The weekend is over and it is Monday! No need to sink into a morass of despair! Think of scones, treacle tart, shortbread, ginger cake, stewed fruit, jammy buns and chocolate biscuits with lemonade, orangeade and other Enid Blyton treats.
Feeling better? So here is the low down on what is trending in the world of desserts. Bite sized desserts are perfect for the calorie conscious. Swasthi Aggarwal, pastry chef, Foodhall, observes: “People are taking to the new macaroons and whoopie pies as they are smaller in size, easier to eat and very nice to gift as well. They are also going for smaller tarts rather than large chunks of cakes and pastries and are opting for fruit based desserts like apple crumble and mango tarts rather than basic chocolate desserts.”
According to Tanisha Ravindra, pastry chef at The Oberoi, Bangalore, “Desserts that are trending include fresh fruit based layered ones, frozen fruit popsicles, key lime pie, healthy desserts like granola bars/ yoghurt based desserts, citrusy puddings, and fruit flavoured cheese cake.”
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With fruits stealing the show this season, she points out: “Berries, watermelon, lemon and mint, and mangoes are popular.
“Figs stuffed with cinnamon scented biscuits and brown sugar, baked to a golden hue and served with a dollop of whipped cream is delightful,” says Sujit, assistant pastry chef, The Winking Macaron. “Fresh, juicy lychees with a vanilla caviar gelato and thyme-scented honey from the Himalayas is a must-have.”
If you feel you can indulge in these treats only at a restaurant/dessert bar, Tanisha says: “Frozen fruit popsicles, salted caramel ice-cream sandwiches, and hot chocolate powder which can be made into a cold smoothie, are some of the simplest desserts you can make at home.”
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To cool off Chef Sujit suggests, “Green mango and jaggery pannah, the way Maharashtrians make it, is undoubtedly the best drink to have this summer with a twist of black salt, cumin and cardamom. The must do ‘duo’ of freshly grated ginger and lemon juice with a topping of any aerated drink; preferably lemon-based is again easy to make at home. Also try making a wild muskmelon frappe with chunks of muskmelon steeped in a minty sugar syrup and a julienne of ginger.”
So how is that for a sweet way to beat the beginning of the week blues?