The flavour of mahua wasn’t one I grew up with. I don’t recall ever eating it in Kashmir, though we were all familiar with its use in making liquor. So, when Ruchi Jain of Taru Naturals first brought us samples of the mahua flower, I was taken aback – it tasted like a cross between a dry date and a raisin – and excited to start experimenting with it in the Masque kitchen. We tried several ways to pair its flavour and extract its sweetness; we made sauces, syrups, fermented it, and compressed it with whiskey. That last experiment is what made it to the final menu: mahua flowers compressed with whiskey, served with mahua ice cream, dark chocolate fondant, butterscotch bits and a brown butter crumble. I think it’s among my favourite desserts the kitchen has put out till date, and I love that that stems from this inherently Indian ingredient. As I mentioned, we source the flowers from Taru Naturals, which works closely with the BAIF Development Research Foundation to procure them from Jawhar. BAIF works with tribal groups to identify and preserve native seeds.

  • Serves

    14

  • Cook Time

    45m

    (active time taken to soak mahua flowers and freeze ice cream)

Ingredients

For Mahua-Soaked Whiskey

  • 50 gm mahua flowers
  • 60 ml whiskey (We use Ardbeg)

For Chocolate Fondant

  • 150 gm dark chocolate (we use 75% Pondicherry dark)
  • 80 gm brown sugar
  • 14 gm flour
  • 125 ml cream
  • 2 eggs

For Brown Butter Crumbs

  • 200 gm unsalted butter
  • 192 gm all-purpose flour
  • 95 gm brown sugar
  • 75 gm sugar
  • 64 gm wheat flour
  • Salt (a pinch)

For Butterscotch

  • 100 gm roasted cashews
  • 66 gm sugar
  • 37 gm unsalted butter
  • 25 gm corn syrup
  • 30 gm water

For Mahua Ice Cream

  • 250 gm cream
  • 250 gm milk
  • 200 gm mahua flowers
  • 100 gm water
  • 70 gm sugar
  • 1 gm vanilla essence
  • 6 egg yolks

Preparation

For Mahua-Soaked Whiskey

  1. Soak the mahua flowers in whiskey for 24 hours.

For Chocolate Fondant

  1. Melt the chocolate, cream and brown sugar in a double boiler.
  2. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs and flour.
  3. Measure out approximately 30 gm of the batter in oven-proof bowls and bake at 140 degree Celsius for eight minutes.

For Brown Butter Crumbs

  1. Melt the butter and let it brown over low heat, and then strain it.
  2. Combine all the remaining ingredients with the brown, melted butter.
  3. Spread out the mixture on a silpat placed on a baking tray.
  4. Bake at 160 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

For Butterscotch

  1. Finely chop the cashews and set aside.
  2. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and let it caramelise until it acquires a deep golden-brown colour.
  3. Fold in the cashews.
  4. Now quickly spread the mixture on a silpat, in a thin layer.
  5. Once it cools and hardens, break into small, uneven pieces and freeze until ready to use. 

For Mahua Ice Cream

  1. Blend the mahua flowers with water to make a puree. Strain the mixture and set aside.
  2. Whisk the yolks, sugar and vanilla together.
  3. In a pan, heat the milk till it’s hot but not boiling.
  4. Pour the milk slowly into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously to avoid cooking the eggs.
  5. Stir the mixture over medium heat with a spatula till it thickens.
  6. Strain the mixture and stir in the cream, then leave to cool.
  7. Once cool, add the mahua puree to the ice cream base.
  8. Freeze and churn as needed or as per your ice cream machine’s instructions.

Assembly

  1. Spread a spoonful of the brown butter crumbs in one corner of the bowl with the baked fondant.
  2. Put a few pieces of the butterscotch bits over it.
  3. Scoop the ice cream over it and garnish with whiskey-soaked mahua flowers.

Prateek Sadhu

Prateek Sadhu

Chef Prateek Sadhu graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America with double gold medals and has worked for some of the world’s finest restaurants, such as Alinea, The French Laundry, Bourbon and Noma. It was during his stint under Rene Redzepi that he developed his food philosophy of sourcing from the region, foraging for lost recipes and harnessing the soil, which is at the heart of his award-winning Mumbai restaurant Masque.

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