Last time, we commenced our series by exploring the 7 Liaisons of Chocolate with a bit of historical background, and the chilli-chocolate combination. This week, let’s move on to combination number two. “Like a puppeteer’s black velvet curtain, dark chocolate is the perfect smooth background for cardamom to show off its colors. Use the cardamom…
Tag: Sweet
Dark Liaisons : Chilli
Chocolate is a universal favourite, from 5 year olds pointing at the huge bar of Dairy Milk at the store to the pseudo-intellectual “foodie” picking up notes of coffee, tobacco and 23-year old leather from a ridiculously expensive bar of 99 percent dark chocolate. There is a lot to be said about chocolate. I’ve decided…
A Tale of Pear, Fig, and Cinnamon
Poached Pears with Fig “Custard” and Cinnamon “Crumble”: A “Recipe” Christmastime calls for something special. So far, during Christmas, I’ve looked back at my first ever food article called Food and the Senses in 2019, dissected the Calcutta Christmas Cake in 2020, and collaborated with Nodee di on the Christmas dinner in 2021. This time,…
A Celebration of Milk
Every now and then, you stumble across a dessert that leaves an impression, not only owing to its taste, but also its conception, plating, and those other small touches that elevate it from mere greatness to sheer genius. I happened to encounter one such masterpiece during my meal at Farmlore, Bangalore. It was the penultimate…
Pastry 101 : Puff
Last time, we looked at shortcrust pastry and its varieties, along with an overview of French pastry creams. Let’s now move on to our second pastry, puff pastry or Pâte Feuilletée, the base for local favourites like chicken patties and projapoti biskoot. Puff pastry feels magical, almost alive. When baked, it increased to upto eight…
The Pud Thickens (Part 2)
The Custard Continuum Last time, we explored the role of starches and gelatin as thickening agents, primarily in the context of dessert. This week, we will focus on the egg. We’ve already talked about eggs in some detail in our Eggs 101 series. This time though, the focus will be on its role in custard…
From Savoury to Sweet
Italian Food 101 (Part 6) We’re almost near the end of our journey, at that momentous point where we shift from the savoury domain to the realm of dessert. This week, we discuss Italian mains beyond heavy meat dishes, from veggies to seafood to even chicken. From there, we move on to dessert, with heavy…
Say Hello To Halwa
It’s starting to get pretty cold here in Rohtak, and ’tis the season for some hearty comfort food. And for someone with a sweet tooth, nothing shouts comfort food like the good old halwa. Although variants of halwa (or halua as we Bongs would call it) exist back home as well, it is a very…
The Not-So-Sweet Shop
It is the winter of 2017 in Kolkata, and the clock has just struck 8. Thoroughly exhausted after a night shift, I walk out of the of Gate 2 of Medical College, half-staggering. I cross the road, walk over to Surya Sen Street, and into my favourite sweetshop. I order the usual: kochuri, aloor torkari,…
The Biyebari Formula
It is officially wedding or biyebari season, with social media being inundated with countless posts and photographs of happy couples tying the knot. Although we aren’t totally out of the coronavirus woods yet, there is finally a glimmer of light, a new hope. Of course, the wedding ceremony and reception isn’t a matter of joy…
The Gourmet Glutton 