Haute Cuisine

I’VE always enjoyed good food, but it was as a student in London, and then in Boston, when I had my own apartment, that I became intere...

I’VE always enjoyed good food, but it was as a student in London, and then in Boston, when I had my own apartment, that I became interested in cooking. That was about 10 years ago. Back home in India, I don’t need to cook run-of-the-mill dishes, so I experiment with cordon bleu or food that is out of the ordinary. I generally cook when I am entertaining—my friends and guests always seem to enjoy whatever I turn out. These are some of my favourites for these get-togethers.

Chicken Cauliflower Crispies

Ingredients:
150 gm cauliflower
Pinch of saffron
Few spoons warm milk
50 gm groundnuts
2 tbsp oil + as required for deep frying
100 gm chicken mince
6 eggs, separated
Salt and pepper to taste
125 gm flour
125 gm semolina

Method:
Clean cauliflower and separate into florets. Soak saffron in warm milk. Roast, peel and grind groundnuts into a fine powder.

In a non-stick pan, heat two tbsp oil and sauté the chicken mince till almost dry. Pour semolina into a flat plate and keep aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks well. Add flour, saffron, chicken mince and groundnut powder.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites till frothy and fold into the yolk mixture to make a fluffy batter.
Heat oil for deep frying in a kadhai. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter, roll in the semolina and deep fry till golden brown. Place the crispies on absorbent paper to get rid of the excess oil. Serve hot with tomato or pineapple chutney.

Lemon Mousse

Ingredients:
450 gm mascarpone cheese
4 egg yolks
100 gm castor sugar
1/2 tsp lemon essence
1.5 tbsp flour
1.5 tbsp butter
1.5 tbsp king sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp brandy
Seasonal fruit cut into various shapes

Method:
Place the mascarpone cheese in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon till smooth. Lightly incorporate egg yolks, castor sugar, lemon essence and refrigerate till the mixture settles.

Story continues below this ad

To prepare the base, combine the rest of the ingredients to make a wet dough. Portion out four equal quantities in an ovenproof tray and flatten into thin, circular shapes. Bake in an oven at 180°C till slightly brown. While hot, place on an inverted bowl so that they assume its shape.

To serve, place the bases on a dish and arrange slices of fruit around each. Fill each ‘bowl’ with the mascarpone mousse. Garnish with seasonal fruits.

As told to Manu Shankar