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Vidushi Bahl – Chef de Pâtisserie shares Recipes and Cooking Tips with The Post

A globetrotter by nature, Vidushi has an evolved palette of experiences along with a comprehensive culinary knowledge, a strong aesthetic sense, & a sharp perspective. The pursuit of her passion led her to enrol at Le Cordon Bleu London for their prestigious diplôme de patisserie. She grasped the basic knowledge of savoury techniques and attained culinary qualifications side by side. Being in the kitchen for hours on end & learning something on the forefront every day, Vidushi further specialised in Boulangerie and Cake decorating from the same institute.

Trained by the best chefs of the world, Vidushi has developed her skills in the niche of French technical pastry and makes delicacies like complex gateaux, entremets, & macarons. Combining unique flavours and experimenting with different techniques & produce, her work holds its own in front of the usual, but that’s not all! She also specialises in revisiting classic & comforting desserts and presenting them in a never-seen-before avatar like revisiting the old Banoffee pie but giving it a very complex French twist or the Tiramisu encased in a Mascarpone, white chocolate & vanilla bean bavarois. She also specialises in revisiting classic & comforting desserts and presenting them in a never seen before avatar. After her training at Cordon Bleu, Vidushi has designed and created her own atelier where she perfects her art and takes bespoke orders.

Vidushi Bahl has a slick passion for creating new dishes and eating them too and has experienced gastronomy at some of the world’s best restaurants like Gymkhana, La Petit Maison, Zuma, Nobu, Hakassan, Noa, Gaggan and Indian Accent, closer to home. It’s not all high-brow though; she gorges on Jalebis from Shiv Mishthan, Chandni Chowk or Fish at Surjit in Amritsar with as much gusto because flavours, textures & aromas are all that is important to her. She draws inspiration from legends like Angelina, Pierre Herme, L’eclair de genie and Pastry greats like Dominique Ansel, Antonio Bachour, Janice Wong to name a few.

3 tips for home cooks by Vidushi Sharma Bahl:

  • Always read your recipe very carefully before beginning. It reduces your risk of not having an ingredient mentioned or not following the instructions properly.
  • When baking, the first thing you should do is preheat your oven. I can’t stress enough on how important it is to have a hot oven to put your cake in, it ensures even baking!
  • Temperature is key! Not just the measurements but the temperature of your ingredients also matters! Cream won’t whip till it’s chilled!

RECIPES BY VIDUSHI SHARMA BAHL

CREME ANGLAISE

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A Crème Anglaise is one of the first things we’re taught in Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu

. One of the building blocks of patisserie, it literally translates to ‘English Cream’. Essentially a custard, this is one of the most versatile sauces I use extremely often when I’m off creating new entremets. I may play with flavours and new techniques and textures but a basic technique I stick to is this one. The flavours you can add to it are endless and it always gives your trifle a gourmet feel when you swap Brown & Polson with a homemade custard. This crème is used as a base for mousses, Bavarian crème, & ice cream. It can be poured over warm gateaux; once baked it can be consumed as crème brûlée. It works amazingly well in layered puddings or as a tart filling, the list is basically endless.

Ingredients:

  • 250ml full cream milk
  • 65g caster sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 vanilla pod or any other flavouring like cinnamon, mint or cocoa
  • 5ml of Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Kailua, Baileys or any other liquor optional

Method:

  • Split the vanilla pod and scrape the beans out. Add the pod and beans to the milk.
  • Heat the milk gently in a saucepan till steamy, add half the sugar to the milk.
  • Whisk the yolks and add the rest of the sugar to them, continue whisking till the yolks are pale and fluffy, this is called blanching.
  • add half the hot milk in the yolks, combine and add this mixture to the rest of the milk on the heat.
  • Slowly cook out the egg yolks and wait for the custard to thicken while constantly stirring the mixture with a rubber spatula to ensure one doesn’t end up with scrambled eggs.
  • once the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and isn’t runny anymore. Take it off the heat, discard the vanilla pod and chill in the refrigerator.
  • Once chilled, you can add a liquor corresponding to the flavour you have opted for. This gives the custard a slight kick and cuts the creaminess. It’s optional.
  • Let your imagination run wild with what you choose to do with it, It stays for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.

LEMON CURD RECIPE

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A foolproof sauce/custard/preserve, this multi-functional crème is super versatile and really high on the taste factor. Tangy Italian lemons with sweet undertones get cut by rich butter with a custard-like consistency because of the eggs. Extremely easy to make, I love using it as a tart filling, macaron center preserves with scones or even in cakes, baked or otherwise!

Ingredients:

  • 120g Lemon juice
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 200g castor sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 75g butter softened
  • 10ml Limoncello (optional)

Method:

  • Make a Bain Marie, you can do this by placing a bowl on top of a utensil of boiling water or placing the bowl on tissues in boiling water in a saucepan. It’s essentially a water bath to enable slow, gentle cooking.
  • In the bowl, add the lemon juice, zest and the sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice.
  • Put the warm lemon juice through a sieve to filter out the zest.
  • Whisk the egg yolks.
  • Put the egg yolks into the lemon juice and put them back on the Bain Marie.
  • Cookout the mixture till it loses some of the liquids and coagulates. Constantly stir the mixture with a rubber spatula.
  • Once you’ve reached the desired custard-jelly like consistency, add the softened butter to enrich the curd.
  • You can add a splash of Limoncello to give it that extra kick.
  • Cool and serve!

PAIN PERDU + BRÛLÉE BANANA

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This is what Sunday binge dreams are made of! A chance recipe I came up with when I wanted to do a slightly special breakfast in Goa, this is foolproof and the little surprise inside goes a loooong way!

Ingredients:

  • Leftover Brioche slices
  • 2 Eggs & 15 ml cream
  • 5g Caster Sugar
  • 2 ml Vanilla essence ( Bush will do)
  • 10g Unsalted butter
  • 2 bananas & Nutella
  • 10g Caster Sugar and powdered sugar as well.
  • 10g Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets

Method:

  • In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, vanilla cream and 5g caster sugar.
  • Spread Nutella on one side of 2 brioche slices.
  • Finely slice a banana and place it on the Nutella side of a brioche slice.
  • Cover with the second Nutella slathered brioche. You will be left with a banana Nutella sandwich.
  • Dip this sandwich into the egg mixture and make sure all sides are properly coated.
  • In a pan, melt the butter and cook the pain Perdu until crisp and brown
  • Slice the second banana lengthways with the skin intact. Cook 1/2 the banana in the same pan with the leftover butter till soft.
  • Drizzle 10g of caster sugar on 1/2 the cooked banana.
  • With a blow torch, melt the sugar on the banana until it resembles crème brûlée – crispy and dark brown.
  • On a plate, place the pain perdu, slice it into two triangles, place the Brûlée banana next to it.
  • Melt some Nutella and drizzle it on top of the Pain perdu
  • Sift some powdered sugar on the whole plate.
Vidushi Bahl’s Website: http://www.vidushisharmabahl.com/

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