FRENCH CONNECTION
Pastry chef Anurita Ghoshal, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, takes us on a transcontinental tour. Born in a Punjabi family and married to a Bengali, Anurita’s Sankranti is more about one staple ingredient. Mid-January earlier meant oodles of gur papdi, she says. The Indian sweet, chiefly containing jaggery and white sesame seeds uses the traditional practice of pak (slow-cooking). Years later, the robust character of sesame has stayed on with the chef. Her encounters with the French style of cooking and baking strengthened her faith in sesame oil. “It can work wonders in cakes and breads,” she says. Anurita, founder of the bakery Eighth, is making Black Sesame Bundt Financiers this time. “Financiers are tiny teacakes. It’s an inspired recipe. I am going to glaze the rich black cake with chocolate and orange rind,” she adds.