Kithul Cashewnut Creams

My half life has been quiet for some time, but not going hungry. Much has been cooked, tested and eaten. Yes paws have been tried at new dishes, new directions and techniques. All will be revealed slowly, and some teasers have been trickling through our tight security.

But here is some thing official that is new; simple and yet elegant I hope.

In my mind it is a triangulation of three deserts: a traditional French crème brule, made of refined unflavored sugar, milk and eggs, a wattalappan – that great Sri Lankan favorite of the Id, a coconut cream palm sugar flan, and then pani caju, the palm sugar peanut brittle you ate outside school as a child. If those desserts, all classics in their traditions, were three corners of a triangle, my kithul cashew cream would be at the center. Its basically cream and roasted cashew nuts in equal quantities (volume wise) blended very fine, with enough kithul haruku (palm sugar/jaggery – you can use kithul treacle also) for the right sweetness on your tongue. Don’t make it too sweet. If your religion and politics allow, please do add some old arrack. It makes it much better. But just 20 ml, to the liter. Pour this mixture into a small bowl, ramekins if you have those, and put in your fringe. Just before serving, sprinkle chopped nuts, grated jaggery, and a few drops of arrack and grill for a couple of minutes. For some reason, this tastes divine. My dinner guests have raved over this for days. I don’t know, it’s a simple thing.

May be its all triangles all the way down.