Rumor has it that the great actor Edmund Keanes' last words were "Dying is easy, comedy is hard". The same might be said of the desserts after an Indian meal to the uninitiated. What to throw down after chicken biryani, or a mangalorean pork curry....not your mamas' chocolate cake. That's for sure.
Composing a dinner properly is one of the basics of good cooking. A nice balance of dishes, tastes and textures makes for a memorable meal. To those used to western style dishes, what to serve after an Indian feast can seem confusing.
Anyone who's ever dined at an Indian restaurant knows that Indians are no slouches in the dessert department. Burfi, gulab jamun, rasgullas, kheer, I could go on and on. Of course one might get simple and serve some fresh tropical fruit..or a cleansing rosewater sorbet. But, what to serve that doesn't involve ice, or deep frying, which face it is not how I like to top off an evening with friends.
I've mentioned Atul Kochhar aMichelin starred Indian chef. He has a dessert which is a real show stopper and simple to fix in the extreme. In fact, I'm making some now, while I'm typing, and doing laundry..so there.
It's called Baked Yogurt..sounds simple right? It is!
His original recipe calls for figs in syrup as a topping, but I've adapted it to use our fresh plentiful Sonoma Blackberries..that is if I can get to them before the deer do.