GOOD FOOD MASTERCLASS AT ITC SONAR, KOLKATA

It was really my pleasure that I was invited to attend a wonderful event Good Food Master Class at ITC Sonar held on 13th of December, 2013. Chef Sunayan Pramanik begun the class with a Middle East recipe 'Winter Green Pea Hummus With Gobindo Bhog Tortillas'. You may guess from its name itself how amazing fusion food it is. Mediterranean food 'Hummus' which was made with fresh Winter green peas (which is abundantly available in Winter), olive oil, lemon juice and tahini; whereas, Mexican Tortillas was infused with Bengali's gobindo bhog rice flour and maize flour. Both dishes were served with 'Cucumber Labneh'  - a delightful plate but not that much satisfied my taste buds.

Chef Sunayan presented his next recipe which was followed by French cooking method which he made with 'Bay of Bengal Betki In White Wine and Asparagus Topped With Gondhoraj Lime Foam'. 'Gondhoraj Lemon' is a special type aromatic juicy lemon, which is very popular and commonly used in Bengali households. In this recipe, Betki fillet was marinated in white wine, gandharaj lemon juice, crushed pepper, basil, cilantro, olive oil and seasoning; cooked in fish stock Personally, I like asparagus. So, while poached Betki topped with boiled asparagus and gondhoraj lemon foam presented infront of us, couldn't take off my eyes from the palate and it tasted great. The recipe is given below:

POACHED BAY OF BENGAL BEKTI IN WHITE WINE AND ASPARAGUS TOPPED WITH GONDHORAJ LIME FOAM

INGREDIENTS:

TO MAKE POACHED BAY OF BENGAL BEKTI:

300 gm Betki Fillets
100 ml White Wine
1 Lemon, juiced (preferably Gondhoraj Lime)
2 tsp Salt
500 ml Fish Stock
100 gm Asparagus
2 Basil Leaves
Crushed Pepper to taste
1 tbsp Roughly Chopped Cilantro
2 tbsp Olive Oil

TO MAKE GONDHORAJ LIME FOAM:

1 Gondhoraj Lime, juiced
50 ml Cream
20 ml Olive Oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Marinate the betki fillet in white wine, salt and lemon juice for a few minutes.

Warm some of the fish stock in a pan and add the marinated fillets along with the marinade and remaining white wine. Poach the fillets till soft, but cooked.

Remove the fish and keep aside.
Cook asparagus and basil leaves in the poaching liquid for around 5 minutes.

Place the asparagus on a plate and the betki fillet on the top of it. Pour the residue juice on the fish.

Fill a can with the cream, gondhoraj lime juice, salt and olive oil. Infuse nitrogen and spray the froth over the fillet in the form of a carnation.

Chef Sunayan also described very nicely how to make fish stock in home. In ice or ice-water, mix fish bones and simmer it for long time. He suggested us never letting it to a boil, just adjust temperature below boiling point and letting the bones to release their flavor to infuse into the stock and might store it in refrigerator for a couple of days. Chef added, Tilapia fillet also a very good option for them, who are not easilly getting betki fillet.

Next, Bakery and confectionery, Chef Harpawan Singh Kapoor for two yummilicious dessert on Master Class menu. It was really very interesting lesson which he shown us. The first dish was 'Chennar Tiramisu Nostrano'. We never thought before about Tiramisu without Italian mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone made from cream, coagulated by the addition of citric acid or acetic acid. Chef Harpawan explained us how one could made mascarpone cheese with home made 'Chenna' or paneer. It was a wonderful combo of chenna tiramisu, meringue and coffee liquor. It was absolutely toothsome dessert. Sprinkled cocoa powder, grated chocolate and tiny Amaretti cookies. It was just awesome and luscious. The recipe is given below:

CHENNAR TIRAMISU NOSTRANO

INGREDIENTS:

THE CHENNA TIRAMISU:

500 gm Chenna / Fresh Paneer
50 ml Fresh Orange Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
5 or 100 gm Egg Yolks
250 gm Whipped Cream
30 ml Marsala
250 gm Vanilla Sponge Cake
1 tsp Custard Powder

THE MERINGUE:

5 or 150 gm Egg Whites
100 gm Sugar

THE COFFEE LIQUOR MIX:

20 gm Coffee Powder
500 ml Water
100 gm Sugar
20 ml Marsala

METHOD:

For the tiramisu, mix the chenna, orange juice, custard powder and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl, till the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks to the mixture and blend it. Refrigerate the mixture.
To make maringue, take another mixing bowl and wipe it clean so that there are no water droplets in it. Add the egg whites and start whisking. Slowly add the sugar and continue whisking till it forms soft peaks.
Take the chenna mixture out of the fridge and fold in the whipped cream. Slowly add the meringue using a cut and fold motion. Keep this mixture back in the fridge.
To make coffee liquor mix bring the coffee powder, water and sugar to a boil. Remove it from heat and the Marsala. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator.
Cut 3 roundels of the vanilla sponge cake as per the diameter of a glass you will serve it in, and soak them in the coffee liquor mix.
Pipe the tiramisu mixture into a glass till it fills 1/3rd of the glass. Cover it with a soaked roundel and pipe some more tiramisu mixture on top of it to fill 3/4th of the glass. Repeat the process and top the last roundel with the tiramisu mixture till the brim of the glass.
Serve chilled, garnished with either cocoa powder or grated chocolate.

The next dessert presented by Chef Harpawan was my personal favorite and lipsmacking good 'Crepe Suzette with Nolen Gur'. Crepe Suzette is a French dessert consisting of a crepe with beurre suzette, a sauce of brown sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest and grand marnier or orange curacao liqueur on top, serve flambe (from wiki). At the place of liqueur he used Bengal's famous 'Nolen Gur' (a typical type of lequid palm jagerry). He did full justice with this dish. It was really a delicate and delicious dessert, gur gave a nice dark colour to the sauce, truely a succulent dessert. 

CREPE SUZETTE WITH NOLEN GUR

INGREDIENTS:

THE CREPES / PANCAKES

200 gm Refined Flour
500 ml Milk
125 gm Sugar (powdered/icing sugar)
100 gm Unsalted Butter (melted) + a Little Extra for greasing the pan
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
3 Eggs
Vanilla Ice Cream to serve

THE SUZETTE SAUCE

250 gm Brown Sugar
100 gm Unsalted Butter
500 ml Fresh Orange Juice
50 gm Marmalade
100 ml Nalen Gur

METHOD:

To make the crepes, mix the refined flour, milk, sugar, melted butter, vanilla essence and the eggs. Mix till it forms a smooth batter.

Strain the batter through a sieve to remove the lumps. Keep the batter aside and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat the bottom of the pan is coated evenly.

Once the crepe turns golden brown, turn it over. Cook for about 30 seconds till the other side also turns golden. Keep aside on butter paper.

To make the sauce, caramelize the brown sugar in a pan. Add the unsalted butter, fresh orange juice, marmalade and nolen gur. Simmer the sauce for around 5-8 minutes.

Add the crepes to the pan and let them absorb the sauce.
Serve the crepes hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chef Sunayan Pramanik (L), Chef Mayank (M), Chef Harpawan Singh Kapoor (R)

Disclaimer: Sanoli Ghosh was invited to attend the Good Food Masterclass at ITC Sonar by ITC hotels.