‘Cakes have to be visually appealing too’

It’s always been a passion of mine to join the culinary world. Even after I got my masters in Fine Arts and worked as a set designer for movies, I continued dreaming about my culinary ambitions.

I grew up watching cooking channels and was mesmerised by the things they created. In fact, I would watch it for hours and never got bored or felt the need to change the channel.

One day, I finally mustered the courage and joined a culinary school. It’s been three years since I joined Whitecaps International School Of Pastry and I learn something new every day.

I realised that there’s so much more to making desserts that I hadn’t thought of. I always thought of a cake as something you have for special occasions, just simple frosting and designing and that was it.

But after my professional training, I realised that you can do so much more with these desserts. From making 3-D cakes to deconstructing simple ones, the possibilities are endless.

People are also open to trying new things and allow chefs to experiment with flavours and designs.

Having a degree in Fine Arts has also helped me look at desserts differently. It allows me to think creatively and bring it a new form that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

If you ask me what I love about being in this field, the answer is simple — passion. You don’t have to be restricted to what you know. You have new things to learn and explore each day. It’s not just about baking a simple cake anymore. You have to make it visually appealing and bring a new life to it. You have to present it in a way that probably wasn’t imagined before.

It’s challenging and exciting at the same time.

Being a woman in the culinary world also comes with a share of its challenges. Though women are known for running a kitchen, this industry is dominated by men. It’s great that I am one of the women who is making a change and more home bakers are becoming professional chefs.

That’s a perfect way to celebrate the festive season too. The ‘Ginger Bread Christmas Village’ was an attempt to bring something different, unique and joyful for the holiday season.

(Chef Anushree)

Eggless Gingerbread

Ingredients

Unsalted butter – 110 gms

Breakfast sugar – 110 gms

Liquid glucose 90 gms

Milk – 60 gms

Wheat flour - 625 gms

Baking soda – 3 gms

Black Jack – 20 gms

Ginger powder – 3 gms

Cocoa powder – 10 gms

Method

Blend milk and sugar together, and heat it to reach a temperature of 40 degree celsius.

Add to it liquid glucose and black jack and blend it. Black Jack is caramelized sugar. Keep the mixture aside.

Cream the butter using a planetary machine or mix it rigorously in a bowl, until it softens.

Then add the previously made mixture at a temperature of 40-50-degree celsius to the creamed butter, and blend it all together to form a creamy consistency. Keep this mixture aside.

Now take all the dry ingredients, namely wheat flour, baking soda, ginger powder and cocoa powder, and mix them together.

Add this to the mixture kept aside earlier to form a dough like consistency. If the dough is crumbly please add little milk.

Sheet the dough flat, and cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 150 degree celsius for 22 minutes in an oven. Cool down the baked ginger bread, decorate with royal icing, and enjoy.