Limited-edition chocolates and classic puddings for Christmas

From gluten-free cookies and limited-edition single-origin chocolates to classic puddings and nutty fudges, pastry chefs are creating desserts to get you in the festive spirit. 

A taste of New York in Delhi

At Foodaholics, pastry chef Kishi Arora is trying to bring the famed Christmas spirit of the Big Apple to Delhi. The idea behind her festive special is to celebrate dishes that she loved to eat while living in New York. Choose between the dainty mini financiers frosted with butter cream or the quintessential chocolate cheesecake — a rich gooey dessert with cream cheese and dark chocolate. A must-have is the Chocolate Grinch, a nutty fudge with hints of toffee, caramel and French sea salt, embellished with tiny decorations. However, if you wish to take the sweet route and eat healthy too, then try the Noel Goodies, which are mixed nuts tossed in homemade granola with pepita, coconut and spices.

Where: Foodaholics, New Delhi. For orders, call 9873164293 or mail@foodaholics.in

Price: Cakes start at Rs 3,000 per kilo

Nutty Fudge

Ingredients
 

400 gm sweetened condensed milk (1 tin milkmaid), ¼ cup sugar, 150 gm mixture of cashew nuts/raisins/almonds, ½ cup cocoa, 50 gm unsalted butter

Method
 

Pour the condensed milk into a thick-bottomed pan. Add butter, sugar, cocoa and nuts. Gently swirl on medium heat till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Pour evenly into a buttered dish and allow it to cool and set. Cut into desired shapes with a cutter
 

A play on tradition

For a curated range of confiserie, chocolate bonbons, single-origin chocolate bars and truffles, head to La Folie’s new boutique, La Folie du Chocolat in Mumbai. At this vibrant space, one can choose from the limited-edition Christmas collection, Noel, which also allows you to personalise the box sleeves and notes to accompany the delicacies. A signature from this selection is executive chef Sanjana Patel’s take on a traditional Christmas log cake, which she has fashioned in the shape of a wreath. The decadent creation has layers of warm flavours, with a rum fruit cake, orange and prune marmalade, smoked pepper ganache and chocolate honey mousse working beautifully together. If you want to go the traditional route, there’s the classic marzipan and Christmas stollen bread. “We have also come up with limited-edition chocolate bars,” says Patel. One of the flavours is smores, which is a 67 per cent dark chocolate with dehydrated berries and vanilla marshmallows. The other is the Aztec, with orange peel and gingerbread spice.

Where: La Folie du Chocolat, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Price: Buche Noel, Rs 1,800; stolen, Rs 1,200; chocolate bars Rs 350

Stollen bread

Ingredients
 

1 kg plain flour, 80 gm fresh yeast, 1 pinch castor sugar, 1 tbsp lukewarm milk, 375 ml lukewarm milk, 250 gm butter, 200 gm blanched almonds (chopped), 100 gm candied lemon peel, 100 gm candied orange peel, half tsp salt, 200 gm castor sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp melted butter, icing sugar for dusting

Method
 

Place the flour in a large bowl and crumble the yeast over it. Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and add a tablespoon of warm milk. Combine and let it rest for an hour in a warm place. Heat the butter and milk in a saucepan over low heat, till melted. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk and butter mixture, almonds, candied peel, salt, sugar and egg yolks. Mix until a soft dough forms, then fold in the sultanas. Cover the bowl and let stand in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has risen to twice the original size. Shape dough into a loaf, then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 35 minutes. After baking, brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and dust with icing sugar while the loaf is still hot.

Approved by Health Santa

 

At 212 All Good, the clean-eating café at High Street Phoenix, Mumbai, the Christmas goodies are designed for your well-being. There are a range of gluten-free desserts, including cookies, muffins, cakes and puddings to choose from. You can binge on the chocolate and banana cookie, made with almond flour, ripened bananas and 72 per cent dark chocolate; or the caramel and almond cookie, whipped with cardamom, brown sugar and almond flour. A host of gluten-free muffins, such as the blueberry and ginger, strawberry and oats, and chocolate hazelnut, also cater to the sweet tooth.

Available at: 212 All Good, High Street Phoenix, Mumbai

Price: A pack of three cookies, Rs 225; muffin, Rs 155; pack of three muffins, Rs 299

Gluten-free date and walnut cookie

Ingredients
 

100 gm butter, 100 gm raw sugar, 25 ml coconut milk, 200 gm gluten-free flour, 20 gm chopped dates, 15 gm chopped walnuts, a pinch of baking powder

Method
 

In a bowl, take semi-melted butter and raw sugar, beat with a hand blender. Add coconut milk while beating and ensure that the sugar is fine. Add gluten-free flour, baking powder, chopped dates and walnuts to the mixture. Pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius. Make small mounds and place them on a baking tray. Add a few dates and walnuts on the top. Bake for 150 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes.

A guilt-free Christmas

When you have an array of rich, gooey desserts lined up in front of you it becomes a little hard to stick to your diet plans. Fitness expert Sucheta Pal, Zumba Inc USA’s designated zumba education specialist for India, suggests opting for a fruit popsicle, made with seasonal fruit and honey. It’s all about wise substitution, she says. For instance, instead of sugar-loaded freak shakes, make a smoothie bowl with yoghurt, cake colouring and fruit. Once that’s blended, layer it up with fresh fruit and granola on top, to add height, just like in a freak shake.

This is also the season for high-spirited parties. There’s no reason to shun the celebrations altogether, but approach these evenings sensibly. For one, never leave for a party on an empty stomach. “If you are hungry, then your body will crave sugar and you will end up eating empty calories and that too at a fast pace,” says Lovneet Batra, clinical nutritionist at Fortis La Femme, Delhi. Also, at parties, head to the live counters and create a nutritious bowl full of vegetables and lean protein such as tofu, edamame, yoghurt, fish and chicken.