On the eve of International Tea Day, savour desserts infused with everything from masala chai to cherry blossom and Thai tea
Unravel the layers
If you've enjoyed chasing down sweet, light-as-air crepes straight off the hot plates with amber-hued Thai iced tea on Khao San street in Bangkok, indulge in a dessert that marries two of the Southeast Asian cuisine's most popular items. Featuring 13 layers, the Thai tea crepe cake is served with a generous dollop of cream. "What you taste are creamy, earthy flavours with a rich mouthfeel," says chef Prem Pradhan.
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Time : 12 pm to 3 pm; 7 pm to 11.30 pm
At : Nara Thai, Raheja Towers, BKC.
Call : 61378080
Cost : Rs.290
Enter a forest
Inspired by the hues of a jungle in spring, pastry chef Y Kalyan has created a zen forest that brings together earthy, nutty and crunchy flavours. The base features matcha green tea moss and chocolate soil, which is topped with yuzu-spiked parfait logs, and spongy rocks made up of black sesame. The dessert also features white sesame nougatine, beetroot and black pepper sorbet, chocolate twigs and micro-greens. "The green tea moss and chocolate add a bit of sweetness and bitterness, while yuzu parfait has the refreshing citrus favour," he adds.
Time : 12.30 to 3.30; 7 pm to 1 am
At : The Fatty Bao, 14th and 33rd Cross Road, Bandra West.
Call : 26005220
Cost : Rs.265
Tapri chai with a twist
A pastry chef showcases the deconstructed masala chai. Pic/Sayyed sameer abedi
If you drink tea, you would have tried the cutting chai from a neighbourhood tapri. Now, savour its flavours in a deconstructed masala chai. The dessert features cardamom snap, cinnamon ganache, nutmeg pudding, ginger streusel, clove sponge and chai-flavoured chocolate lava cake with fennel dust on the side. "It was challenging to balance the proportions as we didn't want the flavour of one to overpower the other," says co-founder Rohak Sheth.
Time : 8 am to 12 am AT Tasse de The, Islam Building, Veer Nariman Street, Fort.
Call : 62373727
COST : Rs.377
Celebrate tea
Since 2005, tea-producing countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India, celebrate International Tea Day annually on December 15 to spread awareness about the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers, and highlight the importance of fair trade.
Assam meets France
"Typically, dessert cream is flavoured with vanilla pods, fruits puree or some alcohol. However, we decided to infuse it with a variety of tea to get a distinct flavour," says French chef Gregory Bazire, who has created chai millefeuille. Instead of the classic puff pastry, the dessert features caramelised filo pastry. It gets its character from the cream spiked with an in-house spiced Assam tea blend. This variety also features in chocolate chai liegeois and chai cheese cake tart.
Time : 7.30 am to 11.30 pm
At : Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea House, St John Baptist Road, Bandra West.
Call : 26420330
Cost : Rs.250
Do the mogo dance
If you have a friend who's a teaophile (yes, we just made that up), here's a perfect cake to celebrate their birthday with. Dig into mogo mogo mousse cake, featuring a light mousse that's infused with the fruity tea sourced from China and layered between vanilla sponge. "The tea gets its flavour from ingredients like banana, mango, guava, melon, passion flower, sunflower and cornflower that it's brewed with," says chef Bunty Mahajan. Oolong lovers can opt for orange and mango oolong cake with the subtle flavour of the tea as aftertaste.
Time : 10 am to 11.30 pm
At : Deliciae Patisserie, Khar Danda Road, opposite Curio cottage, Khar West.
Call : 9029021260
Cost : Rs.2,200 per kg
Blossoms in my dessert
During her trip to Kyoto last year, chef Sanjana Patel decided to savour cherry blossom tea with a pot of almond cream namelaka (Japanese: ganache) from a pâtisserie. The fragrant and nutty flavours that greeted her were the inspiration behind sakura, a dessert that features cherry blossom tea and berry compote with a marzipan berry cake. "I wanted to experiment with tart and citrus-y flavours. So, I've used cherries to bring out the nuance," she adds.
Call :âÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u00889699993350
Cost : Rs.210
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