L`Opera Dessert trend story

Food Trends
Fusion
Desserts
96 | Wedding Vows september 2014
Almost all of us
appreciate a little
sweet treat after a
meal, be it a cookie,
a fruit or a generous
scoop of ice cream.
Like so many things we
cut, re-assemble and
assimilate to create
something new, desserts
have evolved through a
similar fusion. People call
it fusion dessert, Janani
Govindankutty bites
into the trend to find out
more…
“Life
is uncertain. Eat dessert
first.” Someone once said;
and it still holds true for a lot of us who
have the insatiable sweet tooth. To
begin with, sweets and desserts have
been an integral part of our very own
Indian culture. Be it an occasion of
wedding, of child birth or a festival,
sweets have always been at the root
of every celebration. Needless to say,
a sweet snack between those long
hours at work is as much welcome!
Culinary experts worldwide are
constantly exploring new flavour
combinations, fusing sweet with heat,
sour and even citric. Consumers’
perception of what constitutes a
dessert is also changing as restaurants
experiment with ingredients like
vegetables, chilis, proteins and spices.
India hasn’t been far behind either.
Bakers – professionals and amateurs
are increasingly adding complexity of
flavours to their desserts to help them
differentiate and stay on top of the
race. Fusion dessert dishes like bacon
with ice-cream, ice-cream sandwich
or even a combination of croissant
and muffin have become popular
dessert options here.
Adding perspective, Chef Neeraj
Chaudhry of Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon
says, “Different combination of
spices is tried with desserts to give an
interesting twist. For example, using
crushed black peppercorns in Indian
Kulfi.” The chef, who has been at the
very helm of this changing trend,
went on to add, “Mainly molecular
gastronomy plays an important role
in desserts. Mascarpone and orange
foam are the best examples, which
the guest specially asks for.” So, are we
really moving towards fusion desserts?
“Yes,” he opines emphatically.
However, fusion is not a new
phenomenon to us. As different
cultures invaded and then settled
Food Trends
in India, their culinary flavours also
gradually insinuated in the Indian
cooking style. During the Mughal era,
Indian cuisine evolved as the Mughals
brought exotic flavours, dry fruits
and spices from the Middle East that
influenced sweets in India.
After the Mughal reign, chocolates
and chocolate-based desserts
found its way into the Indian dessert
palate due to the British Raj. By
the 21st century, French obsession
with patisseries charmed us brining
scrumptious gems like eclairs and
chocolate mousse. “The creaminess
of the filling and the fine taste of the
chocolate has long enticed the Indian
crowd!’ exclaims Amit Sinha, L’Opéra’s
pastry Chef. “It is no surprise that
Macaroons, one of the masterpieces
of French patisseries are among the
top selling items here at L’Opéra.
Dessert dish like the Mille Feuille has
also become a definite pick amongst
people in India while on their dessert
rendezvous,” Executive Chef Lionel
Villaron at L’Opéra says. He explained
that L’Opéra regularly evaluates
what’s on offer and constantly tries
to broaden its horizons, and fusion of
flavours is one such way to do it. The
gourmet baker grabs occasions like
the Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day,
Rakhi and Independence Day to
96 | Wedding Vows september 2014
create seasonal pastries. For instance,
in the season of mangoes, L’Opéra
launched its Mango Dream, a luscious
mango tart with a French touch.
“Every chef’s fantasy is to combine
great savoir-faire with exotic, fresh
ingredients. That’s why we call it the
Mango Dream,” Chef Lionel says. For
the ones who are slightly less inclined
towards sweet, the patisserie launched
the elegant Paris Brest – a crunchy,
hazelnut and whipped cream pastry,
and the Praline Mocha Macaroon,
with an irresistible chocolate and
coffee flavour.
The Belgian’s aren’t far behind;
they want to do more than just offer
Belgian chocolates that are liked by
most Indians. Le Pain Quotidien is one
such artisanal Belgian boulangerie
restaurant with outlets all across India.
Their soft-centered chocolate cake is
a ‘chocolicious’ affair. The restaurant
recently introduced a new range
of desserts, which include Caramel
Mousse Cake and Banoffee Pie.
“Over the past decade the
Indian gourmet market has grown
exponentially,” says Thea Tammeleht
of Nordic Kandie Magic, an Estonian
company that specializes in marzipans.
Indians are now open to international
and unfamiliar flavours, Tammeleht
exclaims. Talking about the demand
for marzipans in India, she added
that “While there is a small regional
segment of local marzipan in India
made of cashews, authentic gourmet
marzipan made of the finest almonds
is totally missing when compared to
the European or American markets.”
At Nordic Kandie Magic, while
customers have some favourites such
as mint, strawberry, blackcurrant,
nutmeg, orange and chocolate,
there are fusion creations like nutmeg
and chilli-mango, which are also
savoured. “Some of these flavours are
appreciated by our Indian consumers,
who want the finest in quality with an
Indian twist,” Tammeleht says. Iterating
their basic goal, Tammeleht’s co-chef
Vicky Ratnanisaid that had decided
to create a mixed bag of flavours from
the very start, which would appeal to
each member of a family.
“Our undying love for spice, nuts
and dry fruits can be seen in the new
line of flavours, such as, cinnamon,
nutmeg, anjeer, mango chili, peanut
butter and more,” he elaborated. They
hope to bag in deals during festivities
too. Ideal for an Indian traditional
wedding or occasions such as Ganesh
Chaturthi and Diwali, Chef Vicky
Ratnani recommends flavours such as
almond in white chocolate, Anjeer in
milk chocolate, peanut butter with a
hint of sweet and salt.
The dessert industry in the last few
years has seen tremendous growth
and evolution with the introduction of
international dishes like macaroons,
cupcakes, cake pops and now
marzipans. He added that “Each
sweet or dessert has a trending period.
In my opinion, it should be something
that has western flavour to our good
old Indian dessert. Fusion is the way to
go,’ Ratnani exclaims.
Merging two beloved desserts into
something new is exciting for both
chefs and restaurant-goers. Even mild
creations like Oreo-vanilla ice-cream,
yoghurt ice-creams have managed
to buzz the industry into action. Global
cuisines are also influencing dessert
creations at independent and chain
restaurants. The globalized Indian
today seeks global flavours. Global
desserts such as chocolate, French
patisseries, Belgian boulangeries and
marzipans have begun to excite the
sweet taste buds of Indians. However,
fusion remains our bed-rock. Our need
to change and adapt international
flavours in our own traditional cuisine
will be the burgeoning trend for fusion
dessert in India.