February Classes are here!

I love a busy kitchen. The last couple of weeks have been crazy, chaotic, overwhelming at times but so fulfilling! I got to work closely with Chef Javier and learn so many things. It was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful to the Els Brancs team for their time and research. 

I have a confession to make: I don't know how to make basic Indian home food (*blush* in my defense, I am a pastry person) and while speaking to a lot of my friends I realized that I wasn't alone (OK, now I don't feel THAT bad). I have always been inspired by my family where food is concerned and it only makes sense that the best cook I know teaches us how to make home style Punjabi food. Yes, so I convinced my mother to conduct a few classes this month! And yes, butter chicken is on the menu!

Christina is conducting the much awaited breakfast class, bread basic (read about food Blogger Kalyan's experience here) and a Valentine's day workshop. Rushina and her very talented better half will be teaching couples how to make a romantic meal for two. The one class that I'm really excited about is Rushina's Flirting with Flavour. So if you're single this Valentine's day, join us in this Speed Cooking Workshop (5 guys, 5 girls, 5 recipes and a whole lot of fun!) 

So, are you ready to sign up? 

E-mail: Le15classes@gmail.com

Number: 9820487727, 9769286544

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

DATE	TIME & CLASS	PRICE
3rd February Friday Pooja Dhingra	Chocolate Love 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,500/-
4th February Saturday Seemaa Dhingra	Basic Home Cooking 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,000/-
10th February Friday Christina Fernandes	Breakfast!               12.00 pm – 3.00 pm	2,000/-
11th February Saturday Christina Fernandes	Valentine’s Day Hamper 12.00 pm – 3.00 pm	2,500/-
12th February Sunday Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal	Made for each other: Couple’s Cooking! 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm	3,750/-
18th February                         Saturday Seemaa Dhingra	Basic Home Cooking 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm	2,000/-
19th February Sunday Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal	Flirting with Flavour: Speed Cooking	2,500/-
25th February Christina Fernandes	Bread Basics 12.00 pm – 3.00 pm	2,000/-
26th February Pooja Dhingra	Chocolate Love 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,500/-

Chocolate Love- Molten Chocolate Cake, Nutella Brownies, Nutty Gooey Sticky Fudge, Passion Fruit Truffles, White Chocolate Mousse.

Basic Home Cooking: Dal Makhani, Butter Chicken, Aloo Gobi, Pomegranate Raita, Jeera Rice and Shahi Paneer.

Breakfast: Eggs Benedict (English muffins, hollandaise sauce, poached eggs), Waffles with apple and plum compote, Yogurt pancakes, French toast with croissant and stuffed omelets.

Valentine’s Day Hamper: The perfect gift for a foodie valentine! Heart biscuits, homemade strawberry jam, marshmallow chocolate brownies (make your own marshmallows!) Meringue kisses and a chocolate hazelnut spread. Take all these fabulous goodies away in a beautiful basket.

Couples Cooking – Pizza from Scratch with Gourmet Sauce and toppings, Hand Made Pasta in Wine Sauce, Fig Salad and a Rose and Pistachio Cake

Speed Cooking – 5 gentlemen, 5 ladies, 5 easy recipes! Flirt with new flavors and discover a delicious way to meet, greet and eat as you cook each dish with a new partner!

Bread Basic: Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf, Dinner Rolls, Potato Cheesy Buns, Napoltian Focaccia

Spain comes to Mumbai!

It all started with a meal at Els Brancs. 14 stunning courses, a bottle of Rosé, the Costa Brava sunset and great conversation. I left Spain with memories of flavours and textures I had never experienced. How can I bring what they do at Els Brancs and apply it to my work. I called Marlon and told him we should collaborate. A brief discussion of our ideas and it was decided: let's work on a line of special macaroons! Bring the Els Brancs philosophy of subtle flavours that play around in the palate to the Le15 Macaroon.
What followed was intense hard work for the next 4 months. Hours and hours of skype sessions, recipe exchanges and  flavour discussions. We talked about what would work, the temperature, humidity and mainly the availability of the ingredients we would need. Half the things we needed for this line would have to be imported from Spain. Chef Javier turned his kitchen in to a science lab. I told him all the difficulties I face in the kitchen and he promised to solve them all! He used 15 kilos of almond powder, 20 kilos of icing sugar and we lost count of the egg whites. They would show me the macaroons on skype and  I couldn't wait for them to finally come to Mumbai so we could work together (and I could eat those macaroons!!)
The last week has been hectic, challenging but also so so rewarding! We had to change a lot of things and alter the recipes to fit Mumbai conditions. But, to finally see the product that we spent so much time on is the greatest feeling. I will not reveal too much about these macaroons yet. The team leaves soon and now it's my turn to work on them. This line is very special and extremely close to my heart. I will keep you updated on when it's out and I would love to see your reaction when you take that first bite!!!

January Class Schedule

We hope everyone had a great beginning to 2012! Sorry for the delay in the schedule, we know you've been waiting a long time for it. Well, here it is :) Hope to see you soon!

DATE	TIME & CLASS	PRICE
7th January Saturday Pooja Dhingra	Cookies and Brownies 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,500/-
8th January Sunday Pooja Dhingra	Chocolate Love 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,500/-
14th January Saturday Pooja Dhingra	Chocolate Love               2.00 pm – 5.00 pm	2,500/-
22nd January Sunday Christina Fernandes	Cheese Cake 12.00 pm – 3.00 pm	2,500/-
28th January Saturday Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal	Healthy Creative Cooking - Vegetarian 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm	2,500/-
29th January                         Sunday Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal	Gourmet Everyday – Vegetarian & Non Vegetarian 12.00 pm to 4.00 pm	2,500/-

Cookies and Brownies: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies, Butter Cookies with royal icing, Goey Fudgy Brownies, Blondies and Chocolate Walnut Brownies.

Chocolate Love- Molten Chocolate Cake, Nutella Brownies, Nutty Gooey Sticky Fudge, Passion Fruit Truffles, White Chocolate Mousse.

Cheese Cake : Chocolate Florentine Cheesecake, New York Style Baked Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake

Healthy  Creative Cooking – Vegetarian :- Crudites & Blanched Vegetables with Trio of Dips (Pickled Lemon Hummus, Herbed Labneh & Spicy BBQ Aubergine), Sprout & Tofu Soup, Anna Rascalla ( Curry Leaf Masala Baked Potato Wedges), Seasonal Green Salad Stuffed Rice Paper Rolls, Spicy Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole, Fruit Pizza.

Gourmet Everyday – Vegetarian & Non Vegetarian :- Spicy Corn, Vegetables and Pasta Bake, Layered Mushroom Pulav with burnt Garlic and Spinach Raita, Spicy Asian Vegetable / Chicken Noodle Bowl, Pan Seared Paneer/Chicken with a side of Potatoes and Vegetables, Thai Tofu/Prawn Green Curry with Aromatic Rice.

To New Beginnings: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I usually do this thing with one of my best friends, where at the end of each year we analyze the last 12 months. Hopefully, we've tried something new, achieved something we never thought we could or even tried to stick to our resolutions (really, that almost never happens). From my last post, you've probably figured that 2011 has been, well, interesting.

This year has been a crazy ride. Things didn't always turn out the way I had planned, but I guess that's what makes it so interesting. 

Some of the happy moments included visiting the El Bulli kitchen and watching my heroes in action (thank you kind folks at Vistabella). Le15 put Mumbai on the macaron map when The Four Seasons listed it amongst the World's Best! We got the opportunity to make cakes for several people that I truly admire and are my role models.

Obviously, things were not always so easy- my plans for the cafe in breach candy fell apart and my heart was broken. Well, life goes on.

So I didn't learn how to drive (it's got to do with my fear of buses!), or learn spanish, or learn how to play the guitar (ok, next year - no resolutions) but I did go 21 days without sugar and caffeine (If I was ever mean to you, it must have been during that period. I apologise. Sugar is back in my system and all is good with the world again), I learnt many many things (hopefully they made me wiser) and most importantly I learnt that you've got to have faith.

My family has a new entrant in the form of our 42 day old puppy and the biggest news this year - A Le15 kiosk in Palladium!

So, here's to new beginnings, to hope and to never giving up. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happier New year!

Tutorials: Making Kahlua by Aneesh Bhasin

When I read on twitter that Aneesh was making his own Kahlua I was very intrigued. It sounded like a very daunting task and something I haven't done before. He promised it was easy and very generously agreed to share his recipe with us! So, here you go. Big thank you Aneesh, and as usual, I promise passion fruit macarons in return!


Aneesh's Recipe for Kahlua
What you need!

1. Ground coffee (not instant) to make 500ml of black coffee

2. Brown sugar 150grams

3. Cinnamon sticks

4. Vanilla essence 

5. Vodka 300ml

Step 1

 

Perhaps the most important step of the process. Deciding which coffee to use and then brewing it.

I personally used Davidoff's Cafe Creme beans, freshly grounded and then brewed in a French press. You can get arabica beans from Cafe Coffee Day or Natures Basket.

We need about 500ml of black coffee to start with. 

Step 2

Boil the coffee on a low flame to reduce it to about 350ml

Step 3

Add 150 grams of brown sugar, a few cinnamon sticks and 2 caps of vanilla essence.

Step 4

Add 300ml your favorite vodka! Not a good idea to use expensive vodka for your first attempt. Use something like Smirnoff or Magic Moments.

Step 5

Taste and review! Now would be the time to add more vodka or sugar, depending on your taste preference. 

Step 6

Enjoy on the rocks! Or if you are in the mood for a little extra, either add some Cointreau for a brilliant orange kick or some Jose Cuervo black tequila for some spicy tequila kick. If you plan to add Cointreau to the Kahlua, you might not want the base Kahlua to be too sweet.

Aneesh is an award winning professional photographer, writer & consultant based in Mumbai. He shoots almost all genres of photography including people and travel. He is the Co Founder of Indian Wine List and also blogs for GQ and CN Traveller. (Also, please don't ask him which camera to buy!)

www.aneeshbhasin.com
www.twitter.com/aneeshb

Post Card from New York: Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I spent my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, back in New York. Whats not to love about Thanksgiving--all you can eat delicious food surrounded with family and friends! Its been a while since my whole family was together to celebrate this delectable tradition and the night was truly a success. The process of Thanksgiving shopping usually starts 3 days before the big day. Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday of November, so that previous Monday off to the market we go. While Turkey is the main event of the night all the fix-ins and the starters are my favorite!

Starters Menu: Artichokes, Meat and Cheese Plate, Pumpkin Bread

1. Steamed Artichokes with Breadcrumbs and Grated Parmesan

Recipe and Method: (serves 10)

1. 4 artichokes
2. 1 cup Parmesan
3. 4 tablespoons of seasoned bread crumbs
4. 3 tablespoons of butter
5. 3-4 garlic cloves
6. 2 lemons
7. salt


Cut the stems of the artichokes off so that they will properly balance in a big pot. Grate 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Put the artichokes in a pot filled with about 2 inches of water. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of seasoned bread crumbs on top of each of the artichokes. Then sprinkle on 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese evenly on top of each artichoke respectively. Place a cover on top of the pot and let the artichokes steam for about 40-45 minutes. You will know when they are ready when you can easily pull out one of the pieces. After the artichokes are ready remove the lid of the pot and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top of the artichoke. The petals of the artichoke should have opened up even more so the cheese will sink down into each piece. Then place the lid over the pot, but this time the fire of the stove should be off. Because of the resonating steam the cheese will melt down into each petal. After 2 minutes remove the artichokes from the pot. Be careful though they will be hot!

For the artichoke dip: chop the garlic cloves very finely. Melt the butter and mix in the finely chopped garlic. Squeeze in lemon to taste and add salt the same. You are ready to serve!





2. Cheese and Meat Plate

1. Prosciutto
2. Melon
3. Salami
4. Truffle Cheese
5. Manchego
6. A beautiful platter








3. Pumpkin Bread


Recipe and Method:

1. 3 1/2 cups flour

2. 2 tsp baking soda

3. 1 1/2 tsp salt

4. 2 tsp cinnamon ( i always put extra)

5. 2 tsp nutmeg

6. 1 tsp pumpkin spice (optional)

7. 2-3 cups sugar (brown sugar can also be used)

8. 1 cup oil

9. 4 eggs

10. 2/3 cups water

11. 1 lb canned pumpkin

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Sift all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, sugar) together in a big mixing bowl. Spices should be measured in heaping spoons. Then add the four eggs, 2/3 cup of water, and 1 lb of canned pumpkin to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth. Pour the mixture into either a loaf pan or a bunt cake pan, whichever you prefer. Bake until spongy, which depending on the pan can take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. I like to garnish with clementines or cranberries for color!

Mains Menu: Turkey, Stuffing and Veggies

1. Turkey

Recipe and Method:

1. Turkey (usually get 2 pounds per person)
2. Fresh Rosemary
3. Fresh Thyme
4. Fresh Sage
5. Paprika
6. Butter
7. Olive Oil
8. Chicken Stock
9. Salt
10. Red Wine
11. Rock Salt



Clean the Turkey, by rubbing it with rock salt and then showering it will cold water. You need to marinate the turkey the day before serving it to properly get the flavours of the fresh herbs. After the turkey is clean rub it with butter. I usually use about half a stick, but it depends on how much of a butter fan you are. Then rub the turkey with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop up your rosemary, sage and thyme into small pieces and rub the spices on the the turkey. I usually put extra rosemary because its my favorite herb, but the ratio is entirely up to your taste buds. Then pour about half a cup of red wine over the turkey and salt to taste. Sprinkle on the paprika at the end, cover the turkey with foil and shove it in the refrigerator over night. When its time to cook preheat your oven to 400, give yourself about 20 minutes-1/2 hour of cooking time for every pound of turkey you have. Baste your turkey with chicken stock every 45 minutes-1 hour to keep it moist. When your turkey is done change the oven from a bake to a broil. Broil until the top of the turkey is that perfect color brown, the paprika will give you the beautiful colour. Let it rest for 5 minutes before you carve.


For veggies go simple and colourful: potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, corn and yams. Since the turkey has a lot of flavour, don't overdo the veggies with spice. Instead chop them into small cubes and take out some of the turkey juice as a marinate. Roast the veggies alongside the turkey. Stuffing is essential, we usually throw in some sausages for that extra kick (For you veggies out there add in mushrooms). Cranberry sauce is a must to accompany the turkey. Plus it makes the table look even prettier :-)!

Dessert: Pie

No thanksgiving dinner is complete without apple pie and pecan pie a la mode. I'm sorry I don't have a recipe for you. Ours is usually store bought. Oops! But a tip to serving apple pie, make sure you heat it up enough so that the inside is as warm as the outside. This usually takes at least 15 minutes in the oven, even when the pie is ready. Serve your pie with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream!

And of course no Thanksgiving Dinner is complete without a game of Charades! Split your group up by boy v. girl or by age. The hardest movie this year in Charades was Limitless; the most fun to act out was Kung Fu Panda....just a suggestion :-). Enjoy!

Posted By Ameesha Mansukhani. Ameesha is a free lance writer who recently moved to Bombay from New York. Her favorite sin? Gluttony of course :-)

It's not always rainbows and butterflies

 Today, I thought I'd talk to you about something that's very personal, but I hope this information helps you! 

I get several e-mails and phone calls everyday from hopeful pastry chefs/bakers and all of them want to know the same thing; what is it like running a business and will going to culinary school help my career? Of course it will. But is it the only thing that will help you? Probably not.

 Ever since I was 16, I knew I would run my own business. I had a vague idea (actually too many ideas sometimes) on what this business would be. But, it was only much later that I found my calling. While I was getting a business degree, 2 classes really appealed to me, and almost everything I learned in them stuck. These were Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Entrepreneurship excited me - creating business plans, finding new markets, it was almost like creating magic. We learnt about start ups. What to look out for, the correct way of doing things, qualities that define an entrepreneur. We learnt that it wouldn't be easy. We learnt about different entrepreneurs ; the success stories and also the ones that didn't quite make it. Business school was followed by culinary school. Here it was all technique. Butter, sugar, flour and eggs became my best friends. I spent hours and hours with chocolate. My feet hurt, sometimes they bled. My back was almost always sore. I always looked tired. But, I loved it. I loved learning. I could stand for hours watching my chef temper chocolate. It was beautiful, almost mesmerizing. 

So, why am I telling you this? Even after all that, nothing, absolutely nothing could prepare me for starting my own business. 

I knew what should happen in theory. I knew my product. I knew my market. Should be easy right. It wasn't. The reason I'm writing this post is because I want you to know that it's going to be hard. So prepare yourself accordingly. This is not a fairytale. You have to work extremely hard and face set backs almost on a daily basis. 

For nearly a year after I started Le15 I had no life. I worked from 8 am to 11 pm every single day. Days off didn't exist, weekends didn't matter and you can forget about holidays. Sleeping in meant waking up at 9 am. I started losing touch with friends and relationships suffered. I was 23. It's been almost 2 years now and I've evolved. Everyday I learn new things, things about myself, about people I interact with and this industry. Having an idea and implementing it is easy, doing it consistently is the challenge.

If you're passionate, dedicated and know exactly what you're getting in to; this is the most rewarding experience one can have! Don't be afraid. For every bad experience, I've had a good one. For every, um, evil person (I've met a few ok) I've encountered, 3 angels have walked in to my life. 

To see your ideas in action, to have all your hard work rewarded, to see people appreciate what you do, is fulfilling. When an 8 year old comes and tells you he wants to grow up to be like you, the back pain disappears and all those nights you couldn't go out with friends don't seem to matter anymore. 

I have a long long way to go and a million things to achieve before I can call myself a successful Entrepreneur. For now, things that bring me immense joy are walking in to the kitchen every morning and seeing my staff working with beautiful smiles on their faces, watching my parents' eyes light up every time they proudly talk about Le15 and yes, every time you send me an e-mail or call me and tell me how much you appreciate what we're doing at Le15, makes up for everything! And I wouldn't have it any other 

way.

 Some Pointers: Things I've learnt in the last 2 years (and some things that I really should learn!)

- Sometimes learning how to say No is more important than saying Yes.

 - People will get jealous. People will try to pull you down. People will make you think you're not good enough. Don't listen to them!!! 

- Have everything written on paper and ALWAYS consult a lawyer because people will try to cheat you (sigh, I'm still dealing with this one)

 - Find a support group. For me, this is my family. I discuss everything with them. You need a sounding board (and a reality check) 

- Have faith in yourself.

 - Learn to accept your mistakes and say sorry. 

- As cliched as it may sound - follow your gut! 

- Listen to your mother (or mine, she is always right) 

- In the end, everything always works out. It has to. 

- Keep a diary and write every idea down.

 - Imitation is the highest form of flattery (when people start to copy you, you've arrived!)

 - Keep learning and updating yourself with the latest in your industry. Knowledge never goes wasted. 

- Be open to new ideas. Ask people if there's a way to be more efficient and effective. 

- Be kind. People will always remember how you made them feel.

- If you can help someone, go out of your way to do it. Good Karma always comes back.

- Smile. Always smile.