Who moved my cheese?

I’m a sucker for all thing cheese – cheese spread, cheese cubes, cream cheese, goat cheese, yak cheese, smelly blue cheese (yes I know a lot of people feel that they smell and taste like feet)…you name it and I love it.  

My travails with cheese also transports me back to the time when my brother and I would fight over slices of Kraft that ‘affluent’ aunts and uncles would bring down for us.  It was the ultimate status symbol you know – refrigerators stocked with tins of Kraft and bars of Toblerone made you the ‘cool’ kid on the block and boy, didn’t we all want to be flag bearers of that coveted title!

Of course, that being said, it didn’t matter how disgusting the cheese tasted. In fact, Kraft came out with this repulsive range of fruit cheeses – you had a pineapple cheese, a strawberry cheese, heck even a grape cheese!  But to my surprise, even that didn’t deter me from my cheesy exploits.

Recently, after a late night soiree, my equally cheese crazy friend and I ambushed her kitchen in order to find what she claims is the ‘BESTEST’ cheese ever. She then introduced me to an innocuous looking tin, much similar to Kraft, only it read ‘Al Marai.’ Now I have to confess, I was a bit skeptical, but once I bit into the cheddar, it was simply the creamiest cheese ever. These Arabs sure know how to milk their cows for all its worth.

My experiments with cheese notwithstanding, I truly have found favour with the tub of Philadelphia cream cheese that has been lying in my refrigerator for a while now. I had the opportunity and good fortune of meeting with Chef Brainard Colaco, the father of molecular gastronomy in India and the Executive Chef, Bakery & Confectionery for The French Loaf, one of my favourite cafes.

Here is his recipe for the best Lemon Cheesecake ever (*Note to all: this recipe is much easier than it looks)

Traditional Lemon Cheesecake

Serves 10-12 portions     Baking temperature: 160*C

Base:

Digestive Biscuits: 200 gms

Unsalted Butter:  100 gms

Caster Sugar: 75gms

Filling :

Unsalted Butter: 150 gms

Caster Sugar: 170gms

4 large Eggs

Refined Flour:  30 gms

Finely grated lemon zest of one lemon

½ tsp of Vanilla essence
Soft Cream cheese: 675 gms  (room temperature)
Milk: 60 ml

Topping :

Sour Cream: 425ml

Icing Sugar: 1 tbsp’

Lemon juice: Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

To make the crumb base, put the biscuits in a food processor and process until fine crumbs. Alternatively, you could put the biscuits in a large plastic bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over gentle heat, and then stir in the crumbs and sugar. Spread the crumb mixture over the base of the prepared cake tin, pressing down lightly. Stand the tin on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven @190*C for 8-10 mins. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160*C.

To make the filling: Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and using a hand mixer beat until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Put the soft cheese in a separate bowl and beat with the hand mixer until smooth .gently beat in the milk, and then gradually beat in the butter and the sugar mixture. Spoon the mixture over the crumb base and level the surface. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 ½ hours in a water bath.

To make the topping, put the sour cream, icing sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl and lightly beat. Chill until required. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and increase the temperature to 190*C. Pour over the cheesecake. Return to the oven for 8-10 min or until set. Chill before serving.

Of wine & wishful thinking!

I love birthdays! And I love them even more so, when it happens to be mine. After a fun-filled New Year vacation in Goa, my friends and I came back, spent, tired and visibly tanned (exactly the opposite of what a vacation is supposed to do for you), and swore off our liquid diet for eternity (ok, who am I kidding?), much to the happiness of my mother and unfortunately, to the dismay of all the watering holes in the city.

Thus, in a bid to get back into shape, all of us have decided to spend the weekends with our aprons and chef hats on, an occasional glass of wine and back-to-back movies. The weekend that went by (Jan 14, 15 &16) saw us do exactly this and more. 

Saturday night started off with some delicious Indian khana in a neighbourhood restaurant (the English Breakfast in Goa had deadened all our taste buds)…replete with platters full of kebabs, dum biryani, pots of creamy , luscious dal, kulfi and more. Ah, bliss!

What then followed was a toast to yours truly as my closest pals ushered in my birthday (I of course acted all melodramatic and surprised as they cut a huge, gargantuan chocolate cake for me as the clock struck twelve). At this point, I have to confess that I am the kind of person who is incapable of people throwing surprises for me – a fact that meets with a lot of ire, yelling and abuse from my friends.

Anyway, night on the terrace with cake, wine and star-gazing over, I then proceeded to spend the day with family and one of my closest friends. My poor mum spent hours slaving in the kitchen cooking a wonderful meal, my aunt made a gorgeous chocolate cake with macerated strawberries and gramps even got me the regular stash of goodies from Grand Sweets. Now isn’t this what birthdays are all about?

Night saw coffee with friends, and then a dreamy, star-gazing night as all of us sat at a rooftop restaurant talking about the value of life (commendable conversation considering we weren’t high!), Mediterranean cruises and the beauty of Goa during the off-season.

Even as the night drew to a close, with my self-proclaimed eventful day coming to an end, I couldn’t help but sing to myself…What a Wonderful World…

Tantalisingly Teppan

It was the middle of the week and a slow day at work. My colleagues suggested that we try out a new eating place and someone said Teppan at the Benjarong.

My first thought; "Why is Japanese cuisine being served at a place that sounds Thai?"

We headed out anyway and since Benjarong is something of a landmark on TTK road. Our entry to the premises was the only confusing aspect of the whole experience. We were welcomed to Benjarong and for an instant we thought we were mistaken. But then on asking for Teppan we were told that it was a separate section upstairs.

I am a huge foodie and pride myself in experimenting with different types of cuisines. That being said, my knowledge of teppanyaki is scarce at best and trust me when I say, I was NOT prepared for the spectacular show that lay ahead. It started off with the chef who was preparing our starters. He explained how he seasoned the skillet. While waiting for the station to get hot we got to see some nifty card tricks. All good so far. The real show started with the second course onwards. Eggs balanced on spatula  edges, vessels flipped, food tossed and all the fancy hand work that one expects or if a first timer, actually surprises.

We started with a round of mocktails which acted as great aperitifs. My ginger-based mocktail acted as palate cleanser for the predominantly chicken dishes that I was having...the scrumptious chicken teriyaki starter being the highlight. What followed was a tenderloin in wasabi butter and succulent chicken breasts, which were cooked just right with the sake blending in delicately with the herbs. The chef even tossed a piece into my mouth from across the plate as a tester! Abhinav Bindra in the making perhaps?

While Teppan does exquisitely well on meat and seafood, one would but naturally think that Japanese cuisine has nothing to offer for the vegetarians. But I would urge you to think again. Because my herbivorous compadres absolutely loved what was served to them. Heck, even a chicken aficionado like  me fell in love with the avocado and tempura maki rolls.

Sufficiently stuffed, we just about thought that the end was near when the deal was sweetened at the end, quite literally at that. The sugar bar is by far one of the best I have seen and I have seen quite a few.  I am a hardcore dessert freak. I eat less so I can have desserts and I absolutely loved what was on offer here. Chocolates and more chocolates; mint flavoured, white and dark; beautiful pastries that just melted away to nothing leaving only the exquisite flavour, cream and jelly shooters, wafer goodies. Yumm!

Simply put, Teppan is one of those places where you go when you have time to savour your meal, enjoy the ambience and watch some exquisite artistry. Highly recommended!

Livin’ La Vida Loca

 

When David Villa and his band of boys took home the Holy Grail of football thanks to some brilliant footwork by Andres Iniesta’s 116th-minute strike, the entire stadium erupted in cheer with the vuvuzelas blowing loud and clear. Yes, it was the night when the Dutch dream was shattered and Holland cried orange tears.

Far far away, in a land littered with clichés of being called ‘the mystical place of snake charmers, Kamasutra, sadhus and slums’, and further down south in seemingly conservative Chennai there was one quaint little place called Zara Tapas Bar which was celebrating the victory of Spain. Why you may ask? Well, though they don’t really need an introduction, Zara is India’s first Tapas bar and probably one of the best pubs in Chennai. 

As I sat at the pub on a muggy evening watching the finals, nestling my tall glass of sangria (that is my way of supporting Spain, apart from drooling over David Villa) a thought suddenly struck me! As a resident of Chennai and now well into my drinking prime, I have probably spent many a night at this pub drinking, talking, dancing and simply ‘sitting’ night after night with friends, strangers and just about every body. Such is the charm of Zara. Not once will you feel out of place, not once will you be asked to leave, unless of course you beat up the manager (I wouldn’t advise this because he has personally spoken at length with me about his fitness routine).

Truth be told though, if there is one reason I keep going back to Zara, It is probably because I personally think they have the best tapas, cocktails and food. Their Spanish sangrias, which come by the pitcher or glass is made with a combination of chunky tropical fruits and wines, dances like a Spanish chica doing the salsa in front of me. The starters range from the ever popular nachos, to interesting dishes like the jalapeno stuffed with cheese, spicy chicken and cheese, cottage cheese and potato nuggets, shredded crispy lamb with peppers, mushrooms and pimentos in a red wine reduction…the list just goes on!

I have said this before, and I’d like to reinstate that for me, if there is a bar in Chennai that really just lets me ‘be’, it would have to be Zara. The place has become a friend in need of sorts- Monday blues, Tuesday musings, Girl’s night on Wednesdays, retro Thursdays, or the Friday-Saturday weekend partying, there is something for everybody at Zara. It’s like a one size fits all…sigh, if only clothes were like that!

One steaming cuppa!

Millions of people around the world love nothing more than to start their day with a steaming cup of coffee. The smell, the taste, the caffeine lift and the shared experience of coffee have become a staple of our modern life and culture.

One steaming cuppa is all you need, particularly in South India to kick start your day. It also helps clear the mind and perk up the energy. Of course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation.

 “When I wake up in the morning, nothing can get me going like a degree coffee can. I love my coffee strong, milky and with just a little less sugar, which gives me an instant lift to get me going for the day. It’s a must for me, if I have to function properly,” says coffee lover Naveen.

Conversation also goes well with coffee. Don’t believe me? Well, nothing would better explain the sprouting of a million coffee pubs all over the city, with a majority of them serving as a place for people to meet and interact. No one can debate that the drink of our parents and grandparents has been dubbed “chic” and “hip” by our children and grandchildren.

Says Aditi Saraf, “I’m not sure exactly how old I was. What I do remember is the aroma. I  t h o u g h t that by drinking the stuff; I would be all grown up. I was a kid. What did I know? Dad would be enjoying his cup and mom hers. I had to try it. They got me a cup, filled it with more sugar and milk than coffee. I was hooked, and have been ever since.”

The eternal love affair with coffee continues, and when the Ink Spots sang “I love the java jive and it loves me” in 1940, they could not have known how right they were.

From God’s own country!

It was one of those odd rainy days when instead of wanting to curl up with a hot steaming cuppa, I was in the mood for another kind of steaming kappa; only this one is called tapioca. And when my part Palakkad roots start tugging for attention, I can’t help but give in. To make matters worse, I had just finished seeing Michael Madana Kama Rajan and Kameshwaran and Tirupura Sundari’s kitchen adventures/misadventures were fresh in my memory.

So, being the glutton that I am, I called up two of my fellow musketeers and ex-colleagues, and set a date to feast on some authentic Kerala cuisine. The destination of choice? Well, Ente Keralam it had to be, after all what’s more authentic than a place that translates to ‘My Kerala’ right?

I’ll be honest here. I’m really not one who is rooted in tradition; my loyalty to Kerala lies in my patronage of toddy, my views on the Marxist party and a few Mammootty and Mohanlal movies. But what I absolutely love about Kerala is the cuisine. I don’t know how better to explain it, so I think it would suffice to say that everything tastes fresh, pure and unadulterated.

Anyway, coming back to where it began – Yes, my craving! There I am, standing like a buffoon, rain drenched and waiting for my friends, fuming, my eyes doing a poor imitation of the Kathakali, when the two of the finally arrive, profusely apologetic. Determined that nothing should come between my kappa and me, I brush aside their apology and we enter the warm abode of Ente Keralam. The antique oak wood pillars and fragrant flowers beckon you and the palatial old-style bungalow serves as the perfect restaurant setting, even as ‘chechis’ and ‘chettans’ smile warmly and offer you a seat.

We start of by ordering some banana flower cutlets, karimeen polichathu and chicken fry. All arrive piping hot and while we make a mad dash for crisp, spicy and juicy chicken and cutlets, it was the karimeen that had my Bong friend raving! Three down and many to go, we decided that main course would be Moplah biryani, my revered and beloved kachi more, kappa and meen curry, white rice and mushroom curry. The biryani which arrived looking like a bed of plump white rice sprung a surprise when we found it be decadently layered with subtle spices and meat. While I wolfed down the kappa, my friend went at the meen curry and white rice; her verdict? “If this is not living the good life, then what is?” And not only did the rest of us agree, we decided to be brave, show solidarity and order some more.

And then arrived the creamy jackfruit ice-cream! Now I’m really not a big fan of this spiky guy, but honestly, this is what I love about Ente Keralam. That even the most ordinary and smelly fruit can be made to something so luscious and wonderful! Cheque paid, the three of us sunk into their comfortable seats and sipped on our suleman chai, not talking, but just listening to the music instead. And what do you know, with food so good, even the usually horrible Malayalam rap music was music to our ears!

Mistress of spices?

When Penelope Cruz served up the spaghetti with juicy tomatoes and stringy cheese, men world over heaved a collective sigh. She was clearly the Woman on Top as the sexy, saucy and seductive chef Isabella, who had the men lusting and drooling. In today’s world women chefs may be few and far in number, with male chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain dominating the kitchen, but TRPs soar when the women preen, pose and stir up a storm.

What is it exactly that has women chefs scoring over men when it comes to TV? Ask any guy and he will simply say, “When Nigella Lawson gets on TV and teaches me a thing or two about how to chop onions, believe me I have my eyes glued. She is easily one of the hottest chefs I have seen and is it any wonder then that I’d rather watch her than a constipated Gordon Ramsay?”

We live in the golden age of chefs. Between your Batalis and Bouluds, your Vongerichtens and Riperts, your Masas and Morimotos, the arena is brimming over with cooking legends who not only practise world-class gastronomy, but also manage to turn themselves into million-dollar mega brands and names to reckon with. But sparing the occasional mention of a Martha Stewart or a Betty Crocker, the new range of celebrity women chefs seem to rely more on their glamour quotient to sell food. It is no wonder then that famed English chef Nigella Lawson has constantly been under the scanner for her flirtatious manner of presenting, and has been titled the ‘queen of food porn’ by critics. Also named as one of the world’s most beautiful women, Nigella has been accused of relying heavily upon her attractiveness and sexuality as a device to engage viewers.

When ex Lady Rushdie, Padma Lakshmi exploded on to the cooking scene; the viewers just couldn’t make sense of what they were seeing. Here was the ultra glam, highly sexy supermodel, who one would believe couldn’t make a proper cup of tea, telling us how to splutter mustard seeds in order to make the perfect sambhar! I’m sorry but when I think of Padma Lakshmi telling me how to cook the perfect meal, I just can’t take her seriously because these women only seem to sell their food through their fab looks and perfect 10 bodies. Hell, give me a Sanjeev Kapoor any day!

Also joining the bandwagon are chefs Anjum Anand and Rachel Ray. While yummy mummy Anjum’s well spoken Indo-Brit accent and flirtatious manner have led to her being dubbed the Nigella Lawson of Indian cuisine in Britain, Rachel Ray's foxy manner of presentation with her oohing, aahing and lip-smacking, has the men cheering loudly.

Lets face it - the women seem to be able to sell themselves mainly due to the glamour quotient; it helps when we have a scantily clad Padma Lakshmi talking to us about the merits of peanut oil, or when a voluptuous Nigella Lawson tells us how to make the perfect molten chocolate cake. It would be fair to say then that these women are primarily TV personalities and chefs later. That being said, I don’t see the men complaining; they may whimper, but it’s certainly not out of remorse!