What's sweet, wholesome, clad in red and comes bearing joy every winter? Well, Santa. And strawberries! The chilly winter brings with it some of the best produce in the city and this juicy red berry is all kinds of festive.
Sliced, diced, blitzed, candied or caramelised, there’s no wrong way to enjoy the versatile fruit. Kolkata’s chefs and patissiers are getting creative with strawberries and are even curating limited-time dessert menus that offer some over-the-top treats designed with strawberries in mind. Here’s everything in Kolkata that packs a strawberrylicious punch.
Strawberry Crumble Pancake from Potboiler Coffee House
If you're all about that big Christmas breakfast, Potboiler’s fluffy pancakes are just the thing you need. It’s layered with their house-made strawberry compote that is tart and yet sweet enough to complement the soft pancakes. The crunchy, crumbled sprinkles are what sets it apart in terms of texture and the quenelle of whipped cream on top adds a light, airy element to the dish.
"We love winters and the strawberry season. It helps us experiment with so many desserts. The strawberry crumble is perfect, it’s not too heavy nor too sweet and the crumble in the pancakes adds balanced sweet and salty notes,” says Sonali Lakhotia, owner, Potboiler Coffee House.
Strawberry Lemonade from 8th Day Cafe & Bakery
8th Day’s strawberry lemonade is a festive wonder. Fresh strawberries are blended with ice, lemon, water and sugar and the simple amalgamation of these fresh ingredients creates magic.
The bright red lemonade has the natural sweetness of strawberry and a perfect amount of tartness from the lemon. Pair it with a warm, flaky shortbread or their chunky chocolate chip cookie!
Eton Mess Tart from The Daily cafe
The old-school English dessert gets a contemporary do over at The Daily. The dessert highlights strawberries from Mahabaleshwar against the Keralan vanilla flavoured creme, that is made in-house. The handmade crust adds a great bite to the dessert but the show-stopping element is sliced strawberries arranged to resemble a flower.
“It's a Daily signature that has been on our strawberry menu for three seasons now. After trying tons of different recipes, we finally struck gold,” chef and owner Urvika Kanoi tells us.
Chocolate Fondue Platter from Roastery Coffee House
Shareable fondue is the ultimate date night indulgence. At Hindustan Park’s Roastery, the 55% dark chocolate dip (made with bean-to-bar Colocal chocolates) is the hero of the show, while the strawberries, bananas and toasted marshmallows elevate the experience.
“It's a perfect Christmas dessert where people can choose their preferred fruits and dip them in chocolate! It’s great for a group of friends and family as well,” shares Nishant Sinha, founder.
Strawberry Pistachio Macaron from Cocoa Bakery
Nothing lights up a tea party like a gourmet pastel macaron. Cocoa Bakery’s adorable macaron has a baby pink base and is filled with strawberries to the brim. The macarons are made from almond flour that gives it the perfect chew while the pistachio sponge on the inside adds a complexity in flavour. The nutty pistachio praline adds a crunch while the house-made strawberry jam adds a well-rounded tartness.
“Macarons are usually very sweet but in this particular dessert, the pistachio element is the game-changer. Its earthy flavour paired with the tangy, fresh strawberries makes the dessert unique and wholesome,” points out Arsh Lakhmani, chef-owner.
Not your ordinary ‘strawberry and cream’ from Burma Burma
Burma Burma’s new dessert menu, designed by Vinesh Johny and Prathana Narang is all about updating nostalgic, familiar elements for the modern palate. Their version of strawberries and cream features a hefty dollop of sweet mascarpone cream on a soft almond cake. The citrus strawberry compote is designed to accentuate the fruity complexity and also adds a dash of red to the assembly. A streusel crisp is added to the cold strawberry sorbet to create a symphony of textures and tie all the flavours together.
“Since this menu is about nostalgia, and strawberries and cream is an all-time favourite, we decided to give a new dimension to the classic,” reveals Chef Ansab Khan Head of Culinary Operations, Burma Burma.
Strawberry and Almond Tart from The Salt House
Crunchy tart with a berry filling? Sign us up! Made from a mixture of butter and flour, the crunchy shortbread tart shell acts as the perfect vehicle for the fresh flavours of the filling. The syrupy strawberry compote is accompanied by an almond crumble and a topping of fresh strawberries that add textural contrast.
“We love using fresh local ingredients at The Salt House and the strawberry and almond tart is testimony to our process. The tart yet sweet dessert is perfectly balanced by the crisp shortbread base and the crunchy almonds. It’s available for a limited time, as part of our winter special menu,” shares Saloni Jhunjhunwala, owner.
Strawberry Gateau from Little Pleasures Patisserie
This strawberry gateau would be the show-stopper at any dinner table. Created with vanilla genoise sponge and créme Chantilly, this French dessert is airy and sweet. A genoise sponge is typically a light cake made from butter and egg yolks and it’s more layered and nuanced than a run-off-the-mill sponge.
The créme Chantilly complements the delicate base but the neatly layered strawberries on the cake is what makes this gateau such a merry Christmas pick.
“I’ve always enjoyed fruit-based desserts because there is so much one can do with them. Strawberry season is always a hit because the fruit is a crowd favourite. This year we sourced the most delicious, sweet, and juicy berries from within India and experimented with some out-of-the-box ideas to create edible art,” says chef Shripriya Gupta, founder of Little Pleasures.
Strawberry Cheesecake Shake from Marbella’s
Strawberries? Check. Cheesecake? Check. Thick shake? Check. If the cream cheese is what draws you to a cheesecake, indulge in Marbella’s decadent drink where an entire slice of strawberry cheesecake is blended along with milk and fresh strawberries. With every sip you will get the sour notes of the cream cheese, tartness of the berries and the bite of the crumb.
“Strawberries and winters are synonymous. Marbella's menu is known for its coffee and hot chocolate offerings so we wanted to combine our best seller dessert in a milkshake and keep it extremely indulgent,” remarks Nikhil Chawla, owner.
