Diwali tradition mandates you indulge in the richest of mithais and halwas during the festivities – laddoos, chumchums and burfi – amongst a myriad of classic sweets. To that list you can now add Diwali truffles – with a traditional Indian twist!
Noted New York pastry chef Surbhi Sahni, whose confections have graced the tables at David Burke, Donatella, Amma and more recently Devi, has created the ultimate holiday sweet. Sahni, who has a new catering company, Bittersweet NYC, specializes in bringing Indian flavors to her concoctions. Natalie Pinto, director of BitterSweet NYC, says the catering service is looking to launch with a full service kitchen, a bar and lounge with Indian inspired tapas in June 2011.
So this Diwali you can get a burst of unexpected flavors with Diwali chocolate truffles, which instead of the traditional ganache fill, are based on the spices and flavors usually found in traditional Indian mithai or sweets.
If you are addicted to coconut, green cardamom and dark chocolate, try ‘Bliss.’ ‘Sublime’ combines orange and chocolate while ‘Heat’ actually has red chilies! ‘Smoky’ has black cardamom and Valhrona dark chocolate with crushed pepper. ‘Sensual carrot’ truffles (who would have thought carrots could be sensual?) have roasted cashews, dark chocolate and green cardamom.
Sahni’s Mango Cheesecake was a big draw at Devi’s and her Fig Cake has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. Now Bittersweet NYC is offering Diwali cakes and truffles which have the Indian touch. In fact, her desserts and confections are a mix of Western pastry techniques with Indian ingredients like curry leaf, cilantro, cardamom and ginger.
Bittersweet also offers several non-alcoholic drinks for the festive season including fresh juice pops such as Rose Lemonade and Peach Ginger Lemonade; Cream and Juice pops which include Tangerine Creamsicle Sodas made with rich green cardamom ice cream and fresh tangerine soda. There are also India inspired drinks such as Pistachio Milk, Mango Milk Cream, Thandai and Mango Panna which is made of sour mangoes, salt, pepper, chaat masala and ginger mint. While Diwali parties usually entail a lot of hard drinking, these non-alcoholic drinks can be perfect for puja time.
You can also soon try Surbhi Sahni’s unusual desserts at Tulsi, the new restaurant she is opening with her husband chef Hemant Mathur. Tulsi will have many of her innovative desserts including Banana Pitha (banana fritters, salty pecans, butter pecan ice cream); Malpua (Indian fennel pancakes, saffron syrup, cardamom cream) and Eggless Pistachio Cake with kulfi and orange chocolate sauce.
So as Diwali draws near, Surbhi Sahni is turning into a festival sweetmaker. Who are the buyers for these unusual Diwali sweets? In cosmopolitan New York, it could be anybody! As she points out, even in India, gift boxes of chocolates are becoming popular as people experiment with different gift ideas. Many people have become health conscious and are trying to hold off the extra sugar and oil which are so prevalent in Indian mithai. Truffles can also be preserved for a longer period, and would certainly be a talking point in the Indian festival of Diwali!
Related Article: A Day of Light and Sweets
Related Article: What Was On Your Table This Diwali?
