Farvi Motiwale goes on a Litchee trail to savour cheesecakes, fresh juices, cocktails and ice-creams that pay tribute to the amazingly refreshing fruit

Litchee Cheese Cake at Hyatt Regency
Made with fresh litchees and cream cheese, the litchee cheesecake is a delight. We spoke to the chef at Hyatt and he gladly gave the recipe saying that its easy to make a must-try.
Recipe
* Cream Cheese * 17 eggs
* Lemon juice * Sugar
* Vanilla compound * Litchees
* Sour cream * Sugar
Mix the sugar and cream cheese till smooth. Pour lemon juice, vanilla compound and eggs. Then add in 100 gm peeled de-seeded litchee (shredded). Pour the mixture into the cake ring and bake at 160 C. After cooking pour the topping on top of the cheesecake, bake again at 160 C to 5 minutes. Allow it to cool and garnish the cake with the rest of the fresh litchees.
At: Hyatt Regency, Nagar Road.
Cost: Rs 800 per kg (if refrigerated stays for two days)



A litchee a day...
Fresh litchee has nutritional elements like sugar, fat, protein, citric acid, vitamins, iron, pectin and phosphorus, which promotes blood circulation. It also accelerates the functioning of the liver, aids exclusion of toxins and makes the skin delicate.

Litchee Royal shake at The Yellow Chilli
When you mix litchee with coconut cream and pineapple, you get an awesome mocktail. Served in a Martini glass and garnished with fresh pineapple and cherry, the Litchee Royal sizzles your taste buds.
Recipe
* Litchee Juice (175 ml)
* Coconut cream (25 ml)
* Pineapple juice (50 ml)
* Half scoop vanilla ice-cream
Mix the juices with coconut cream and ice-cream. Blend, garnish with fresh pineapple and cherry and serve cold.
At: The Yellow Chilli, Lane 5, Koregaon Park.
Cost: Rs 79 plus taxes

Litchee ice-cream and golas
Litchee ice-creams are a seasonal favourite. The Litchee Pineapple Duet at Gelato Italiano is perfect for the monsoons. Chokemo offers a Litchee Gola which is available for a limited period, so make a go for it. Also available are lichee puddings and Litchee thick-shakes.
At: Geleto Italiano outlets across Pune; Chokemo, Mukund Nagar.
Cost: Rs 15 per scoop; Rs 30 (stick) and Rs 35 (slush)