One of my earliest memories is knowing that I wanted to be a part of the culinary world. My relatives owned restaurants and my dad had a paan shop. And over the years, joining this field felt like the right move for me.
Hailing from Pune, I went on to study hotel management in the same city and moved to Mumbai for work. I also worked as a sous chef in Chennai and helped open restaurants there.
I’ve been in Bengaluru for a few years now, as the executive chef in Conrad Bengaluru in Halasuru. It’s been quite a journey so far.
I am an expert in European cuisine, Italian, French and local Karnataka food. Now that the trend has moved past global cuisine and is all about local cuisine, I think authenticity has also taken a hit.
According to me, you can say a dish is authentic if you use the local ingredients to make it. Just because the dish has a local name doesn’t make it a local dish. That’s how many restaurants are approaching this.
Having said that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in wanting to modify it to suit the era we are in. Then again, as the expert, it’s your responsibility to let your customers know that what you have made is not the authentic version but may be the technique you have used is authentic, or have infused modern ingredients and ways to make the authentic dish.
2019 has also seen a trend of customers preferring healthy food. They want to know what goes into the final dish. The rage of local produce has also been quite popular this year.
Interestingly, the high prices of onions have also somewhat taken a hit in the kitchens. But because hotels have a yearly contract with the vendors, we still get our supply. Nevertheless, we have also noticed that the quality of the onions has also reduced now.
Thankfully, this recipe of ‘Apple and Sweet Potato Pie’ does not require any onions. It’s also a pie that can be made and enjoyed during Christmas. Since this season has many dishes that are prepared using meat, the pie will be a good option.
Praveen Shetty
Apple and Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
For Sweet Potato and Mash
Sweet potato, 100 gm
Green apple, 1
Fresh cream, 50 ml
Butter, 50 gm
Thyme, 2 sprig
Salt-to taste
For Short Crust Pastry
Flour, 125 gm
Butter, 50 gm
Egg yolk, 1
Egg large, 1
Cold water, 12 ml
A pinch of salt
Method
Make the pastry for the pie with rubbing together the flour and butter until the mixture forms a breadcrumb-like consistency.
Combine the cold water, egg yolk and whole egg in a separate bowl and whisk together gently.
Make a well in the flour mixture and add the salt and sugar. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the well and bring all the ingredients together, mixing until they form a dough.
Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.
Place the sweet potato in a medium saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
Add the apple slices, cinnamon and let it simmer until the apples are tender.
Mix the apple mixture into the drained sweet potatoes along with the milk. Mix well using an electric mixer or just a fork until potatoes are mashed.
Roll out the dough to a 3-mm thickness on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out the discs of pasty and use them to line the greased pie moulds. Prick the base of the pie with a fork and fill it with apple and sweet potato mash.
Cut the pastry into twelve equal strips, each about 2-cm wide. Form a lattice pattern across the top of the pie bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Garnish it with apple spaghetti, cherry tomato and microgreens.