Kolkata launch of 'The Big Book of Treats' by Pooja Dhingra and Chai spiced Cupcakes

'Meet Pooja Dhingra. Cupcake addict. Macaron lover. Baker. And founder and owner of Mumbai's most famous patisserie, Le 15.'

These are the introduction lines on her newly launched book The Big Book of Treats. 

When I received an invitation mail on behalf of The Corner Courtyard asking me to save a date to meet the ace baker Pooja Dhingra, I immediately put a big red circle on my calendar. Pooja, all of 27 and a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, is the new face of the baking scene in India and is known for her Macarons. She has a regular clientele which boasts of Bollywood stars, sportspeople, corporate czars and politicians. Selected by Forbes India for their 30 under-30 entrepreneurs list, she sure is an insipration to many bakers including me.

Pooja also conducts regular demonstration classes in Studio Fifteen Culinary Centre in Mumbai and was here in Kolkata for an interactive workshop teaching some recipes from her book. 

Down to earth and very encouraging, she started off the workshop by saying Baking is very easy. I could not agree more with her, being a baking enthusiast myself. I was impressed with the way she conducted the workshop with so such ease and elan. She made people come from the audience and do the basic mixing and pouring. 

We started the workshop with a basic Vanilla cupcake recipe which was frosted with Vanilla Buttercream. An immensely valuable tip I learnt from her, among many others was to always add any flavouring to the butter as it retains it very well. 

All through the workshop we were served some yummy starters from The Corner Courtyard which had some impressive names as Chicken Bites, Mushroom cupcakes etc. 

All along she kept amusing us with her lovely stories amongst which I loved the story of the chocolate chip cookie which she had come up with on a Tuesday which was a vegetarian day at her house. Her 16 year old Chocolate chip cookie was indeed very easy and impressive. I also laughed on an incident she shared about her college in Paris where she once asked the chef to tell her a particular recipe's eggless variation, to which the chef flipped and scratched his head trying to decode the protein structure of an eggless bake. Seeing them sweat and in a state of amazement, she told herself that she will simply ask her Mom. 

The star of the workshop was the third recipe Nutella Squares which Pooja confessed being the most popular recipe tried from the book. An eggless Bars recipe loaded with Nutella and hazlenuts, this one is definitely on my next make list. 

After the session got over we got our books signed by the baker herself and had pictures clicked with her. I bid byes to Sayantani and Archita who were attending the worshop and book launch with me and ran back home to turn the pages of the book. 

Aptly called the home bakers cookbook, the book has recipes from cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes and even Macarons. While leafing through the book, chai cupcakes caught my attention. Ever since I made the Coffee cupcakes, I have been wanting to try the chai spiced version and was happy to finally put my hands onto them. So as an ode to the ace Baker, I hereby share a Chai spiced cupcake recipe which has been modified to suit my requirements and available ingredients.

Ingredients : For 5-6 medium sized cupcakes

• 1 egg
• 50 gms butter, room temperature(I used Nutralite)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup chai/tea (made with milk without sugar)

Frosting : 

• 4 tbsp butter, room temperature(I used homemade white butter, you may use Amul or any other butter)
• 3-4 tbsp icing sugar/powdered sugar (You may adjust the quantity to your liking)
• 1 green cardamom, powdered
• 1 pinch or two of cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp chai/tea (made with 2-3 tbsp milk and 1 tsp chai, boiled till reduced to half)

Procedure :

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Line Muffin tray or cupcake moulds with liners. Alternately grease and lightly flour them.  

Make the chai first. I used 1/4 cup milk and 2 tsp of chai along with little crushed ginger. Give it a boil and when it is reduced to half, remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and cream it very well. Whisk till it gets pale and creamy. Do not cut it short, this is an important step. 

Add egg and mix.

Sift all purpose flour with baking powder and add to the butter-egg mixture. Mix with gentle hands till the flour is incorporated.

Add the cooled chai through a sieve and mix. Your batter will have a light brown colour from the chai. 

Pour the batter in the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Allow to cool.

Frosting : 

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add cardamom and cinnamon powder. Add the prepared chai mixture through a sieve and mix gently. Refrigerate for half an hour for the buttercream to absorb all the flavours and colour from the chai. 

Fill the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe on the cupcakes. 

Notes : 

• Use a good quality chai/tea for a richer flavour
• Infuse flavours of your choice while making tea. You may add black peppercorn, tulsi leaves etc. 
• The flavours enhance with time. The cupcakes taste better the next day.

Enjoy the chai spiced cupcakes along with your cuppa chai and a favourite book. 

I want to thank team The Corner Courtyard for yet another memorable experience at their fine dine restaurant and Boutique hotel situated at 92 B, Sarat Bose Road. You may check out my earlier experiences here and here. 

Amrita

'Vicky Goes Veg'-Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani's first Book Launch at the Corner Courtyard.

The mundane of vegetarian food for hardcore meat-eaters, such as myself, received a very pleasant antidote of renewed and refreshed perspective of the wonderful world of veggies through an amazing collection of self conceptualized dishes by the man himself, Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani launching his maiden book 'Vicky Goes Veg' at The Corner Courtyard, Kolkata. The collaboration of the blends of international styling and flavour-prints by using locally procured ingredients comes from the vast experience that Chef Vicky gained over many years through his travel and work in numerous countries. The compounded result was a robust synergy of international styling with local ingredients bearing an outlook of simplicity and class. 

Sampling from the range of Chef Vicky's Salads

Chef Vicky Ratnani who recently launched his book in Mumbai with Farhan Akhtar and Mr AP Hinduja, unveiled his book in Kolkata at The Corner Courtyard.

The book’s inspiration was the increasing demand of “not-so boring vegetarian” recipes from the audience of his very popular show “Vicky goes Veg”.

Farhan Akhtar at the launch in Mumbai  said ‘Going green has never been more deliciously exciting! Bon appétit..’

Thrilled to have the jolly chef launch his book, The Corner Courtyard generously hosted the event and even served the guests, high tea, appetizers and salads with recipes from the book itself.

Chef interacted with the audience and shared trivia and insights on the making of his maiden read.

Megha Agrawal – Director, The Corner Courtyard, said, “We are deeply humbled that a celebrity Chef like Chef Vicky chose The Corner Courtyard to launch his first ever book. Our kitchen is ecstatic to serve and more importantly learn from the master himself”

Chef Vicky Ratnani “Kolkata is one of my most favourite food destinations in India. Food being one of the most integral part of Kolkata’s culture, I have been eagerly looking forward to launch my book in the city.

I am very touched with the team of The Corner Courtyard for beautifully supporting my launch and serving my recipes as a part of this special day”

About the book:

Vicky Goes Veg has a collection of different and out of the box recipes for Vegetarians like Garlic Soup, Chickpean and Almond Crouquet, Green Chillies and Raw Mango Risotto as well as the general favourites like Braised Plantain with Thai Spices sharing space with Hing-roasted Pumpkin, Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie, and so on. The recipes here are not the usual, mundane ones. The dishes hail from all over the world but come with an Indian twist. 

The recipes mentioned in Vicky Goes veg are precise and have been rendered even more mouth-watering by the series of delicious photographs on the side.

About the author, Vicky Ratnani

Vicky Ratnani is a chef, TV host and food connoisseur. He hosts a popular TV cookery show by the same name on NDTV Goodtimes, and is the corporate chef at Aurus, a fine dining restaurant in Mumbai.

About The Corner Courtyard

Located in the heart of South Kolkata near the junction of Lansdown and Hazra Road, The Corner Courtyard recently opened its doors to Customers during the 1st week of October 2013.

The Corner Courtyard is the brain-child of its founder & CEO, Megha Agarwal, an alumnus of the prestigious Symbiosis Institute of Pune. It was finally her life-long love for travelling, hospitality and an unfulfilled entrepreneurial drive that has now culminated in realizing her dream project, resulting in converting a 108-year-old building in South Kolkata's Lansdowne area into a Boutique Hotel-cum-Restaurant, probably the first such restoration project in the hospitality sector in Kolkata.

Housed in a Colonial era building that dates back to 1904, TCC aims to capture the aura of a classic colonial ambience, and provide a semi-fine dining experience, based on a Global cuisine menu that is designed to stand out from other establishments for its offering as well as the presentation.

TCC also incorporates a unique accommodation with seven individually designed and themed boutique rooms, using 50-100 years old period furniture, which has been painstakingly restored over a period of over one year by restoration experts.

Very thrilled to have my own copy signed by Chef Vicky

I for sure would be savoring the veggies for some time to come and hope Chef Vicky launches another book before my veg spree comes to an end...!

Happy Reading & Eating

Vishal & Amrita

Breakfast spread at The Corner Courtyard

The ancient proverb, “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper”, is seldom followed especially with our Indian Food habits. We usually tend to do the opposite and then blame everything else around us for the ill benefits of it. 

Eating breakfast outside is usually synonymous with indulging in all sorts of junk food from poori sabji to samosas. The concept of 'Breakfast fine dining' where you are served fresh, healthy and delectable options is a new concept for Kolkata and is catching up fast.

The Corner Courtyard has recently introduced its breakfast spread where they continue their promise of  delivering fresh ingredients and an interesting menu. You have a wide range of choices from all sorts of egg preparations, breads, sandwiches, fruity dishes, beverages etc.

Me and Kamalika were cordially invited and greeted by their amazing and enthusiastic team. Chef Chanchal led us through the making of each dish and awed us by his beautiful presentation along with the delicate flavours of it which is clearly marked with the use of the most freshest of ingredients. 

Here are some of the choicest dishes we had the opportunity to sample among the other detectables on the menu.

Who ever thought a bed of fresh fruits topped with muesli and hung curd with a little drizzle of honey that they like to call 'Flipped Parfait' can delight your taste buds so much that you happily go for more helpings. The presentation of the dish is as delightful as the taste with delicately sliced kiwi and red grapes. I was very impressed with the health factor that the dish imparts. Chef Chanchal tells us that they add nuts and dry fruits to the muesli to enrich it further.

An inside peek of the Flipped Parfait

Soon to arrive was another fruity affair called 'Muesli with honey crusted banana with a fresh fruit mash'. Another super healthy dish with fresh bananas coated with slightly crushed muesli along with a melange of chopped fresh fruits.

'Fruit wrapped Pancakes' from their sinful delights menu was a brilliantly presented dish with chocolate drizzled pancakes (more like crepes) stuffed with fresh fruits combined with honey and fresh cream. The dish was a visual treat and a wonderful combination of the ethereal pancake and fruits.

Our savoury tooth was finally satiated with a beautiful dish from their vegetarian section called 'Stir fried assorted veggies, served with baked beans, cheese toast and mashed potato'.

The vegetables were perfectly seasoned and crunchy. Chef Chanchal informed us that he used oyster sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the veggies. I personally loved the flavour of baked beans which went perfectly with the entire dish.

Next to arrive was 'Mexican omelette topped with shredded cheddar cheese served with salsa and baked beans'. I loved the chunky omelette with vegetables thrown in. The baked beans was again brilliant.

As we were about to leave, chef Chanchal came with a dish that he made especially for us. He presented us with a plate of delicately rolled julienes of Norwegain smoked pink salmon with a dollop of cream cheese adorned with a basil leaf. This was served with a balsamic reduction. Me and Kamalika thoroughly enjoyed this dish and polished it off quickly in spite of a rather full stomach. The woody smokiness of the delicate pink salmon is a treat in itself.

Have you heard of dessert for breakfast? Well for a dessert freak like me who can have it any time of the day with any meal, I had the most famous dish of their menu aptly called 'Sinful Choco Oreo pancake stack'. Not only this dish was stunning but a treat to my sweet tooth with three chunky pancakes sandwiched with oreo crumbs, crisp roasted walnuts and a perfect hot chocolate sauce. The fruity bits added an extra zing to it.

 

Situated at Sarat Bose Road, The Corner Courtyard is open for its breakfast spread from 8 am to 11 am.

You may check our earlier experience at The Corner Courtyard here. 

Read about Kamalika's experience here 

Amrita