Sampling of our Favorite Desserts

Coconut Lemongrass Falooda

On every street corner of Bombay one can find ice-cream soda shacks selling falooda an Indian equivalent to the American sundae. It consists of heaps of ice-cream topped with milk and strongly perfumed syrups, falooda noodles with basil seeds in place of nuts. Although I liked the concept, I realized that if I was going to include it on the dessert menu at Devi, it needed a serious overhaul. I replaced the ice-cream with strawberry sorbet, infusing the milk with lemongrass and coconut milk accentuated the fruit flavor of strawberry and mango sorbet, this turned out to be the perfect compliment to the sorbet.

Consequently it was added to the menu and has been a popular choice for diners ever since. This dessert is a light refreshing conclusion to a meal where the lemongrass and coconut milk balance and the coconut crisp and falooda noodles provide added texture to the dessert and make it a complete treat to devour.

Picture Courtesy of Ben Fink

Falooda Noodes

Falooda Noodles

The Falooda Noodles could be made one day in advance.

Ingredients

1 quart water
1/4 cup honey
4 cloves of garlic
Pinch of Saffron
1 teaspoon basil seeds
Half a packet of Falooda Noodles, break them away gently, avoid cutting their length (available at Indian stores, one packet has 1.75oz)

To Prepare

In a pan combine 1 quart of water with the honey and saffron, bring this to a boil. Add the falooda noodles and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until al dente. Put the colander on a bowl and strain out the water, keep the water aside for later use. Meanwhile run the boiled falooda noodles under cold running water. In the hot sweet water add the basil seeds and cool. Once the water with basil seeds is cold add the strained noodles into it and mix gently. Put in air tight container and chill for at least 4 hours.

Picture Courtesy of Alan Battman

Coconut Lemongrass Milk

The Recipe
Milk Mixture Ingredients 1 cup of milk 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped fine Lemongrass Mixture Ingredients 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup sugar 1 stalks lemongrass, chopped fine 1 cup coconut milk	To Prepare Bring milk, sugar and lemongrass stalks to a rolling boil. Cool and strain the milk mixture into a bowl. Set aside. In a saucepan bring the lemon juice, sugar and lemongrass stalks to a boil. Cool and strain, set aside. In a mixing bowl, blend the milk mixture, lemongrass mixture and the coconut milk using a hand blender. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours.

The Recipe

Milk Mixture Ingredients

1 cup of milk
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of sugar
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped fine

Lemongrass Mixture Ingredients

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 stalks lemongrass, chopped fine
1 cup coconut milk

To Prepare

Bring milk, sugar and lemongrass stalks to a rolling boil. Cool and strain the milk mixture into a bowl. Set aside.

In a saucepan bring the lemon juice, sugar and lemongrass stalks to a boil. Cool and strain, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend the milk mixture, lemongrass mixture and the coconut milk using a hand blender. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours.

Coconut Tuiles

The Recipe
Makes about 12 cookies. This dough needs to chill for a minimum of 4 hours or up to a day ahead. Ingredients Ingredients 4 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 1 egg whites 1/4 cup desiccated coconut 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Plating Instructions Makes 8 portions 10-ounce glass Falooda Noodles Strawberry Sorbet (homemade or store bought) Coconut Tuile Mango Sorbet (homemade or store bought) Lemongrass Milk	To Prepare Using a rubber spatula gently rub the sugar and butter, until just barely combined. The mixture should resemble cornmeal. Continue mixing as you add the egg whites slowly until well blended. Add the coconut and flour, and mix until the dough is smooth. Place in an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Remove the dough from the freezer. Make a stencil the same size as the diameter of the glass you will use to serve the Falooda. Line a cookie sheet with silpat and place your stenciled plastic over the silpat. Spread the dough using an offset spatula over the circled opening and spread the dough to cover the opening to be the same size as the width of the stencil (the tuiles must be very thin). Bake the tuiles for 5 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet a couple of times to ensure even browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store in airtight container. To Prepare Strain out the water from the falooda noodles and distribute it in 8 glasses about 2 big tablespoon. Add a scoop of Strawberry Sorbet. On top of the sorbet, place a Coconut Tuile and top with a scoop of Mango Sorbet. Pour ¼ cup of Coconut Lemongrass Milk in each of the glasses. If there is some left you can top the glasses a little bit, serve immediately.

The Recipe

Makes about 12 cookies.
This dough needs to chill for a minimum of 4 hours or up to a day ahead. Ingredients

Ingredients

4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 egg whites
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Plating Instructions

Makes 8 portions
10-ounce glass
Falooda Noodles
Strawberry Sorbet (homemade or store bought)
Coconut Tuile
Mango Sorbet (homemade or store bought)
Lemongrass Milk

To Prepare

Using a rubber spatula gently rub the sugar and butter, until just barely combined. The mixture should resemble cornmeal.

Continue mixing as you add the egg whites slowly until well blended. Add the coconut and flour, and mix until the dough is smooth. Place in an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Remove the dough from the freezer. Make a stencil the same size as the diameter of the glass you will use to serve the Falooda. Line a cookie sheet with silpat and place your stenciled plastic over the silpat. Spread the dough using an offset spatula over the circled opening and spread the dough to cover the opening to be the same size as the width of the stencil (the tuiles must be very thin). Bake the tuiles for 5 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet a couple of times to ensure even browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store in airtight container.

To Prepare

Strain out the water from the falooda noodles and distribute it in 8 glasses about 2 big tablespoon. Add a scoop of Strawberry Sorbet. On top of the sorbet, place a Coconut Tuile and top with a scoop of Mango Sorbet. Pour ¼ cup of Coconut Lemongrass Milk in each of the glasses. If there is some left you can top the glasses a little bit, serve immediately.

Anil's Lemon Cake

Having a good repertoire of cakes for all occasions has always been important to me. I am often asked why do the cakes made at home taste different from store bought. Sometimes people take short cuts and it leads to a different texture and flavor to the cake. If a recipe calls for an ingredient to be at room temperature try and stick to what the recipe is asking for.

This is my good friend and colleague Anil's recipe. I love it for its perfect lemony freshness as well as its crumbly yet firm texture. A perfect treat with tea I like to serve it with strawberry lemon-curd and a lemon-coconut sorbet.

The Recipe
Makes about 12 cookies. This dough needs to chill for a minimum of 4 hours or up to a day ahead. Ingredients Ingredients For coating 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoon flour For cake 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 4oz butter at room temperature 1 cup sugar Lemon zest of 2 lemons 2 eggs at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice	To Prepare Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take one, 6-inch round cake pan and coat the side and the bottom with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour liberally all over the pan, making sure to cover all sides, throw away any excess. Sieve the mixture of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt three times in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed till soft and creamy white in color, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides using a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure that the egg is completely incorporated and scrape the sides of the bowl before adding the next. Add half of the flour mixture and mix at low speed till just incorporated; add half of the lemon juice and mix till just incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and lemon juice and mix well. The important thing to remember in this step is the mixing of flour if you over mix your batter the cake will be dense. Take the bowl off from the mixer and add the sour cream into the batter. Fold it in using a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan and place cake in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and rotate the pan a 180 degrees. Bake for additional 15-20 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes and then turn it out on a plate. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. It will keep well for a week in the refrigerator and for two days outside, covered with plastic wrap. ** P.S: For those of you who don't know what lemon zest is, it is the skin of lemons. Use a small serrated holed grater, and grate the outer skin of the lemon. Grate gently to ensure that only the yellow is grated not the white underneath. Tap the grater well in the pan to remove all the peel. Once you remove the zest squeeze the lemons for juice.

The Recipe

Makes about 12 cookies.
This dough needs to chill for a minimum of 4 hours or up to a day ahead. Ingredients

Ingredients

For coating
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon flour
For cake
1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4oz butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Lemon zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

To Prepare

Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take one, 6-inch round cake pan and coat the side and the bottom with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of flour liberally all over the pan, making sure to cover all sides, throw away any excess.

Sieve the mixture of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt three times in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed till soft and creamy white in color, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides using a rubber spatula.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure that the egg is completely incorporated and scrape the sides of the bowl before adding the next. Add half of the flour mixture and mix at low speed till just incorporated; add half of the lemon juice and mix till just incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and lemon juice and mix well. The important thing to remember in this step is the mixing of flour if you over mix your batter the cake will be dense.

Take the bowl off from the mixer and add the sour cream into the batter. Fold it in using a rubber spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place cake in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and rotate the pan a 180 degrees. Bake for additional 15-20 minutes, till a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes and then turn it out on a plate. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. It will keep well for a week in the refrigerator and for two days outside, covered with plastic wrap.

** P.S: For those of you who don't know what lemon zest is, it is the skin of lemons. Use a small serrated holed grater, and grate the outer skin of the lemon. Grate gently to ensure that only the yellow is grated not the white underneath. Tap the grater well in the pan to remove all the peel. Once you remove the zest squeeze the lemons for juice.