Painting the town red

Soft peaks of egg white are baked to resemble a crunchy hot cloud Its exterior is slathered with velvety smooth cream and a crumbly mixture of raspberry and strawberry is dusted on top The disc is broken into several pieces and hastily transferred into chic shot glasses The Summer Berry Pavlova mdash a dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova mdash greets us on the summer menu at Smoke House Deli It lulls our summerparched souls with its acerbic freshness and reinforces the aptness of berrybased desserts during this sweltering season This fruitbased dessert is just one such example With a wide array of raspberryinfused teas tarts cookies cakes and muffins available at eateries across the city itrsquos evident that this scarlet fruit is clearly emerging as a favourite amongst chefs bakers and bloggers ldquoRaspberries are getting popular because they provide a sour twist to the otherwise saccharine sweet dessertsrdquo says Gayatri Lalvani the young owner of frozen yogurt joint Sugadaddy According to her unlike apples that need to be stewed for hours or pears that need to be poached raspberries donrsquot take too long to cook and therefore are relatively easy to work with The fruit is also packed with vital nutrients ldquoRaspberries are low on calories and high on antioxidants The tiny fruit is capable of protecting us from various lifestylerelated disorders and the dietary fibre helps keep one feeling full for longerrdquo says Amita Gadre Kelkar a nutritionist columnist and food blogger at healthyfeastswordpresscom We sampled five raspberry desserts to tell you which are ones are worth digging into Frozen raspberry yogurt at Sugadaddy Cheeky Sugadaddyrsquos hot pink menu has an endless list of fruitbased yogurts While seasonal mango and strawberry is a first choice among regulars we grabbed raspberry in cup size C didnrsquot we say itrsquos cheeky The lightpink swirl with a fluffy texture has been puckering pouts as a seasonal special since a month The dessert has a tart taste of fresh berry puree that is only intensified when mixed with sour yogurt We recommend that you dress your bowl with a spoonful of extra raspberry puree and powdered oat crumble The toppings give the dessert a muchneeded texture and red colour You can also blend your yogurt into a mixed berry smoothie Berry good Tiny raspberry seeds in your yogurt testify freshness What we didnrsquot like Choice of toppings is limited FOR Rs 30 for cup size A Rating 35 Address 11 Sukh Sagar Building N S Patkar Marg Hughes Road Next to Kobe Sizzlers Opera House CALL 66102345 Raspberry cheesecake from Cheesecake Republic The one monthold Cheesecake Republic is a country built on buttery biscuit crumbs Its raspberry cheesecake comes dressed in rich red compote and swirls of thick cream It is sparingly sweet and has more creamy notes than cheese The makers recommend having the cheesecake cold after half an hour of refrigeration Berry good Available in other fresh fruit flavours too What we didnrsquot like Lacks a touch of fresh raspberries Price Rs 500 for half kilo Rating 45 Address B14 Shruti Apartments Yashodham Goregaon east CALL 9820401012 28421579 Raspberry sorbet at HaagenDazs Patrons are lapping up the cherryred sorbet at HaagenDazs ever since the chain opened its first outlet at Goregaonrsquos Oberoi Mall last June With an icy texture and a sharpsour bite this dessert is what summer afternoons should be made up of A tad finer than gola granules the icy dessert is made using fresh raspberry puree If you donrsquot like your dessert too redolent with raspberries then it is advisable to offset it with crunchy bits of chocolate chips or crumbled waffle cone powder The store also does a drink version of the sorbet by blending it with lemon soda Berry good Since it contains no added preservatives the debauchery seems worthwhile What we didnrsquot like Be prepared to choose your own toppings since the staff is not too helpful with suggestions FOR Rs 180 for a single scoop Rating 35 Address PVR Food Court opposite PVR cinema Phoenix Mills Lower Parel CALL 43474449 Raspberry macaroons at Yuatcha The macaroon available at Mumbairsquos only tea and dimsum house has a tendency to transport you to a Parisian bakery in just one bite The Venetian red buttons taste of fresh almond powder and come close to real raspberry flesh Though the dessert lasts in our hand only for a few minutes it rapidly jumps from one texture and flavour to another The shell of the dessert is soft and crusty and the raspberry filling is squishy and gummy The core taste of the macaroon fluctuates between fruity and tart ending with a gratifying sweetness Berry good The dessert leaves you with a stained pink pout What we didnrsquot like A little overpriced FOR Rs 65 per piece Rating 45 Address Raheja Tower First Floor Bandra Kurla Complex CALL 26448888 Raspberry smoothie at NCPA Cafe Gym junkies need not restrict themselves to boring protein shakes any more The Raspberry Ripe smoothie made out of lowfat skim milk or yogurt and raspberry at NCPA Cafe is free of sugary sweetness The drink is blended with chocolate sauce that creates an earthy note when paired with shimmering raspberries The cafe does another smoothie called All Berry Bang by mixing blueberry strawberry and raspberry with yogurt and apple juice This healthy shake is a city dwellerrsquos version of rolling on a berry field Berry good Large portion size What we didnrsquot like The smoothie is served at a mild temperature We wish it came chilled FOR Rs 140 Rating 35 Address NCPA Marg National Centre Performing Arts NCPA Nariman Point CALL 66223737 Cooking up a storm Raspberry cake milkshakeBy Chef Bunty Mahajan from Deliciae Patisserie Powai and Bandra Ingredients 8 inch basic chocolate sponge cake 250 gm fresh whipped cream whipped with 3 tbsp powdered sugar 150 gm fresh raspberry puree 150 ml sugar syrup made by diluting 25 gm sugar in 125 ml water 50 gm chocolate grated 30 ml raspberry syrup 25 scoops of vanilla ice cream 60 ml milk Method Cut the sponge horizontally into three layers and place it on a table top Drizzle sugar syrup on the cake until it is moist In a bowl mix raspberry puree with whipped cream and spread this mixture on a layer of sponge Sprinkle some grated chocolate over the cream and cover it with the second layer of sponge Repeat the process until you have exhausted your sponge cake To make milkshake cut a slice of the raspberry pastry and place it in a blender add milk raspberry syrup and icecream to it Blend the ingredients to form a milkshake and serve chilled Arugula amp goat cheese salad with smoked raspberry vinaigretteu00a0Recipe by Chef Glyston Gracias from Smoke House Deli Lower Parel Ingredients for salad 50 gm arugula lettuce 10 gm toasted pine nuts 40 gm goat cheese 20 gm bread crisps 20 gm black olives 20 gm black olives 20 gm cherry tomatoes Ingredients for dressing 20 gm raspberries 30 ml olive oil 15 ml vinegar 5 ml honey 2 gm salt 2 gm pepper 100 gm coal 5 ml oil Method Puree raspberries olive oil vinegar and honey in a blender Season the dressing with salt and pepper and keep aside For smoking transfer the dressing into a small stainless steel container and place it into a large steel bowl Heat coal on the gas and drop it into the large bowl Pour oil on top and cover the large steel bowl Cover the dressing for 10 minutes To assemble Combine arugula black olives and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl Toss them with enough dressing ensuring it coats all the ingredients evenly Plate the salad and sprinkle it with goat cheese pine nuts and bread crisps Serve chilled u00a0