Dessert as main course, anyone?

The era of relishing a light dessert after a heavy meal is over. It’s about indulging taste-buds over a multi-course meal with premium chocolate as the mainstay, and exoticas like acacia nectar, Lankan cinnamon, French sea salt, Ancho chilly and juicy raspberries concocting a gastronomic fantasy.

‘Dessert as a meal’ is fast evolving as a luxury dining experience with connoisseurs soaking in the myriad tastes of sinful ingredients.

Pastry and dessert chef Janice Wong, who runs dessert bars in East Asia, says desserts meals are catching on big-time. “We started the concept 10 years ago. In places like Tokyo, people have desserts for lunch and for dinner.”

According to Australia’s favourite Master Chef, Gary Mehigan, “desserts are increasingly becoming concept driven, interesting and exciting.”

And the creations go well beyond pralines, mousse, ganache, éclairs and beverages.

Imagine a lavish spread having a flavourful creation of apples, walnuts, cinnamon and pears as the first course. A second course comprising chamomile and lemon jelly infused with Macadamia oil. The third course, a warm chocolate fondant topped with fresh blackberries and mulberries. Next, a passion fruit sorbet and finally; a vanilla cake concluding the blissful experience.

Hitherto prevalent in the evolved markets, dessert meals are fast catching on with the well-heeled and well-travelled in India. “Consumers today seek engaging and participative experiences and have a great sense of identity to look beyond what a brand has to offer. They appreciate the finer nuances of luxury and enjoy participating in the process of creating luxury experiences,” says Hemant Malik, divisional chief executive, ITC Foods Division.

With chocolates arguably constituting the key ingredient, premium desserts are witnessing tremendous demand, say experts. The chocolate market in India is poised to reach $3.2 billion in revenues by 2018, as per industry data. “Today’s consumer is aware of the percentage of cocoa butter in the chocolate, about single origin chocolates, the tempering process, couverture, etc.,” says Vimal Sharma, CEO, Bliss Chocolates India.

To ensure consumers truly enjoy their multi-course dessert meals without feeling overwhelmed with all the sweetness, chefs have designed unique techniques to make desserts well-balanced.

Speaking at the second edition of World on a Plate, Wong says the dessert-meal concept works well by giving it a sweet, salty, sour and spicy touch, with a liberal infusion of “vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices making it wholesome.”

Patissier and dessert chef Adriano Zumbo, who has crafted multiple dessert meals, says the sugar and fat level and the portion sizes have to be kept optimum. “Everything has to be balanced and we have to provide different textures and flavours with multiple other fresh ingredients. A dessert meal is a journey and the consumer should relish all the courses.”

...& ANALYSIS

• According to Master Chef, Gary Mehigan, “desserts are increasingly becoming concept driven, interesting and exciting”
   
• With chocolates arguably constituting the key ingredient, premium desserts are witnessing tremendous demand, say experts
   
• Chefs have designed unique techniques to make desserts well-balanced so that consumers enjoy the dessert meals