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With an incredible journey that spans over 16 long years, Chef Kailash Gundupalli, Director of Culinary, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, is someone who has seen the F&B industry evolve over decades. Despite spending such extensive tenure, there hasn't been a single day when he finds a dip in his passion for culinary skills. "I always think positively every morning. I have been motivated after seeing my team and my guests' satisfaction. I enjoy every moment of working in the hospitality industry," he shares elatedly.
His cooking prowess lies in dishing out excellent European, Italian and Tuscan cuisine. With a few days left for Christmas and the following festive season, Executive Sous Chef Kailash is busy curating the 24th Christmas Eve Brunch and 25th Christmas Brunch.
He has another special connection with this festival. In his words:
"I have always felt Christmas to be very special to me as I started my career as a chef."
Isn't that incredible? What could have been a better occasion than this to discern Chef Kailash's affinity with Christmas. In a hearty and exclusive conversation with Slurrp, we also got several fascinating narratives and delectable recipes.
Excerpts:
Q. What does Christmas mean to you? How it gives you a culinary opportunity to create something festive?
There is something special about Christmas for everyone. However, we must never forget that it's not just received gifts that can make us happy, but the act of giving can often bring us greater joy. As a chef, it's the best time of the year as we get to be creative with how we bake special goodies, and you can witness the same at our French Sidewalk Style Le Café.
Q.What is your fond memory of Christmas as a person and chef?
The best thing about Christmas is that you get all the benefits of a big holiday, such as family, food, and time off, without having to deal with so much stress and pressure. When I think of Christmas, I don't have a remarkable memory associated with it; instead, I feel a sense of comfort and warmth as a whole. Due to the importance of the season to my guests, this festival is usually a very busy time for me.
Q. Why is plum cake so crucial to Christmas? Why is it called plum cake?
Some say plum cake originated somewhere in medieval England when fasting and abstinence from indulgences were widely observed in the weeks leading up to Christmas as part of a popular tradition. During this time, it was thought to prepare the body for overindulgence on Christmas Day.
Prune in modern French means plum, so plum tarts have names such as Tarte aux prunes. In English, prunes are dried plums, and when modern cakes use them as a primary ingredient, they may be referred to as plum cake or a type of plum cake.
Let me share my recipe for this traditional dish.
Christmas Plum Cake
The traditional Christmas plum cake, Image Source: Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre
Ingredients
- 250 gm unsalted butter
- 250 gm castor sugar
- 5 no’s eggs
- 40 gm molasses
- 10 gm black jack
- 230 gm flour
- 3 gm baking powder
- 2 gm cinnamon powder
- 2 gm cardamom powder
- 1 pinch clove powder
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder
- 750 gm soaked fruit
Method
- Start by soaking dry fruits in rum for one month before. By this time, the fruits will absorb the rum completely
- Preheat oven to 180*C
- Take two cake moulds, line them with parchment paper, and set them aside.
- Sieve flour along with baking powder and spice powders and keep aside
- Take butter and sugar in a bowl and beat using an electric beater till it becomes creamy
- Add egg one by one and beat till sugar completely dissolve, then add blackjack and molasses
- Finally, add the dry fruits and flour and fold gently
- Pour this into the prepared cake mould and bake for 40 to 45 minutes in preheated oven
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve and relish it!
Q. What do people like to eat during Christmas?
Although I enjoy every moment of working in the hospitality industry, it requires commitment. It can be very demanding. Balance is crucial, as people change their eating patterns regularly, so your menu needs to be updated to reflect these changes. We aim to keep our customers happy by keeping the food fresh but still delicious and exciting while maintaining our unique identity.
Most of them enjoy eating plum cake or fruit cakes, raisins pudding, pumpkin or apple pie, turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce during Christmas.
Q. Would you like to serve something new or stick to the classic recipes this season?
As a chef, I always want to do creative fusions and stick with authentic Christmas recipes.
Q. Are there any recipes for Christmas that are almost lost, and you would like to revive?
The lost recipe is his traditional Panettone, which we would want to do in our Christmas Brunch.
Meanwhile, I am sharing another unique Christmas dessert recipe. I hope readers will try it at home.
Ruby Rhubarb Valentino Mail
Creative Ruby Mail dessert, Image Source: Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre
Ingredients
Ruby chocolate mousse
- Sabayon-500gms
- Gelatin – 25gms (water for soaking 100ml)
- Cream – 500gm
- Ruby chocolate – 200gms
Rhubarb jelly
- 500 ml rhubarb
- 200 gm sugar
- 500 ml water
- 10 gm agar agar
White chocolate mirror glaze
- 250 ml water
- 450 gm caster sugar
- 450 gm liquid glucose
- 450 gm white chocolate
- 320 gm Milkmaid
- 175 gm cold glaze
- 100 gm gelatin
Shortcrust
- 450 gm butter soft
- 266 gm icing sugar
- 123 gm eggs
- 750 gm all-purpose flour
- Vanilla extract
Method
- Soak the Gelatin powder in chilled water and set aside.
- Make sabayon with egg yolk, sugar and vanilla essence and fold in the whipped cream and melting ruby chocolate.
- For jelly, grind the rhubarb in a food processor or grinder. Line a strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl
- Pour the juice into a saucepan, add sugar and, if desired, food colouring.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly
- Add agar agar powder, and bring to a full rolling boil
- Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly
- Remove from the heat; let stand for a few minutes.
- Skim off foam. Carefully pour the hot mixture into hot silicon insert moulds.
- Now pipe the ruby Mousse mixture into the selected silicon mould halfway, place the set rhubarb jelly insert in the centre, and fill it up with the remaining ruby mousse mixture
- Freeze the mousse until it sets properly
- For the glaze, put water, sugar and liquid glucose in a saucepan and boil it to 105 degrees centigrade
- Once it reaches the desired temperature, pour over chopped white chocolate and mix in cold glaze, milkmaid and bloomed Gelatin
- Mix in the required food colour and pour over the frozen mousse, and place over the shortcrust base made by creaming the butter, icing sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and flour
- Cut as required and baked
Garnish the finished mousse with white chocolate envelope garnish and enjoy the festive season.
