I may try all kind of foods[though, I am on restricted diet!!!], but at the end of the meal, there is nothing sweet, I am not done yet!!!
I dont know, where from I got such a sweet tooth. Sometimes, I crave for sweets. If I am in hometown, I will have rasgullas, gulabjamuns or some other sweets, either everyday or almost every other day. Some people say that I eat a lot of sweets, because I am a bengali. This reason, could be logical & valid, as in Bengal, you will also get the finest Indian sweets (also snacks!!).
Rasgulla/Rosogolla are actually Indian cottage cheese balls, which are poached in a light sugar syrup & then simmered in a heavy sugar syrup, whilst Gulabjamuns are dumplings of evaporated milk [khoya], sometimes some semolina added in it, with some nuts & then deep-fried & then soaked in a heavy sugar syrup. Sometimes, an optional filling of raisins, saffron also goes well.
Moving forward to other Indian sweets, Jalebi--one of my favourite, specially if it is Hot or else Hot Malpua, with some Rabri...simply delicious!!
Before, I joined the industry, one of my activities in winter was making cakes...endless, specially in mom's absence. As she didn;t want me to make cakes, & waste my pocket money[which again , was supplied by her]. But still, I did--well, if appreciations, of course the credit to me... :)
But post the hospitality course, my craving for desserts increased twice the amount.This time, most of the restaurant/hotel stuff, I used to make at home--Black forest Gateaux[Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte], Mocha Gateaux, sometimes a simple strawberry gateaux, mousse, souffle, bavarois creme, tart, pie, & endless!!!!
A little later, started making complex stuff!!! Tiramisu....Pick me up!! It is my fav. dessert, but sometimes its too sweet for me. So I am playing between Tiramisu & Pannacotta [cooked cream, literally]. I remember, once making "Mishti Doi Mousse" at home, with caramelised, when I invited Kaustav for a lunch with me.
Another classy dessert I can die for is Creme Brulee.It is so smooth, & the crust is so crunchy, if made properly. Quite akin to Pannacotta--exception being Pannacotta is set with gelatin & without a caramel crust on top.
I am always afraid, that I will start missing one or the another-- when I remember of the cheesecake specially. I remember, savouring the Irish Cream Cheese Cake, during my training in ITC. It was excellent, perhaps the best one, I ever had. Then I saw a demonstration by the Executive Pastry Chef of ITC Maurya. I took down the recipe.But cream cheese??Its difficult to get in Calcutta. I tell people, if the problem has no solution, it is not a problem at all.
I made my own cream cheese & the result...was a wonder!!
I recollect my employment in ITC Chola. Often I used to do afternoon shift & when I enter the kitchen, I forget about having lunch[if I miss in cafetaria], I enter the pastry kitchen & Halwai--indian sweets. I plunder all the desserts & then only I start work....same thing, when I was in Hyatt. Tiramisu, or Pannacotta or Molten Chocolate Cake or may be simple--marinated strawberries.
After I came to Dubai, I could try the Arabic Sweets..these are also delicious, specially the baklava.
Enough of *sweet* discussion, I will finish of this note with a recipe of a sweet....
Dark Chocolate Pot de creme & Strawberry Sabayon
Literally "Pot de creme" means a pot of cream-due to smoothness of the dessert.
Ingredients:
Egg yolk- 4 nos
Cream - 300 ml
Milk- 100 ml
Sugar -75 gm
Dark Chocolate-100 gm
Vanilla- 1tsp
For the strawberry sabayon
Fresh Strawberries- 50 gm
Sugar-30 gm
Egg yolk- 3 nos
Milk- 50 ml
Garnish
Chocolate shavings
Whipped cream
Method:
For the pot de creme
Turn on the oven with a temperature of 175 Deg C.
Heat milk, sugar until hot enough.. Cut the chocolate into chunks & heat over a double boiler, till it melts. Add the heated milk mixture to the melted chocolate & mix well.
Whisk the egg yolks & sugar till well mixed. Add the cream chocolate to the eggs & mix well. Strain the mixture & pour on individual pots or ramekins.
Put the pots/ramekins in a bed of water, to cover half-way through & bake in the oven, till its set but wobbly in the center. Once done, bring it to room temperature & chill in refrigerator for around 4-5 hours.
For the Strawberry sabayon
Hull the strawberries & make a fine puree. Strain the strawberry puree & keep aside.
Whisk the eggyolks & sugar together, to get a ribbon consistency. Add in the milk & then start beating until the mixture thickens. Finish off with the strawberry puree & keep aside.
Service
Garnish the pot de creme with whipped cream, chocolate curls & drizzle the strawberry sabayon on top or else, serve it on side.
Bon Apetit!!!
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