PEAKLIFE

US Consul General David J. Ranz and celebrity Chef Rakhee Vaswani bake a bevy of festive goodies in the Holiday Masterclass Series – recreating classic Indian recipes using American produce.

By Shilpi Madan

His disarming sense of humour and ease in working with ingredients makes you enjoy the rolling out of the recipes in the Masterclass. US Consul General David J. Ranz combined culinary force and American produce with celebrity Chef Rakhee Vaswani at her Palate Culinary Studio & Academy in Mumbai recently. The enervating Masterclass conducted celebrated Indian specials in fusion avatars, using the prized nuts and berries from the US. Third in the Holiday Masterclass Series, the session formed a pivotal part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Taste of America campaign, through its Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) office in Mumbai, to popularise premium US foods and beverages in the country.

Ranz is no stranger to the Indian palate. A confirmed Indophile, he participated in the aarti on Ganesh Chaturthi (Mumbai’s biggest festival) and ranks the local vada pav on his list of street food favourites too. His love for warm, spicy Indian curries and experimental palate also makes him the perfect voice to script this important chapter in food diplomacy, strengthening Indo-US bonds. “It is a pleasure to partner with celebrity chef Rakhee Vaswani again in the promotion of U.S. foods through the #TasteOfAmerica campaign. We greatly appreciate her passion for American food ingredients – from turkey to cranberries to walnuts – and demonstrating how they can be used in creative ways. This festive and fun holiday series shows how U.S. ingredients can play a part in holidays from both our countries, such as Diwali, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving,” he says, immaculately turned out in a comfortable linen kurta for the occasion.

The one-hour masterclass unfurled on the lavish terrace of Palate, the first centre in India to be accredited by the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality in London, and the training grove for UK certified diploma courses in culinary as well as a bakery. The session brought a full expression of (Tante Marie and Le Cordon Bleu-trained) Chef Rakhee Vaswani’s prowess in shaping the menu of innovative festive specials: from gluten free crackers, pistachio and almond truffle, blueberry nankhatai, and cranberry barfi using American produce in nuts and berries. Her culinary expertise has won Chef Rakhee the moniker of Desi Nigella, and her marriage of videshi ingredients with desi recipes brought in a lip-smacking rendition of flavors in the preparations. The two-month-long campaign has been primarily designed to promote premium American foods and beverages through a series of holiday themed masterclasses, both virtual and in-person around Diwali, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“For a chef, it is a dream to work with good produce and for the Taste of America Holiday Masterclass series I have enjoyed creating classic Indian recipes in badam barfi, with cranberry jam. The fusion recipes are a must-experience. Of course, Consul General David has been humble enough to cook along with me, even calling himself my sous chef! I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” says Chef Rakhee with her signature smile.

Happy cooking and baking as the season’s cheer sets in!