Make my pannacotta petite, please

An offshoot of the worldwide small-plate trend, mini desserts are replacing full-size sweet portions, offering patrons a wider bite-sized variety while keeping empty calories in check. The latest addition is a 40ml shot glass that acts as the holder of mini treats that take on imaginative avatars, testing the presentation skills of dessert chefs, finds Amrita Bose

The all-steel kitchen at Caperberry, a popular restaurant and tapas lounge that stands on Dickenson Road in Bengaluru, is the scene of weird proportions. Senior Sous Chef Saurabh Arora, a burly guy, holds an odd-sized ladle small enough to make it to a five year-old's my-kitchen-utensils kit, as he scrunches his eyes keenly to help him focus. A thread-like stream of pannacotta mixture drips from the ladle into a shot glass that stands barely three inches high. The eatery has been using shot glasses, traditionally used to hold a small measure of liquor downed in a single gulp, straight from the glass without mixers, to serve its signature fruit and coffee-infused panacotta desserts.u00a0

Senior Sous Chef Saurabh Arora ladling out the pannacotta mixture to
set in shot glasses at Bengaluru restaurant and tapas lounge, Caperberry.
Pic/ Ramesh HS

Abhijit Saha, Director and Chef at Caperberry, says, what's unfolding at the eatery is a reflection of a worldwide trend called the 'small plate', a philosophy that lends the eatery's meal style its single portion character. "The trend could also be an outcome of the wastage that was being noticed at large buffets. A single large dessert tends to create a mess. Not everyone enjoys digging into one plate of dessert. Shot glass desserts are standalone individual portions. Besides, for the price of one dessert you get to taste a large variety," he says.

The small sweet storm has hit most buffet spreads, tasting menus at standalone restaurants, and patisserie glass cases packed with bite-sized treats. And the offering ranges from the regular -- cheesecakes, pies and mousses -- to the exotic -- Tiramisu, pannacotta and cakes.

Mini is the new big trend
The results of an annual survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, United States for 2011 suggests that mini desserts are the rage. Petite desserts stood at No. 2 in the dessert trends survey. "Not everyone wants to have a 150 gram dessert at a go after a heavy meal. Guests also want to try more than one dessert. The shot glass trend allows chefs to showcase their pastry and presentation skills," says Savio Fernandes, Pastry Chef at JW Marriott, a Mumbai five-star. As part of its buffet spread at 24-hour restaurant Lotus Cafe, The Marriott offers the Classical Tiramisu, Eton Mess, Cr me Brule, Caramel Custard, Chocolate Mousses, Fruit Mascarpone, all in shot glasses. "Creating mini-mes of these desserts in shot glasses lets me play with flavours, and textures through layering."

Martini and brandy glasses too
Saha takes it a step further, and serves his Cinammon-flavoured Thick Chocolate in miniature Cappuccino cups to accompany a pair of Spanish-style churros dusted with sugar that stand in a shot glass. Back in Mumbai, restaurateur Moshe makes Bailey's Mousse Cake and Chocolate Mousse in glasses on order. Liqueur to martini and brandy glasses also feature in his presentation list. "Cold desserts and anything that can be set, makes this trend work beautifully," he says.

Down some Kheer Shots
While kitchens in New York, London and Tokyo are churning out the traditional Red Velvet & Carrot Cake, Parfaits, and even sticky rice desserts, chefs here are experimenting with traditional Indian sweets. Phirnee, piped Shrikhand, Mini Gulab Jamuns steeped in Liqueur, Angoori Ras Malai and Jalebi topped with a dollop of Rabri are now making regular appearances on buffets menus, says Fernandes. At Le 15 Patisserie, a dessert catering service in Mumbai that promises to offer an authentic French experience, most desserts are available in shot glasses. Verrines (a French style of layering ingredients, usually confection in a small glass) are available too. "We have the Triple Chocolate Bavarian Cream, Raspberries and Cream, Mango Mousse Cake...most of our cakes can be ordered in shot glass versions too," says owner Pooja Dhingra.

Creativity at a cost
The global popularity of petite desserts prompted Head Chef at the Metropolitan Hotel in New Delhi, Tarun Kapoor, to offer a Shots and Scoops promotion (on till July 31). Guests have been gorging on homemade ice cream in flavours like Maple Walnut, Cashew Chilli, Mint & Fennel and Strawberry and Mango along with liqueur shots and sherry served in shot glasses.

"The beauty of a shot glass dessert is that it makes for great visual appeal thanks to the transparent nature of the glass. Not only does it give guests multiple choice, it's also cost effective. Today, the biggest challenge for the hospitality industry is to control costs because while prices remain stagnant (you can't charge Rs 500 for a bowl of soup), costs keep rising. These shot glass versions are a good way of keeping down prices while attracting masses," believes Kapoor.

"Shot glasses look chic and single-sized servings don't require special skills. If you can follow a recipe, adjust the size of the dessert to fit your need. It really is that simple," says Malika Rahat Khan of Sugar Rush, a dessert catering service that dishes out brownies the size of Scrabble pieces and mini Lemon Meringue frosting cupcakes.

Health heroes say, go ahead
And when you have a stamp of approval from the nutritionist lobby, you know you are on a guilt-free trip. Namita Jain, Clinical Wellness Specialist at the Bombay Hospital says, "These little bursts of sweetness let you have your dessert, and eat it too. You finish these off in two or three bites, saving you from adding empty calories. But it's best if you stick to a light meal before enjoying a mini dessert," advises Jain.

Saha, Fernandez and their friends have Hollywood superstar Charlize Theron's approval, we think. The South African actress advocates what's called the Quarter Diet. It's a self-created regime which Theron conceived when she realized she couldn't cut out junk food from her diet. What Theron does is consumes only a quarter portion of her favourite foods. So, if it's a burger she craves, she'll have 1/4th of it.

Asavari Singh, content editor at a New Delhi publishing house, and self confessed foodie, says, "Even if you vow to eat just a couple of bites of a full-size dessert, it's hard not to wipe the whole thing out. It's a tempting item sitting before you, and you've paid for it. A shot glass takes care of the dilemma. You have watched your weight without depriving yourself of a treat."

Hard Rock Cafe offers a series of Chocolate Caramel Cheesecakes,
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake and Creme Brule
in shot glasses. Snickers Treat and Chocolate Oreo Mint Crunch are part
of their Right Portions, Right Prices offer. Pic/ Satyajit Desai

A chain reaction
In the West, coffee house chain Starbucks offers cake pops, lemon squares and whoopee pies under the Starbucks Petites offer, while ready-to-bake giant Betty Crocker offers a series of shot glass recipes on its website for you to replicate at home. In Mumbai, Thank God It's Friday (TGIF) offers Snickers Treat and Chocolate Oreo Mint Crunch in shot glasses, as part of their Right Portions, Right Prices offer. Chokola, a chain of chocolate and dessert boutiques in Delhi has been serving up chocolate shots, Tiramisu and Chocolate Mousse in shot glasses ever since it opened doors five years ago. "A selection of regular clients prefer the small serving size," says Ravi Pahuja, Chief Operating Office, Cosmic Kitchen Pvt. Ltd., that owns Chokola.

Recession created the shot glass dessert
While the exact origin of desserts served in shot glasses can't be pointed out, it is fair to say a major reason for its birth was the 2007 economic downturn. Restaurants and caterers across the globe started serving mini portions of desserts as an imaginative cost-effective step. Psychologically, patrons were satiated not only by the thought that they were able to afford exotic desserts but also by being able to savour a classic eat without having to bear a huge tab.

Wanna look like this?
Eat 1/4 of your dessert
Hollywood actress Charlize Theron stays in shape by eating quarter portions of her favourite foods. The Oscar-winning actress cannot cut out junk food from her diet, so, what she does instead, is keep calories in check by eating a quarter of the meals she likes. "If I fancy a burger, rather than deprive myself, I'll eat a quarter of one," she says.

Pic/ AFP photo

Whip up your own shot glass dessert
Putting together desserts in shot glasses is an easy trend to replicate at home, claim dessert chefs. With these recipes, go, give it a try

Basil Mango Curd
Ingredients
84 ml egg yolks
10 grams unsalted butter
350 ml fresh cream
63 grams castor sugar
6 grams gelatine powder
5 grams vanilla bean
20 grams fresh basil
6 gram basil chopped
Diced mangoes and cherries for garnishing
Method
>In a clean and sanitised saucepan, cook 20 grams basil with butter and cream to infuse.
>Strain mixture and cook with egg yolks and sugar together until boiling.
Add hydrated gelatin and cool immediately in an ice bath for 30 minutes until cold.
>Lastly, add chopped basil and let it cool. Ladle this mixture in a shot glass and layer it with diced mangoes. Then chill in the refrigerator till set. Garnish with cherries.u00a0
Recipe courtesy: Prashant Sabne, Pastry Chef, Renaissance Hotel, Mumbai

Rich Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
8 eggs
250 grams castor sugar
500 grams dark chocolate
250 grams whipped cream
Method
>In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.
>Stir in the melted chocolate and mix well.
>Gradually fold in the whipped cream and mix till fully incorporated.
>Set and refrigerate in shot glasses for about 3 hours.
>Decorate with chocolate shavings and serve cold
Recipe courtesy: Pooja Dhingra, Owner Le 15 Patisserie, Mumbai

Your guide to calorie comparison
Although it depends on the kind of ingredients you use while making a dessert, sometimes, the calorie count can go up to 500 calories with high fat and sodium content. By cutting down standard dessert portions to 1/3 rd the size (2-4 dessert spoonfuls), which is what a dessert in a shot glass is sized at, you not only reduce portions but also slice down empty calories.

Standard Portionu00a0
Cheesecake with cream cheese per slice contains 600 to 700 calories
Rich Chocolate Mousse per serving contains 500 caloriesu00a0
Full Cream Panna Cotta with a Fruit Compote contains 250 caloriesu00a0
A standard portion of dessert weighs about 150 gramsu00a0
'All values are approximate

Shot Glass Portion
Cheesecake with cream cheese served in a shot glass contains about 300 to 350 calories
Rich Chocolate Mousse served in a shot glass has about 200 calories
Full Cream Panna Cotta with a Fruit Compote contains 150 calories
A shot glass version usually weighs between 65 to 70 grams