'Foodfull' days ahead

Come ‘Deepavali’ and sweets take the forefront in all homes and hearts. Desserts are an intrinsic part of all festivities and one can see many making a beeline to the sweetmeat shops to buy traditional desserts like ‘gulab jamun’, ‘rasagullas’, ‘badam pista barfi’ or more. But the world of sweets is going through a revamp of sorts and now traditional flavours and elements are being mixed into Western desserts.

Kadambari Kohli, a homebaker, has prepared ‘Banana hazelnut chocochip cake’, ‘Carrot cinnamon cake with walnut’ and nut butters’ for the season.

“Fusion is the way to go now. I have made ‘Almond butter’, ‘Hazelnut butter’ and ‘Walnut butter’. I’ve also made ‘Chocolate hazelnut butter’ and ‘Chocolate peanut butter’ which can be gifted and are great as spreads for breakfast,” she says. “I’ve also made ‘Granola in a jar’ which is a mix of walnuts, almonds, raisins, flax seeds and oat and rock salt. It is a nutty delight and a healthy gift choice too,” she adds.

Rina Chakravarty has dished out a ‘Twisted shrikhand’, a white chocolate lemon ‘shrikhand’. “The sweet and sour taste of ‘shrikhand’ blends well with that of the white chocolate. I wanted to bring in different flavours to create a different dessert experience,” she explains.

Dry fruits are a popular option when it comes to ‘Deepavali’ food. Young baker Harshitha Bhasker has blended rose and pistachio flavours to create ‘Rose pistachio cupcakes’. “Dry fruits, especially pistachios, are a classic choice during the season. I blended rose flavour into the dessert to create a subtle yet classy dish. The flavour lingers in one’s mouth, signifying the continuation of the festivities. The nut bits bring in the surprise fun element,” she explains.

Ever imagined an assorted gift box with ‘Gajjar halwa cheesecake’, ‘Chicken tikka muffins’, ‘Mawa cake with shrikhand frosting’ and ‘Chutney rolls’?

Rajashri Manoj, a homebaker asks ‘why not?’. “A typical ‘Deepavali’ gift box is often a combination of sweets and ‘namkeens’ and this is exactly what I’ve experimented with. I’ve brought in traditional sweets like ‘Gajjar halwa’ and ‘Mawa cake’ which are typical for the season and given them a twist,” she elaborates.

Rubina Amalraj’s
‘Rose cardamom cheesecake shot’ has become a hit among many Bengalureans.

“The flavours go really well together, which help made it a popular choice. I wanted to make a dessert which was small yet different. The rose flavour is considered auspicious and is subtle too,” she says.