Aruna Iyer – Chef at Courtyard by Marriott Pune city center

Aruna began her partnership with kitchen when she was about 15 years old. She started her journey in the kitchen with salads but her love for chocolates made her change paths, she since has been working hard towards achieving her dream of becoming a successful chef. Like every other newcomer she too is hoping to make it big by following her passion and doing what she loves the most.

Aruna is striving hard and believes that with cooking one needs talent, imagination, creativity and training. Food is her passion and is trying to look beyond the ephemeral experience of food by working and learning with Courtyard by Marriott Pune city center.

Mango & Nutella Bruschetta

Ingredients:

Baguette – 1No

Melted Dark Chocolate – 500gms

Sugar Syrup – 500ml

Chopped Mangoes – 400gms

Nutella – 200gms

Method:

1. Slice the baguette into slant roundels
2. Soak in sugar syrup for 2 mins & remove the bread slices & bake for 15 minutes till both the sides of the baguette slice turn brown
3. Allow the slices to cool, then coat the slice with dark chocolate & keep them on butter paper till the chocolate hardens
4. Apply Nutella over the slices & garnish with chopped mangoes

Lemon Curd Pavlova

Ingredients: For the Pavlova

Egg White – 9Nos

Icing Sugar – 175gms

Castor Sugar – 375gms

Corn Flour – 30gms

Ingredients: For the Lemon Curd

Butter – 250 gms

Sugar – 250gms

Lemon Juice – 100ml

Egg Yolk – 20Nos

Method: For the Pavlova

1. In a completely dry bowl, add all ingredients and blend with a hand blender till stiff peaks appear.
2. Lay butter paper on a baking tray & add a spoonful of the Pavlova mix on it.
3. Then using a dry spoon, make a hollow using the rear of the spoon to make a cup like shape. Repeat the same for the whole mixture.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 100ËšC. Bake the pavlovas at 100ËšC for 50 – 55 mins. After which the pavlovas will be hard on the outside & chewy on the inside.
5. Set the Pavlova aside.

Method: Lemon Curd

1. On a double boiler whisk the butter, sugar and egg yolk.
2. Cook till it becomes thick, once done add lemon juice strain the mix to avoid lumps.
3. Pipe lemon curd on the pavlova cups for garnish.

Rum Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients

Butter – 100gms

Sugar – 250gms

Water – 50ml

Rum – 2 tbsps.

Cinnamon Powder – 1 pinch

Honey – 100ml

Pineapple Rings – 4 Nos.

Method

1. Combine butter, sugar, water, honey, rum, cinnamon powder & make a glaze. Place the pineapple in it and marinate for 2 hrs.
2. Grill the pineapple for 2 mins in a griller till the glaze caramelizes.
3. Once done drizzle the pineapples with the remaining glaze and add a scoop of ice-cream over it.

Orange Truffle

Ingredients

Cooking Cream – 200ml

White Chocolate – 500gms

Orange Zest – 1 Orange

Orange Concentrate – 1 tbsp.

Orange Food Coloring (Optional)

Method

1. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave or a double boiler.
2. Warm the cream in a sauce pan, add the orange zest & orange concentrate and mix well.
3. Mix the white chocolate with the cream mixture.
4. Add food coloring and mix well again till the color spreads evenly over the mixture.
5. Cover the mixture and place in the refrigerator for 60mins
6. Take icing sugar in a bowl and make balls of the truffle mix and roll into the Icing sugar. Repeat with the whole mixture & enjoy.

Frozen Watermelon Yoghurt

Ingredients:

Watermelon Juice – 300ml

Hung Curd – 500gms

Cooking Cream – 300ml

Honey – 4 tbsp.

Method:

Blend all the ingredients well together and set in the refrigerator to freeze for 5-6 hrs.