Diwali desserts

Diwali is here and what better way than to celebrate it than with an array of explosives! No, we’re not referring to lighting crackers that contribute to the carbon footprint. We’d rather have an explosion of flavours on our palates. Here are a few innovative desserts you can try…

Mille Feuille of Rasmalai & Coconut Cream by Executive Sous Chef Vineet Bahuguna
Layering classic French pastry with traditional rasmalai, this one is a fusion that works
For rasmalai patties
Ingredients: 400 ml milk, 20 gm lemon juice, 60 gm grain sugar, 250 ml water

Method: Boil the milk and let it cool. Add lemon juice to it. Stir till the milk curdles. Remove aside and drain excess water by hanging in muslin cloth. Knead the mixture to a soft dough and make small patties of equal size out of it and keep aside. Make a sugar syrup with water and grain sugar and drop the patties into the syrup. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from sugar and squeeze off excess sugar.

For milk mixture (reduced milk)
Ingredients: 0.25gm saffron, 400 ml milk, 10 gm almonds (shredded), 10 gm pistachio (shredded), 40 gm grain sugar

Method: Soak a few strands of saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk and set aside. Make a reduced milk mixture with the above ingredients and soaked saffron and add the patties to the milk. Let this rest in the refrigerator till chilled.

For mille feuille sheet
Ingredients: 100 gm refined flour, 10 gm salt, 30 gm unsalted butter, 25 ml water
Method: Make a dough using the ingredients and half the butter. Knead the dough properly and let it rest in the freezer for three to four hours. Soften the remaining butter and gently roll it into the dough. Laminate the dough into the butter and seal the sides. Repeat the process three times. Roll the dough and bake it at 200 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes.

For coconut cream
Ingredients: 200 gm milk, 30 gm castor sugar, 10 gm unsalted butter, 20 gm corn flour, 20 gm coconut milk powder
Method: Boil the milk and sugar. Pour in coconut milk and corn flour. Whisk the mixture to avoid any lumps. Gently add in the butter.

To assemble
Cut the mille feuille sheet into three equal parts. Squeeze the excess milk from the rasmalai and place on top of the mille feuille sheet. Layer coconut cream on the sides. Put another sheet on top of the rasmalai and layer coconut cream on the sides again. Cover with another sheet and your mille feuille is ready to be served. Garnish with cherries on top.

Dates & Milk Crumble by Chef Tarun Sibal
An easy dessert that can give your brain cells a boost too
Ingredients: Khoya burfi - 150 gm, seedless dates - 50 gm, dried rose petals - one tsp, salted pistachio slivers - one tsp, almond slivers - one tsp, fresh flower petals - to garnish, and ghee to baste.

Method: Baste an oven-proof flat tray with ghee. Crumble the khoya burfi on the tray and layer it over with dates. Now, place it in the oven at 250 degrees for four minutes. Take it out, the sides should be golden brown and the top should have a crust. Use a flat spoon to transfer it on to the serving plate. Garnish with almonds, pistachios, dried rose petals and fresh flowers

Quinoa Coconut Crumble Custard Pudding by Executive Pastry Chef Santhanam S
A healthy dessert that incorporates quinoa for that extra crunch
For quinoa crumble
Ingredients: 180 gm cooked quinoa, 90 gm oats, three gm cinnamon powder, a pinch of salt, 30 gm brown sugar (or powdered jaggery), 120 gm chopped nuts (or diced fresh fruits like apple or pineapple), 75 gm coconut flakes, two large eggs
Method: Preheat oven to 305 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa, oats, and chopped nuts. In a separate smaller mixing bowl, combine cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Add the spice mixture to quinoa and oats. Stir in chopped nuts once and combine. Add eggs and mix well. Scoop into properly sprayed and coated mini-moulds. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool. Once cooled, crumble it and store in air-tight containers. This can also be served warm also as cookies dipped in chocolate.

For custard pudding mix
Ingredients:180 gm quinoa, 960 gm unsweetened coconut milk, 113 gm maple syrup, 10 ml vanilla extract, five gm cinnamon powder, a pinch of salt, 30 gm honey
Method: Place quinoa in a mesh colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and allow to drain. In a medium pot, combine quinoa, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, honey and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover, leaving the lid cracked so that some steam may escape. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring about every five minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering for five more minutes or until the pudding has thickened and the quinoa has absorbed most (but not all) of the milk. Remove from the heat.

To assemble
Prepare the serving glasses or bowls filled halfway with the quinoa crumble. Over this, pour the quinoa custard pudding. While layering the pudding, you can also add some fruit and nuts. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving (the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools). Before serving, sprinkle with additional cinnamon, honey, nuts or fresh fruits on top if desired.