Haute Cuisine

COOKING, for me, has a commercial purpose. And very often it8217;s an elaborate affair. So when I8217;m cooking at home, the only thing I ...

COOKING, for me, has a commercial purpose. And very often it8217;s an elaborate affair. So when I8217;m cooking at home, the only thing I keep in mind is that it should be simple. There are so many recipes which can be easily made at home and are just as tasty had you picked them from the menu of a fine dining restaurant. Like my Grilled Prawn recipe. This dish is ideally cooked over moderately hot charcoal. But for those who do not have a barbecue set-up at home, pick one up at your nearest shopping mall, because nothing beats the flavour of charcoal.

My other favourite is the Mocha Fudge Torte, which is also an easy recipe. My kids love it. In fact, by now, they can make it themselves.

GRILLED TIGER PRAWNS
INGREDIENTS
12 tiger prawns
60 ml olive oil
20 gm dill, chopped
5 gm peppercorns, crushed
10 gm garlic, minced
30 ml lemon juice
60 ml white wine
Red chilli flakes to taste optional
5 gm lemongrass, chopped
5 gm basil
Salt to taste

METHOD
Shell and devein the tiger prawns, refrigerate or reserve on ice. Make a marinade by mixing the chopped dill, crushed peppercorns, garlic, lemon juice and salt with the olive oil. Pat dry the prawns on kitchen towels. Rub in the marinade and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Cook briefly on a moderately hot charcoal grill till the prawns appear translucent. They could also be pan-seared, or cooked in an oven or broiler. Serve immediately.

MOCHA FUDGE TORTE
INGREDIENTS
300 gm butter
150 gm sugar
750 gm dark chocolate
12 eggs
40 gm coffee
40 ml water

METHOD
Break the chocolate roughly into small pieces. Combine the chocolate, butter, sugar, coffee and water in a mixing bowl. Place over a double boiler, ensure that the bowl is not in direct contact with the simmering water. Stir till the chocolate melts and the ingredients combine well. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Whisk yolks into the melted chocolate mixture. Whip the egg whites till they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour into a greased cake mould. Bake in a moderately hot oven 340ordm;F for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

As told to Debanjana Chaudhuri