Sweet nothings come wrapped in desserts

A lavish meal served in dainty crockery amidst an exquisite candelabrum lit up for an ethereal evening is incomplete without the dessert in the end.

It is the absolute pièce de résistance. Then there has to be a special effort going into the preparation of these indulgent delights during the week of love. From  vibrantly coloured macaroons to gooey chocolaty cakes, everything is in for a twist, for the Valentine’s Day celebration. Metrolife gauges what’s cooking (and baking) in the kitchens of Delhi’s chefs.

Chef Santosh Reddy, pastry chef at the Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida shares the exclusive menu of ‘The Chocolate Box’, “Our menu is meant for people from all age groups. We have special Valentine’s cake such as Frosted Strawberry and Mascarpone Silk and three varieties of chocolates;Cointreau,Strawberry and Passion Fruit.” With changing times, are customers getting more demanding? “As the time changes, fashion, interiors and lots of other things change alongside. In the same way every year the clients expectations from the valentine cakes, pastries or chocolates also evolve hence I need to experiment with new tastes, new flavours, new looks and presentations, every year.”

Revealing a resplendent array for V-Day dessert menu, Dharmesh Karmokar, Chef and Brand Creator Nom Nom at The Hotel Ashok says, “We have been making special desserts for this week. They are - Khwam Rak Rose Petal Cake,Romantic Choux passion, Tab Tim Grob-a sweetened coconut cream based dessert served in an earthen pot.” The chef elaborates upon his special ingredients, adding, “
I like to call my kitchen a progressive one where we try to innovate every day. We do not hesitate in using aphrodisiac ingredients in our V-Day recipes.

And of course we use the colour red. Ginger, figs and the phallic asparagus is also used in main dishes to make the meal more meaningful.” And what will make one’s valentine swoon? “It has to be strawberries dipped in chocolate and served with champagne,” says the chef emphatically.

Nidhi Bhageria, the artisan of fine chocolates from Celeste dwells upon her range of desserts, saying, “This year we are making a chocolate cart along with a couple made out of chocolate, chocolate roses and chocolate lippers. We do a lot of sculptures from chocolate as well. We can sculpt out chocolate accessories like rings, ear rings, heart lock, heart mirrors and frames as per demand.”