Earlier this year Cathay Pacific hosted a contest seeking fans of the airline’s Facebook page to submit their best Asian-inspired dessert recipe. The contestants were competing for a trip to Hong Kong, as well as a chance for their dessert to be featured in-flight.

Drawing inspiration for her entry from Black Sesame Sweet Soup, a popular Asian dessert, Miss Ngai created a delicious cheesecake which captured the unique flavour of the traditional dish as well as the attention of the judges.

“Ada’s recipe, while being delicious, also demonstrates the essence of Cathay Pacific with her mixture of Asian influence and elegant presentation,” said Peter Ho, Cathay Pacific Regional Catering Manager, North America. “This delicious dish didn’t take long to win over the panel of judges and we are sure it will win over our business class passengers as well.”

As an added treat, Cathay Pacific is sharing this award winning recipe with Canadians so that they can enjoy Miss Ngai’s sweet victory.

Black Sesame Tofu Cheesecake Recipe

Crust:
1 cup - Digestive biscuit crumbs
7 tbsp - Melted unsalted butter

Black Sesame Cheesecake Layer:
⅔ cup - Softened cream cheese (room temperature)
¼ cup - icing sugar
¾ cup - Milk
1 cup - Whipped cream
2 tsp - Gelatin
¼ cup - Cold water
3 tsp - Black sesame powder

Tofu Cheesecake Layer:
½ cup - Softened cream cheese (room temperature)
½ cup + ½ tbsp - Silken tofu
¼ cup - Icing sugar
½ cup - Sweetened soya milk (Chinese style)
1 cup - Whipped cream
2 tsp - Gelatin
¼ cup - Cold water

Topping:
1-2 tbsp - Black sesame powder

Instructions:

Crust: crush the biscuit in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Stir in melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into the base of a 9” springform pan. Line the side of the pan with parchment paper.

Black Sesame Cheesecake layer: cream the cheese with icing sugar and black sesame powder, slowly add in milk and blend until smooth. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, fold into cheese mixture. Add water to gelatin and dissolve it over a hot water bowl, stir into cheese mixture and mix. Pour mixture into the pan, chill for half an hour until it is slightly set.

Tofu Cheesecake layer: cream the cheese with icing sugar and silken tofu, slowly add in soya milk and blend until smooth. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, fold into the cheese mixture. Add water to gelatin and dissolve it over a hot water bowl, stir into the cheese mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture over the Black Sesame Cheesecake layer, chill for two hours or until it is completely set.

Topping: Sprinkle the top with black sesame powder. Cut into pieces and serve cold.

Ada Ngai’s Black Sesame Tofu Cheesecake won Cathay Pacific’s “Art of Dessert” Facebook contest and will now be featured in Business Class on select Canada & US flights to Hong Kong from August to October.

About Cathay Pacific Canada
Cathay Pacific offers 14 flights weekly non-stop from Vancouver to Hong Kong, daily non-stop service from Vancouver to New York and 14 flights weekly non-stop from Toronto to Hong Kong, plus a 3-time weekly freighter service between Vancouver and Hong Kong and Toronto and Hong Kong. The airline is a member of the oneworld™ alliance and a partner in Asia Miles, a leading Travel Reward program. For more information, visit: www.cathaypacific.com/ca