FOOD SPECIAL................... READY FOR VEGGIES IN YOUR DESSERT?

READY FOR VEGGIES IN YOUR DESSERT? 

Cronut creator Dominique Ansel calls vegetable desserts the new fad of 2014. What’s so special about this sweet-savoury jugalbandi?

    Turned up your nose at veggies served to you on your plate so far? You can now bid that reluctance goodbye. The new gastronomic order will have veggies on your plate in a new avatar – desserts! More chefs are getting into vegetable desserts, unleashing traditional sweets from their nuts and fruits, for something different. So what’s the bite about?
A lot, actually…
Beetroots are turning up in mousses, carrots are getting out of the halwa and into flans and panna cotta and celery is sneaking into sorbets. If you are throwing a party, bid adieu to the chocolate gateau and serve up a celery cheesecake or eggplant tiramisu. Food blogger Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal says that in India, we have dabbled with this trend, if only slightly, “Very few know that petha is actually made of sugar and ash gourd. You also get a sweet made of parwal (it’s candied and stuffed). In fact, red velvet cupcake was traditionally made with beetroot, after which chefs started adding colour to it.” She feels this fad is going to be hugely popular in the country. “It breaks preconceived notions of how desserts should be. Usually, a dessert is about milk and flour mixed with dried fruits and berries. But I’ve experimented with candied leeks, candied lemon peels with garlic, as well as candied chillies as topping on sweets and garnishes,” says Ghildiyal.
Guilt-free indulgence
Food blogger Adarsh Munjal says that veggie desserts are not only a great way to get kids to eat vegetables but are also healthy. For the healthconscious, a fennel sorbet or lean pumpkin pie can score way over a calorie-heavy chocolate cake, says consulting dietician and fitness expert, Sheela Tanna. “Vitamin-packed broccoli or zucchini are low in calories; a cup of zucchini is just 20 calories and has no fat. Use it with the peel to make cakes, breads and custards,” she says. Sweet potato is another magical ingredient; it’s good for cardiovascular health, diabetes and has low-glycemic index. Vegetables can also act as a substitute for high-fat ingredients. For example, avocado can be substituted for butter. It’s high in potassium and proteins which are good for the muscles and to boost energy levels. Eggplant is another winner; it has fibre and vitamins which are good for digestion. Just switch the apples in a pie with the head of eggplants. Eggplant is slightly bitter, but when combined with sugar and caramelised, gives great results. Most importantly, vegetable desserts help you go gluten-free, dairy-free and low on calories.
HOT SAUCE: CHOCOLATE CHILLI
Try something different for your party by giving your chocolate sauce a piquant lift. Combine chocolate with cream, sugar, butter and chilli and use this to spice up your pastry, steak or hot chocolate!
Beetroot chocolate balls
Beetroot has phytonutrients that protect against heart diseases as well as boost your stamina to exercise. Add this to your dessert.
HOW TO MAKE IT: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Dab some butter in the holes of a muffin tin and sprinkle some flour in each. Melt about 100 gm each of dark chocolate and butter and stir this till it is smooth. Beat together a little granulated sugar, three eggs and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and add the chocolate mixture to it. Also add about 50 gm each of flour and fresh beetroot pulp. Pour this into the muffin holders and bake for a few minutes or until crisp.

 Ismat Tahseen TLL140202