02 July,2011 08:51 AM IST | | Sonal Ved
We stop by the home of Nidhi Behl, of Tout de Suite, for a taste of rustic cooking, which lays special emphasis on fresh ingredients and no-frills recipes, and come away feeling comforted
Cook Nidhi Behl's 'A-ha!' moment was during an English literature class when the teacher narrated a passage from Marcel Proust's Remembrance Of Things Past that spoke about tea-dipped madeleines that took him back to his childhood days. "That's exactly what I try to re-create," says the 27-year-old.
Earl Green Tea Madeline cakes
Nidhi's culinary concept revolves around rustic cooking. The emphasis is on organic produce and fresh ingredients. She operates under the name, Tout De Suite, a French term for 'all at once'. And it sounds like she means business. The air of her waterfront home in Cuffe Parade is filled with the delicate aromas of baked Camembert and chocolate and I cross my fingers for things to come from her air-conditioned kitchen.
Suitably rewarded
Vegetable Garden is a low-fat yoghurt-based herb dip. In keeping with its name it had a top layer of cocoa and bread crumbs resembling mud and 'sprouts' of baby carrots and radish. For Mains, the Beetroot and Potato Tart worked well. The sweetness of the beets cut sharply across the potato's texture, colour and taste. I wish though, she had opted for the classic short-crust pastry, instead of a pastry puff, which added an unnecessary bite to the otherwise creamy tart.
The savoury muffins with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs were a tad dry for my liking. But kudos for sun-drying the tomatoes at home. I also tried the Mufaletta Bread: Ciabatta stuffed with aubergines, cheese, bell peppers and herbs. Nidhi cut through the loaf of bread to reveal its sumptuous filling.
I ended my meal with rectangle-shaped blondies and madeleines. The brownies had bits of Swiss chocolate folded into the cake. The chocolate added dimension to the smooth and buttery brownies. The madeleines carried the flavour of Earl Grey tea and lemon juice, making for a sweet, tangy and moist cake. One bite and I was grateful it didn't feel like a blast from the past; I was happy instead to be in the moment: enveloped inside the aromas of cheese and chocolate.
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Log on to: www.toutdesuite.in
Rs 250 for delivery charges till Worli.
Also on the menu:
Cookies start from Rs 400 for 400 gms
Dips start from Rs 200 for 400 gms
Jams start from Rs 350 for 250 gms
Pies start from Rs 125 per tart
Low-fat, health foods start from Rs 500
Hampers start from Rs 1,800
