Mumbai Food: Pastry chefs' tricks to treats this Halloween

Go nuts
FOR Pooja Dhingra, Halloween comes with bouts of nostalgia. "It brings back memories from my days in college at Cesar Ritz, Switzerland," Dhingra tells us. Almond rocks is a simple sweet treat made with toasted and chopped almonds coated in dark chocolate and left to set at room temperature.

"It's easy to make and store, and kids love it!" she tells us about what makes these tiny goodies perfect for the festival. And how does the macaroon queen celebrate Halloween? "Usually, a costume party with friends, and we make Halloween treats at Le15," Dhingra shares.
TIME: 9 am to 11 pm
AT: Lansdowne House Building, MB Marg, Colaba.
CALL: 9769341994

The witching hour
Chef Anjali Pathak's witch hat cookies are adorable! They are made with Hershey's kisses placed on Oreo cookies and donned with sprinkle. "Halloween is all about spending time with family, so you don't want to be in the kitchen making treats for long.

These cookies are easy to make," she shares. The chef has fond memories of trick or treating as a child in Bolton, England. These days, on Halloween, Pathak mostly stays busy in the kitchen, which she enjoys just as much.
AT: Flavour Diaries, Rohan Plaza, 5th Road, Khar West.
CALL: 9820143404

An apple a day
"Fruit-based treats are a great way to sneak a healthier option into your Halloween candy offerings," says Prateek Bakhtiani, who has worked as consulting pastry chef with popular city eateries and cafés, and is also working on his chocolate studio. Made with caramel and flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, these creamy, candied, caramel apples use simple ingredients like butter, sugar, whipped cream, and crisp apples.

"Tart apples are the best, though," Bakhtiani reveals. "I usually celebrate by spending about two weeks obsessing over my costume only to realise that no one else is dressing up for the party I was planning to go to. Then, I sulk around eating candy to make up for it," he quips.
LOG ON TO: headchef@etherchocolate.com

Videshi ladoos
Home chef Subhashree Basu has given her Halloween treats a desi makeover. The choco walnut ladoos in Basu's kitchen are prepared by heating butter, flour and cocoa powder on a pan, along with condensed milk.

The mixture is then shaped like ghosts and decorated with broken cashews to look like eyes. "The ingredients are easily available at home and the recipe is simple," Basu says. The chef spends Halloween watching back-to-back horror films with her cats.
AT: The Hungry Cat Kitchen.
CALL: 9820928658
COST: Rs 250 (for a box of two)

Keep it mallow
Husna Jumani, pastry chef at The Clearing House, informs us that making marshmallows at home is easy peasy. Sugar, water, corn syrup, honey and salt are brought to a rolling boil in a pot and then, gelatin and vanilla extract are added.

Whisk it up to a fluffy and light mixture and set it on a tray layered with parchment paper. For the festival, Jumani celebrates with her staff and together they decorate the restaurant. "Last year, we covered almost everything in spider webs," she tells us.
TIME: 12 pm to 1 am
AT: Calicut Street, Fort.
CALL: 22657007

Movies that keep chefs up at night
' Conjuring - Pooja Dhingra
' I get super scared, but the last film that I watched was Thirteen Ghosts - Anjali Pathak
' I am a huge fan of Spanish horror films. My favourite is The Orphanage - Subhashree Basu
' The Babadook, hands down, terrifying! - Prateek Bakhtian
' IT - Husna Jumani

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