Being in the thick of summer shouldn’t get you all worked up. But if you are, here are ways to beat the heat. Chef Naren Thimmaiah of the Taj Group’s Gateway Hotel, Bangalore has compiled a menu of six refreshing fruity salads and desserts that will keep you amply hydrated and energised.
If you are a regular viewer of CNBC, NDTV, MTV and Zee TV, you must have seen Thimmaiah in action. If you haven’t, here’s some dope on him. He is the executive chef of Taj’s Gateway Hotel known for his innovative, stylish and healthy approach to the principles of New Age cooking, He was behind the creation of sugar-free desserts and even conceptualised the setting up of the Live Seafood Grill at Gateway’s Karavalli restaurant, which won an H & FS award for being the best Indian restaurant of the years 1996, 1998 and 1999. Thimmaiah walked away with the Silver medal at Taj culinary Olympics held in New Delhi in 1996. He was also the guest chef at the World Gourmet Summit 2005 in Singapore.
Melon Balls, Sundried Roots And Fruits With Tomato-Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Watermelon – 250 gms.
Musk-melon – 250 gms.
Carrot – 1 large
Beetroot – 1 small
Turnips – 1 no. (large)
Pineapple (Fresh) – 1 small
Oranges (Malta) – 2 nos.
Lettuce (Iceberg) – 2 to 3 leaves
Dressing
Sun-dried Tomatoes – 3 to 4 pieces
Balsamic Vinegar – 2tbsp.
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp.
Salt – to taste
Black Pepper (Crushed) – to taste
Parsley – 3 small sprigs
Method
- Scoop out round balls from the melons using a melon-baller.
- Cut the root-vegetables and the rest of the fruits into thin slices (with the peels on), then dry them at 120 degrees C in an oven until crisp, being careful not to let them brown.
- Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and 2 sprigs of parsley, then mix in well with the rest of the dressings ingredients.
- Arrange the fruit sand vegetables neatly on a plate & pour over the dressing.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley sprig. Serve chilled.
Apples, Raisins And Celery Salad With Pommery Mustard Cream Mayonnaise Dressing
Ingredients
Apples – 2 nos.
Raisins – 50 gms.
Celery Stalks – 3 no.
Lettuce (Iceberg) – 10 gms.
Dressings
Pommery Mustard – 5 gms.
Mayonnaise – 25 gms.
Cream – 10 gms.
Salt – to taste
Black Pepper crushed – to taste
Method
- Halve the apples length-wise and remove the core, then cut into medium-thick slices. Drizzle a little lime juice over the slices to prevent them from blackening.
- Arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate, neatly arrange the apples on top, then top them with the raisins.
- Mix the ingredients for the dressing together with half the chopped celery.
- Drizzle the salad with the dressing, and garnish with the remaining celery. Serve chilled.
Carrot Mocktail
Ingredients
Carrots – 300 gms.
Raisins – 50 gms.
Celery – 10 gms.
Water
Sugar – to taste
Method
· Chop the carrots, put them into a blender and add water and sugar to taste. Make a thick juice. Strain and keep aside.
· Finely chop the raisins and celery, keeping a little of the raisins aside, then blend into the carrot juice pulsing the blender.
· Strain, serve chilled in tall glasses topped off with the remaining raisins.
Fruit Balls With Ginger – Honey
Ingredients
Papaya – 100 gms.
Musk Melon – 100 gms.
Watermelon – 100 gms.
Honey – 2 tbsp.
Ginger (fresh) – 4 gms.
Mint – 1 small sprig
Sugar Syrup (thin)
Method
- Scoop out the fruits using a melon baller into even round balls. Place in a clear glass bowl and chill.
- Whisk in the honey and ginger into the sugar syrup and pour over the fruits.
- Garnish with the mint sprig and serve chilled.
Strawberry Parfait
Ingredients
Egg Whites – 4 nos.
Castor Sugar – 25 gms.
Whipping Cream (non-dairy) – 200 gms.
Gelatin – 20 gms.
Strawberry Crush – 50 gms.
Fresh Strawberry – 10 nos.
Method
- Whisk the egg-whites together with the castor sugar until they form stiff peaks. Keep chilled in a refrigerator.
- Whisk the whipped cream until it forms stiff peaks. Keep chilled in the refrigerator.
- Chop half of the strawberries into medium dices and keep aside.
- Melt the gelatin in warm water and keep aside.
- In a chilled steel bowl, fold in the whipped cream and egg-whites together with the strawberry crush and chopped strawberries.
- Add the gelatin and mix in thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into clear glasses and smoothen out evenly. Keep in the refrigerator to set.
- Serve chilled garnished with a dollop of whipped cream and quartered strawberries.
Fresh Fruit Jelly
Ingredients
Assorted Fresh Fruits – 200gms.
Water – ½ liter
Gelatin – 50 gms.
Pineapple Essence – 6 to 8 drops
Pineapple Crush – 50 ml
Castor Sugar – 200 gms.
Whipped Cream – 20 gms.
Fresh Strawberries – 4 nos.
Method
- Select firm fruits that will not become too mashy or pulpy, like apples, pears, peaches, plums, etc.
- Cut the fruits into small dices. Keep aside to chill.
- Boil the water and sugar together to make syrup, then add the gelatin and melt it in the syrup. Keep aside to cool.
- When the syrup is cool, mix in the pineapple essence and crush.
- Set the cut fruits in individual clear glass bowls, then pour over the sugar syrup and place in the refrigerator to chill and set.
- Serve chilled garnished with whipped cream and quartered strawberries.