Friday, December 19, 2014

Eclairs Diaries

Once upon a time when I had no fear of calories and embraced them with open arms, Eclairs used to be one of my favourites. Not the hard to crack version by Cadbury but the elegant French dessert. This oblong pastry with a coating of chocolate looks pretty innocent till you bite into it and your mouth is filled with sweetened thick cream...orgasmic!

When I got the invite to attend a special event that would explore new perspectives on éclairs with celebrated pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini at Le Meridien, I decided to let my taste buds do the thinking.

As part of the hotel's culinary program, Eclairs Diaries, Chef Iuzinni has been creating eclairs inspired by locations all around the world. From the maple and bacon to Texan honey pecan to the Dulce de leche eclair,Iuzinni fuses local flavours into his unique creations.



It's not everyday you have a good looking, tattooed, motorcycle-riding chef give you a masterclass on how to create the perfect Eclair with blueberry compote and thickened honey cream that filled the pastry shell from end to end. We also got to sample Chef Iuzinni's Indian inspired creations created in partnership with Le Meridien. I especially loved the Ginger Jaggery version - the sharpness of the ginger beautifully complimenting the sweet earthiness of jaggery. Another favourite of mine was the Hazelnut Tamarind Eclair, even though I couldn't taste the tartness of the tamarind, I loved its smooth chocolatey taste infused with the smokiness of hazelnut.


Le Meridien Delhi will now feature Clotted Cream Kalakand, Coconut Jaggery Cardamom and Rose Cardamom to unlock the flavours of Delhi and Kochi respectively.

If this has gotten your tastebuds tickling, you know where to head!




35 comments:

  1. Not much of a fan of chocolate or even sweets... People tell me I'm a fool and missing out on so much but somehow all I can think of is spicy and tangy food items, over and over again without any room for chocolates or sweets or dessert!

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    1. You have no idea how lucky you are. So many calories that you don't have to burn!

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  2. I would rather have the chef.. thank you!! :-D

    www.myunfinishedlife.com

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  3. A lip smackng post but the irony is one gets these kind of invites when one is watching the calories and never during the time when body can indulge in sinful eating, Purba! Looks like next stop for you is a feature in 'Brunch' in place of 'Rude Food' from Vir Sanghvi:)

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    1. Arre Rahul jee, apke moonh mein Lindt chocolate for that thought :p

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  4. What is life without chocolates, cheese and cherries.The ginger jaggery combo sounds exotic. Something unusual.

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  5. Not fair at all, blogging about all these lovely eclairs and posting their pics as well. Now I cannot resist having that extra helping of dessert along with lunch :)

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  6. Oooh, the eclairs look delish :) And you'd do rather well as a food critic, me thinks.

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    1. Only if you promise to click those photos for me!

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  7. Ginger Jaggery is my favourite for ages now. I even baked a granola bar inspired by this GJ Eclairs :-)

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  8. WHY DONT I EVER GET INVITED TO SUCH EVENTS?
    I need this in my life!

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  9. Next time I will try this out in Cochin.

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  10. India-inspired eclairs?! What will they think of next?! I'm more of a purist, which is why I never touch a McTikka Burger...or a McDonald's burger for that matter!! :D

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  11. Damn the calories for such lovely dish

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    1. That's my mantra for a perfect weekend.

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  12. I will go for the Motorcycle( is it Harley) . Tattoo , Chef and the remaining Eclairs you can take.

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  13. Such an interesting event and even more interesting food.The ginger jaggery definitely sounds very tempting !

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    1. Wait till I tell you about the spicy Goan curries we had at Goa Bhavan for lunch :p

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  14. a bit difficult for me mam, living 4000 miles away.. maybe you can courier me some now :) yummyliscioussssssssssss


    Purba mam.. How are you .. heres wishing you and everyone around you a very merry christmas and a happy new year...

    Bikram's

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  15. Your description and the photographs is making me crave those delicious eclairs! Yummy!

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  16. Your yummy post has made me hungry despite having dinner. I love sweets and chocolates. India inspired eclairs, i will love it.

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    1. I don't have a sweet tooth. I have a sweet jaw.

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  17. Give me eclairs any day. The mouth watering sensations rolling inside and swirling inside the tongue. Such a sensual experience. I tasted one of the best eclairs at Trident, Gurgaon. Yummy:)

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    1. Funny! I live in Gurgaon and have yet to try their Eclairs.

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