A taste of childhood
The pastries also challenge the assumption that traditional Beijing sweets are necessarily heavy or intensely sweet.
Zhao says traditional Beijing mooncakes used a relatively balanced pastry-to-filling ratio, with less sweetness than many modern consumers expect.
Some customers who expected traditional Beijing pastries to be too sweet or heavy changed their minds after tasting them, he adds.
Older customers often describe the same flavors as a taste of childhood.
At the same time, younger consumers are more conscious of sugar and oil and less inclined to eat large amounts of festival pastries, he says.
Zhao points to the fanmao mooncake as the traditional Beijing pastry he would most like to see better known.
Its pale, flaky crust is made by repeatedly rolling and folding layers of dough and fat. When baked, the layers become thin, creating a delicate, feather-like texture that Zhao compares to "flying goose feathers".
"Recipes are important, but craftsmanship is even more important," he says.
Fuhuazhai has reduced the oil and sugar content in some products and introduced lower-sugar and savory varieties.
But Zhao says there is a limit to how far such changes should go. "You can't turn a pastry into a steamed bun," he says.
For Zhao, the fanmao mooncake represents a high point of traditional Beijing pastry-making because of its production technique and quality.
At Kaorouwan, a Beijing restaurant known for grilled beef and other old-style dishes, autumn has brought back guota beef, in which slices of beef are fried until golden on the outside and then simmered in sauce until tender and richly flavored.
The restaurant has also introduced individual portions of seven signature dishes, including its grilled beef, braised beef strips and tasimi, a sweet-and-sour lamb dish. The portions allow diners to sample several of the restaurant's specialties without ordering a full spread.
