluffy panettone

Do note that some of the festive dessets such as the Yule Logs, Homemade Panettone and Stollen, Mandarin Creme Brulee and Chestnut and Pumpkin Tart will be available on the Christmas Day Brunch.

Hilton Singapore Executive Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo

Before signing off, many thanks to Marketing Communications Manager, Ms. Joyce Moo and Marketing Communications Executive, Ms. June Wong for the invitation to Hilton's Christmas Media Event and their warm hospitality.

Not forgeting Executive Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo's time and patience to explain to us his inspirations and breakdown of his desserts.

These Christmas Gourmet are available for take-away at Checkers Deli from 26 Novemeber 2010 to 24 December 2010.

Hilton Singapore
581 Orchard Road
Singapore 238883

For reservations, orders and enquiries, contact
Tel: 6730 3332
Fax: 6732 2917
Email: Checkers.Singapore@hilton.com

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