Deck the halls with festive sweet treats, best enjoyed throughout the holiday season
2020 has been a tough year for all of us, as COVID-19 hits record highs around the world and social distancing measures continue throughout the months, impacting the local food and beverage industry. Still, there have been things to look forward to: the harvest of hairy crabs, together with upcoming celebrations for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which mark the much-needed year end festivities. As the year draws to a close with the winter holidays ahead of us, it is the perfect occasion to enjoy a little something sweet to welcome the new year ahead.
Traditional Christmas sweets can be on the sweeter side: colourful candy canes, gingerbread cookies, Christmas puddings, marzipan-topped Christmas cakes richly filled with candied fruits and peels, and so on. There is always room for a few buttery sables to leave under the tree as well, but the new range of festive sweets and pastry offerings in Hong Kong have evolved into a wider selection of Instagrammable cakes and desserts. It is the season of abundance and generosity—how could we say no to these beautifully designed winter delights that bring a smile to our faces and warms our hearts?
See Also: Christmas 2020: Dining Out And Delivery Options In Hong Kong
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
What: Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong celebrates the winter holidays the traditional way with a brand new Dresden almond stollen and a ‘Ritz’ Panettone. Crafted by Alan Or, the hotel’s head baker, the two traditional Christmas breads are launched after months of repeated recipe testing. The Dresden almond stollen, inspired by the German festive bread, made with candied orange peels and 12-month-aged rum raisins, is soaked in homemade clarified butter and best served one week after purchase to ensure the butter is evenly soaked in. The panettone, or Italian Christmas fruit bread, is made with a natural sourdough starter over the course of three days, filled with candied peel and rum-soaked raisins and butter to enrich the bread, which creates a web-like structure and tender crumb throughout the bread. Both breads requires two day advanced reservation with purchases made on the hotel’s online shop.
Price: Dresden almond stollen is priced at HK$400 each, and Ritz Panettone is priced at HK$720 each.
Where: Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, 102/F, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong; +852 2263 2263
See Also: Christmas Gift Guide 2020: The Best Luxury Food & Wine Gifts