Violet Crumble

I was suckered by the charms of Curtis Stone on an episode of Take Home Chef and went out to buy an Australian sweet manufactured by Nestle as a result: the Violet Crumble. Curtis used this candy bar as a topping on cheesecake to try and connect with the palate of the 30-something Aussie lass he found in an L.A. area Whole Foods. All this talk of Violet Crumble and cheesecake made me hungry for something--I just wasn't sure it was the combination of the two. (This is what I love about Nestle: though the coporation is openly hated here in the US--but quietly loved for it's Kit Kats and Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows--they really do bring a better quality milk chocolate to the entire world, with different products in every chocoholic country. Sure, some partially hydrogenated fats and lots of refined white sugars may be involved, but the product beats out Hershey's any day for taste.) Well, the Nestle product destined for Australian audiences turns out to be not bad at all--in fact, it's quite good! The golden interior (as seen above, in the photo by "Rosa,") actually tastes a bit like desiccated toasted marshmallows. One could say it's like a pre-packaged s'more, sans graham cracker.

Speaking of graham crackers, while I liked the Violet Crumble, I wouldn't think of adding it to something as rich and simple as cheesecake. Better to let the creamy sweetness of the cheese come through on its own. While I admire Curtis on some levels--one being that he's a hot Aussie--I'm not always so sure of his baking improvisation skills.