10.09.10
Meiji Takenoko no Sato (strawberry tartelette)
I found more “pope hats” the other day at Hua Xing so of course in the basket they went. This makes a total of four reviewed Takenoko no Sato (cheesecake, chocolate, and chestnut) and four very different flavors, although strawberry tartlette is closer in match to the cheesecake if it has to be reminiscent of one of them. It does not, but tartlette flavor and cheesecake flavor are more similar in comparison than chocolate versus cheesecake.
Back to the takenoko no sato at hand. These, like the cheesecake, are individually wrapped which is, as I was informed, the way of things these days. I find this both good: I don’t have to go find a baggie to preserve the batch once I open a box, and bad: more stuff to landfill. It also does promote handing out of cookies to people with whom you want to share, but who might not be quite in the mood for a cookie yet. They can take it with them and eat it at their leisure. Six of one and all.
The strawberry tartlette has the same light shortbread base that all the takenokos have had so far. It’s tasty but I personally am always looking for more thump in my shortbread. I should come at these thinking graham cracker because these are awesomely rich and buttery for graham crackers. It’s all in the frame of mind I guess.
They smell of fresh strawberry when you open the baglette and they also smell a little of crunchberry. They taste tart and more fruity strawberry than crunchberry strawberry but there is just a little of the crunchberry hanging around the edges. The ingredients list ‘dehydrated strawberry’ (and butter boil? I…don’t really want to know what that is do I?) and also ‘flavoring’ as well as ‘flavonoid’ (?) so it is a mixed match of strawberriness. I kinda like the dehydrated strawberry touch though, there are little crunchy bits that remind me of strawberry seeds. Even if they are not, the illusion is there making me think “Oooo! Crunchy strawberry seed.”
As to the tartelette, I’m not particularly tasting eggy custard as much as I’m tasting white chocolate creamy. I’m not sure what the difference would be between a white chocolate dipped strawberry takenoko and a strawberry tartelette takenoko given Meiji’s rendition of tartelette here. I know there would be quite a bit of difference between a white chocolate dipped strawberry and a strawberry on a tart but that difference isn’t addressed in this sweet. On the other hand looking at the package, if they are piping white chocolate mousse into a tart shell then this nails that picture nicely.
Rating of 3.5 Wasabi Peas out of a possible 5.
