On A FruPasta Trail To Italy!

Those who know me well know that I am a family person. It is not only the company of cheerful family members that keeps me well but also the elucidation of anecdotes from each one of our daily routines which makes me feel that I am blessed.

Joyous times are accounted for, whenever there is a celebration in the family. Celebrations always provide all the family members an essential reason to make time and get together. Such get-togethers always rekindle all such distant memories which may or may not have been lost down the abyss of grey cells over time. 

Even if not for celebratory accounts, we siblings (cousins and otherwise) keep visiting each other occasionally. I have some Indian festivals to thank, though, for keeping the persistent sibling-hood alive! :) 

~~~ 

It was on one such visit by my brother, sister-in-law and their seven-year-old daughter yesterday, that I was surprised by my culinary skills. 

Usually, my brother vouches for an 'informed host' i.e. he likes to be informed when he has guests coming over and likes to inform his hosts when he visits too. That is a quality which I like, but sometimes it kills the 'surprise' element to a visit. 

However, my niece is a naughty brat. She makes it a point to incorporate some or the other 'surprise' element, with her innocent aspirations. 

With innocent being the keyword, she puts all of us elders to work, in engaging her playfully or even otherwise. Picture a kid - a foodie. Picture a kid who possesses - a large sweet tooth! :) 

If you haven't guessed already, more often than not, the kiddo's aspirations involve food. Desserts are her epitome of appetite. 

~~~ 

Thankfully, I had my three-course-meal sorted for them (or so I thought :P ), with all home-made dishes:

• Chifferi Rigati Pasta, courtesy Delmonte India, 
• Barbecued Chicken and Sweet Corn Pizza and, 
• Cassata Sicilana

It was almost time for dinner when my niece came running into the kitchen, and narrated to me her wishful thinking.

The conversation went thus:

बुआ, What's for dinner, tonight?  

Something that is a delight? 

There are some favorites in the air, 

Some #ItalianEscapades seem fair? 

Pasta is Italian, but so repetitive, 

Something unique, please up your score!

That is like an exam for a teacher, 

बुआ's test to ace, no dodging either! 

Exactly. White amd red sauce are passe! 

Does nobody like Dessert Pasta, for a change? 

~~~ 

Experimentation in the kitchen is a forte to ace, for anyone attempting to innovate, and impress with their culinary skills. 

Such was my plight, when the kiddo posed an inquisitive combination. 

Dessert + Pasta? 

How could it be? 

~~~ 

Nonetheless, in the spur of the moment, my grey cells embarked on a gastronomical trail. The dessert which I had planned - Cassata, and the entree - Pasta, were simultaneously echoing in my ears.

As a result, Chef Poonam (wishful thinking at its best :) ) presents to you:

Recipe: 

FruPasta Duet

Twinning Custard 

~~~ 

Delmonte India introduces: 

Chifferi Rigati Pasta 

~~~ 

Portion Size: 10
Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

Utensils:

• Vessel : 2 nos. 
• Stirrer : 2 nos. 
• Plate: 3 nos. 
• Bowl: 4 nos. 
• Serving Platter : 4 nos. 

Ingredients: 

• Full Cream Milk: 1L. 
• Sugar: 150 gm. 
• Custard Powder, Vanilla & Strawberry variants: 4 tsp. each.
• Assorted Nuts: Cashew, Almond, Raisin, Crushed Cardamom Seeds: 7-8 nos. each.
• Fruits: Red Apple, Banana, Pomegranate: 1 no. , 2 nos. , 1/2 no. respectively.

Directions: 

Note: Steps 1-7 are to be performed side by side, on two burners, for both variants of Custard Powder.

1. Boil full-cream milk. 
2. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. 
3. Add Pasta and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring ocassionally. 
4. Dissolve the custard powder in half-a-bowl milk. 
5. Pour the dissolved powder in the boiling milk, while stirring. 
6. Switch off the burner. 
7. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. 

Plating: 

For Twinning Custard:

1. Take one rectangular serving dish. 
2. Alternately layer the dish with Strawberry and Vanilla Pasta. 
3. Garnish each layer with sliced assorted nuts. 
4. Also, plate both the variants in two separate bowls, and top it with one chocolate cube each. 

Pro Tip: Try making a smiley face using raisin and chocolates, as you fancy. I did it and my niece's reaction was priceless. 

For FruPasta: 

1. Two one Gourmet bowl with lid. 
2. Arrange three layers: Vanilla, Strawberry, Vanilla Pasta, while garnishing each layer with sliced assorted fruits. 

~~~ 

The homemade Cassatta ice cream was set aside for some other day, while my FruPasta Duet Twinning Custard ousted the Pizza and won me an 'Excellent' from my niece, with five stars - in true blue school project style. 

The twinkle in her eyes and the wide smile won my heart though. :) 

Come over the virtual way, 

For some FruPasta, some day! :) 

Artistic Baking With The Academy Of Pastry Arts...

~~~ 
What?

A Media Invite to witness best-in-trade chefs exhibiting their prowess in creating awe-inspiring pastries, cakes and confectioneries. 

When? 

Saturday, May 23. 

Where? 

Academy Of Pastry Arts, Gurgaon. 

Last Saturday was a perfect blend of knowledge, skill-testing and fun. I was provided with an experience to cherish by the in-house professionals of the Academy, which has, after establishing their art with the Malaysian and Philippinean audience, forayed into the expanse of welcoming Indians.

I was greeted by this magnificent sugar sculpture, which you can see, to the left, in the snap above.

That beauty-in-the-box told me that I was in that day, for all things, creamy, floury, sugary and nice. :) 

And, I couldn't be happier to witness four of the experts of the trade, acquainting us with the know-how to being a master baker in the comfort of your modular kitchen at home! 

~~~ 

Interactive sessions form the basis of a sound learning experience - be it the classroom or the kitchen. :)

After being introduced to the appliances being professed in their kitchen, we proceeded to the Master Class. 

From L to R: Niklesh Sharma, MD, Amit Sinha, Mukesh Singh Rawat, Executive Pastry Chefs and Dinesh Rawat,  Director of Pastry Studies.

Chef Amit Sinha was to be our 'Guru' for the day. 

And oh! Did I tell you that the floral embellishments on the sides are edible? :D 

~~~ 

First things first. We must don the Chef's Cap, mustn't we? :) 

Second, we must step onto our stations. 

Third, we must pay attention towards the lesson being taught. 

Attention towards the whiteboard, taking quick notes and listening raptly to emulate the expert afterward. 

Would you want to take notes of our Travel Cakes too? 

Here you go. :) 

Did you know of Madeleines, also known as French Butter Cakes? 

I didn't. 

If you don't too, let me show you their adorable molds - Madeleine Pan, as it is called. I thought of them as Mini Oysters baked to perfection. 

Don't the molds look like oysters to you too? 

One pan gave us nine Madeleine to try. 

We made them in Vanilla and Chocolate variants. :) 

That is Chef Amit Sinha piping the first vanilla Madeleine. 

What resulted after piping and baking, are these... 

Those are the first Chocolate and Vanilla madeleines, made by Yours Truly. 

A dozen of them. :) 

I loved them and made a basketful! :D

The lemon zest gave them a tangy taste. 

How do they look?

~~~ 

Next, we moved on to the Apricot Crumble Butter Cake. 

The crumble could be made of Oats, Hazelnut, Chocolate, Coconut or even Spice! 

We made it with Coconut and Sugar Icing. 

Have a look. :) 

These are the barters poured into cups, which would then be placed in the oven to bake. 

Vanilla barter at the bottom, an apricot in the middle, layered with crumble, and then again vanilla on the top. 

We garnished it with another layer of crumble and icing after it was done baking. A caramelized apricot slice was crowned atop too! :D 

See... 

~~~ 

Good things are to be saved for the last. 

We finished off with Orange Chocolate Cake. 

Bar shaped chocolate cake, glazed and topped with caramelized orange peel. 

The two main ingredients of this dessert complement each other really well, I was told. :) 

~~~ 

That is the entire platter. 

Apricot Crumble Butter Cake, Madeleine, Orange Chocolate Cake. 

Sweet Overload! :D 

~~~ 

Do give the Academy a visit if you are a Delhi-NCRite. 

You would not want to miss these workshops scheduled, to be held at the Academy during the last week of June and the first week of July! 

It is a unique experience and a would be a cherish-able one at that! :) 

~~~