‘We eat with our eyes first’, this adage simply sums up beautifully arranged desserts and foods are appealing and attractive. Plated desserts are desserts which are a combination of one or more components arranged on one plate for diners.
“Plated desserts are creations wherein the dessert is not within one complement with multiple layers but has its components spread out giving the chefs a chance to add more texture and flavour,” says Niyati Rao, Head Chef and partner, Ekaa.
Plated desserts are essentially desserts that have multiple textures, flavors, colours and components that are paired together and presented beautifully on a plate, almost looking like a piece of art. “Any plated dessert has to have different textures and flavors to create a harmony on the palate. For me it’s essential that every plated dessert have the following textures – chewy, crunchy, creamy, crispy and cold. Plated desserts are a canvas for chefs to explore their creativity and go beyond the restrictions that come with decorating a cake or a simple pastry,” says Freny Fernandes, Founder and Chef, Moner Bistro and Dessert Bar.
These are arranged à la minute during the food service operation. For a chef, it is an incredible opportunity to be creative and showcase your skills. We all believe that food has to be aesthetically pleasing for the eye first to be palatable later, “It is a simple phenomenon that ‘eyes eat first’ so it is important to have its eye appealing and same time it creates a psychological effect in a diner’s mind and enhances the whole experience,” opines Chef Sarfaraz Ahmed, Head Chef, Trèsind, Mumbai.
We all use all our senses to eat food. “We use the ears to listen to how the food sizzles or crackles or boils creating anticipation, secondly we smell the food, olfactory senses are very important as they heighten the other senses making the appetite stronger. Then comes the eyes wherein we register how the food looks to match it with the previous senses and link them to the touch and taste which is the next sense,” adds Rao.
Today’s customers are highly knowledgeable thanks to popular cooking shows and food content available online.” They pay as much attention to the sense of smell and sight as they would give to the sense of taste earlier. As a chef, I get extremely delighted when customers appreciate the hard work chefs put to make the food look appetising. When it comes to desserts the phrase ‘Don’t judge the book by its cover’ doesn’t work at all. Customers take an imaginary bite just with their eyes and which is why it is important to pay attention to plating,” notes Fernandes.
Here are some recipes for the festive season.
Amrakhand Mousse and Besan Laddoo Towers recipe by Rachel Goenka, CEO and Founder, The chocolate spoon company
Ingredients
Besan laddoo 500g
Unsalted butter 50g
White chocolate 100g
Mousse
Amrakhand 600g
Whipped cream 100g
Gelatin 1 tsp
Warm water 20 ml
Method
Crush the besan laddoo to a crumble using a rolling pin. Add the unsalted butter and mix well.
Place the mixture between two sheets of baking paper. Roll the crumble into a thin layer and refrigerate for 20 to 25 minutes.
Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler and set it aside.
Take the rolled laddoo out of the fridge and cut it into discs using a 3-inch round cutter. You will need 18 discs.
Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of melted white chocolate on one side of the discs.
Refrigerate the chocolate-covered discs for 30 minutes.
Melt the gelatin in warm water, and set aside.
Scoop the amrakhand into a mixing bowl. Loosen it by adding a spoonful of whipped cream.
Gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the amrakhand and add the gelatin. Give it a quick stir to incorporate the gelatin evenly. (Too much whisking will knock the air out of the whipped cream.)
Transfer the mousse into a piping bag fitted with a roun nozzle.
To layer the towers, take a besan disc (white chocolate side down) and pipe peaks of mousse.
Place another besan disc on top and repeat the layers.You need3 layers each of disc and mousse.
Set in the fridge for an hour. Garnish with fresh raspberries or mixed berries and serve
Carrot halwa ice-cream by Chef Sarfaraz Ahmed
Ingredients
Grated carrots 225gm
Milk 150ml
Water 50ml
Condensed milk 100gm
Burrata cheese 125 gm
Sweet Boondi 50gm
Basil 50gm
Salad oil 25ml
Vanilla pods 3gm
Small Cardamom powder 3gm
Method
Wash and blanch the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds and transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water.
Drain the water, pat dries the basil, and then puree it in a blender.
In a small pan add salad oil and basil puree then keep it on a very slow flame or heated area for 30 mins to have a nice aroma and green colour.
Grate the carrot and keep it aside.
Heat milk and add condensed milk with carrot and cook until soft. Add cardamom powder.
Once cooled add water and transfer to a blender and make a smooth puree. Strain if required.
Refrigerate overnight.
Scrape the seeds of vanilla and transfer them to a mixing bowl
Take burrata, mix well with vanilla seeds to attain a creamy texture and keep refrigerated.
For serving take burrata with vanilla on a serving plate.
Add a little sweetened boondi and drizzle basil oil.
Make a quenelle of ice cream and place it on the top.
Garnish with carrot leaf and edible flowers.
Suggestion: Add mix to the ice cream maker if available for better texture and mouth feel.
Monèr’s Bombe Alaska by Freny Fernandes
Raspberry Sorbet
Ingredients
Sorbet Syrup 280 ml
Raspberry Puree 430gm
Water 170 ml
Lemon juice 14ml
Method
Melt the frozen raspberry puree.
In a bowl take sorbet syrup, water and lemon juice together then add the melted raspberry puree and stir it
Now churn the sorbet in the ice cream maker.
Vanilla icecream
Ingredients
Milk – 450 ml
Cream -450 gms
Sugar – 200 gms
Glucose -30gms
Vanilla bean – ½
Vanilla bean paste – 1 tsp
Yolks- 280 gms
Method
In a saucepan take milk, cream, half sugar, glucose and vanilla.
Mix yolk and remaining sugar in a separate bowl
Boil the first mixture and temper it in yolk and sugar mixture.
Bring back to the stove on low heat until it coats the back of the spoon.
Rest the mixture for 12 hours and then churn it.
Meringue
Ingredients
Egg whites – 60gms
Sugar- 120 gms
Water – 30gms
Method
In a saucepan take sugar and water let it come to a boil, cook the sugar syrup till 118°c
On the other side, whip egg whites to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form.
With the mixer running, carefully and slowly add in hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high and whip until desired stiffness is achieved.
Final Assembly
Layer the raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream
With a spatula or a spoon carefully spread the meringue over the layers
You can torch the meringue directly with a blow torch or flambé it with your choice of alcohol
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