Couple of months back I was called as a guest chef in The Lalit for the Good house keeping show anniversary. I had an amazing time as it was an experience in itself. Demonstrated a few recipes.

It was a two day affair with more guest chefs. The best part I liked about the show-simple and user friendly .Guests watched and asked a lot of doubts and about ingredients. It’s very difficult to find the same in India esp. at home style level. If you have the right contacts and know the suppliers you can get lucky once in a while but everything is available at commercial scale and in bulk quantities- something I am not a fan of. But as they say necessity is the mother of invention!! Make do with what you have and be happy with the same.

Indigo nation: Blueberry/Strawberry pudding with mascarpone cream

Blueberry Compote 50 gms
Britannia Biscuits 2-3
Butter 5 Gms
Mascarpone cheese 50 Gms
Whipping cream 100 Gms

Crush the digestive biscuits and add butter to it
Whip the cream and fold in the mascarpone to it.
Take martini glass add the digestive biscuit in the bottom
Add the blueberry compote and then some mascarpone cream
Add another layer of blueberry and mascarpone and garnish with some compote.

Chocolate Madness- a rich chocolate dessert

Britannia Chocolate Cakes or Biscuits 2 packets
Dark Chocolate 1000 Gms
Heavy Cream 500 Gms
Butter 20 Gms
Coffee Powder 2 tsp
Sugar 1 cup
Water 1 cup
Nuts walnuts (optional) 150 Gms

Over a double boiler put the chocolate
Boil the cream in a pan and pour over the chocolate folding it gently with a spatula till it forms a smooth mixture.
Now fold in the butter and let it cool.

For coffee syrup boil the water coffee and sugar in a pan and allow cooling
In a borosil pan/ serving dish arrange the chocolate cake and with a brush soak it with coffee syrup.
Put a layer of chocolate ganache on top of the cake and sprinkle some toasted nuts.
Repeat the same procedure again and in end make piping design with the ganache on top.

Ooooh lala-Baked Dish with Vegetable

Potatoes 2 medium cut into ¼ inch slices
Carrots 2 medium cut into ¼ inch thick slices
Green beans 1 cup fresh-cut
Onions 2 medium, chopped
Garlic cloves 2, minced
Olive oil or canola oil 2 tablespoons
Tomatoes (roma tomatoes) 4 medium, chopped
Cauliflower 2 cups (1 medium bunch)
Baby corn 100 Gms
Ricotta Cheese 1 tub

And any other vegetable available e.g. mushroom, aubergine, zucchini, corn, green peppers. Spinach

Salt 1 teaspoon
Thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried
Marjoram 1/4 teaspoon dried
Pepper 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli flakes ½ teaspoon
Cheese (Britannia) 300 gms

Sauce: take a skillet and sauté onions and garlic in it. Add the tomatoes and the spices.
Arrange the vegetables with the sauce in an alternative manner with ricotta cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sprinkle with cheese and grill/bake for 5 mins till cheese turns golden brown.

In the picture you also see Soity who is also the person who writes about food in Good house keeping magazine and once the show was over she sent me a hand written letter which I will share with you, it just reinforced the fact that people are humble, thankful and they express!!

Food and Architecture

So I am in no mood for recipe writing. Instead I feel like talking about food. I remember my class “principles of design” with Prof. Ostwal. This post is a dedication to that class.

 Food-we buy, cook, and consume it in many different public places designed to accommodate, even enhance, these activities of daily life. Much of the urban streetscape is composed of just such places: the market, the grocery, the pub, the café and the restaurant, as well as the supermarket, fast-food outlet or takeaway. Likewise, architecture is in food. Chefs design dishes that resemble works of art but which must also stand up and be eaten. And architecture is like food. Each is fashioned from raw materials into a cultural product. We depend on both to meet ordinary needs and to celebrate special events. Architects and cooks alike manipulate color, texture and shape to tantalize our senses.

Dessert should maximize visual design and flavor to delight the audience at least many of us think that way. I was just wondering today what I should make new and not many thoughts are coming at the moment. Monday Blues? Well I can’t really say that -keeping in mind I work 7 days a week. So to shake of the blues…I do what my friends say I am addicted to Google. I think I Google everything…try it you will find solutions to half your problems in life. Since I was thinking cheesecake –I ” googled ” Xangos. When I see the pictures of these Xangos (pronounced: ch­an’-gos), rich creamy cheesecake…wrapped in a pastry tortilla…fried until flaky and golden, then dusted with cinnamon sugar, I am reminded of the ancient architecture of Stonehenge to some extent.

Stonehenge is definitely one of England’s greatest icons. I hope if I travel in June , I get a chance to see it. Its original purpose is still somewhat unclear, but some have speculated that it was made for worship of ancient earth deities. Stonehenge’s plan is centralized-disposed around a vertical axis-and longitudinal, developed along a horizontal axis set into the central plane. The structure was part of the landscape, yet set off from it. It was an enclosure, isolated from the world by successive rings of stone, yet open to it through the stone screens. The great and ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is one of the great wonders of the world. What we see today are the substantial remnants of a sequence of monuments erected earlier. Each was a circular structure aligned around the rising of the sun at the midsummer solstice.  

Stonehenge is basically a structure of sandstone monoliths arranged in a horseshoe, and formerly joined by a common roof. The construction is highly accurate for the period. The engineering required transporting, shaping, raising and connecting the stones and the accuracy of their positioning.

Xangoe’s starts with a frame just like a picture that demands attention, creating both the compare and contrast level. The arrangement of the Xangos in a hap hazard position is what makes it similar to the arrangement of the stones in Stonehenge. Then we do have the contrast of the wedge shaped Xangos, giving them a slope and a different shape than the stones. The individual pieces that comprise the entire piece vary between the dessert and the landmark, with the uncut Xangos having a more cylindrical shape, while Stonehenge is constructed of cubical or organic shaped stones.       

Use of no more than three colors in Xangoes makes it simple and elegant. Had there been excess in this area it could have drawn the eye away from the dessert, which is after all, the main event. Xangos are more of warm colors, having a welcoming and moving effect. The golden, crispy color on the top makes it firm and, thus, shows the bold effect. As far as Stonehenge is concerned, its colors are more earthtones if I may say so. Just wondering is earthtones a word??? Having a green environment around and the blend of grays and earthy colors gives it a calming effect.

 The size, being one aspect for comparison, is also a valid point to talk about. Stonehenge is a gigantic structure. But we are not comparing the physical measurement in real terms. It’s more that if these Xangoe’s were made larger, lets put it as family size, then the comparison could have been better. They have the same pattern, though, giving the overall composition a lot of resemblance. Both things, when compared, do have some symmetry having different scales and proportions. The fallen Xangoe’s do create an anomaly to the big standing stones. 

Texture plays an important role in image analysis and understanding. Talking about the texture, Xangoes have a soft mushy center giving it a tender look inside achieved by the smooth filling. Temperatures–hot, cold, or a combination of these variables-also play a vital role in achieving textural interest. The pale yellow color gives it a warm tender feeling. Crisp crust contrasted with soft cheesecake, provides an element of a soft, creamy and buttery flavor giving the product a good “mouth feel”. The texture of Stonehenge is more hard and rocky due to big boulders.

There are many qualities that make food and architecture similar. They are both masterpieces, ones that the designer, or chef in cases of food, work hard to perfect.  They are usually stimulating to the eye, evoking a sense of awe from the on-looker and consumer.  Their duty is to satisfy.  While Xangoes and Stonehenge have many differences, their main purpose is to please the eye and to fulfill the cravings of adventure and curiosity. Now I am craving Xango- but may be I will have to do with just a Mango. Lunch time…catch you guys later.