BENGALURU: Back home in Paris, this is what Aurelie Lalande's Christmas festivities look like: Friends, family, a warm buzz of chatter, and a galette des rois (a 'king's cake' or puff pastry filled with almond cream) shared between everyone.
One lucky person in the room finds a little trinket or ceramic tile in their slice and gets christened king or queen, complete with a paper crown that is donned. Lalande, who has been in Bengaluru since 2016, may be miles away from France but she’s keeping this custom alive through traditional desserts she is offering this season.
The founder of Cafe Plume in Indiranagar has a special menu that also includes bredele or Christmas cookies, winter apple tart and buche. "There's no celebration in France without these yule logs of cake, filled with either chocolate-and-pear or lemon-and-raspberry flavours. It's had on Christmas eve or for lunch on December 25. The galette is a post-Christmas treat, relished in the first week of January," says Lalande.
Other expats in the city are also giving Bengalureans a taste of what Christmas is like in different parts of the world. Cookies are synonymous with this time of year but how about trying some melomakarona and kourampiedes? “These are the most traditional desserts of my country during Christmas,” says Kiki Petriti Prabhu, who was raised in Piraeus, near Athens, and moved to Bengaluru six years ago. She is also the owner of Marzipan Cafe and Bakery, where you can head to for a bite of these cookies.
“Melomakarona, or honey walnut cookies, have spices like cinnamon and cloves, and kourampiedes are made with ghee and almonds. Since Greek food is similar to Indian food in terms of ingredients, I haven’t had to change the original recipe. These desserts are just like what my mother and grandmother made,” adds Prabhu.
And what’s Christmas without mulled wine? But if you were in Mexico, you’d most likely have a glass of ponche instead. This seasonal special is being served at Chinita, and head chef and partner Candice Lock Mirchandani promises the drink will pack a punch.
"This Mexican Christmas punch has fruits like guava, apple, pear, tamarind and sugarcane, with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Instead of wine, they drink it with rum or tequila," explains Mirchandani, who hails from Malaysia and developed a fondness for Mexican cuisine during her 11-year stint in the US.
However, Chinita will serve a non-alcoholic ponche. "This drink can be quite warming for winter and is packed with vitamin C, which is perfect for the times," says Mirchandani.
There's a lot of love that goes into making the Christmas fare, more so because the yearning for home is stronger in these times.
Paula James-Scott, whose spontaneous trip to India 13 years ago turned into a permanent stay, may not be travelling to the UK this year but the aroma wafting from the goodies she has been making is comforting enough.
This baker has been whipping up batches of hot wine, gingerbread cookies and mince pies, which she sells through her venture, PollyHannah’s Kitchen. "In the Victorian times, mince pies had meat but now the traditional British Christmas pies, which go perfectly with coffee or hot wine, don’t. The filling is a blend of cranberries, currants, apples, oranges and seedless raisins, infused with brandy or whiskey," shares James-Scott.
The real magic is in the spice mix, which comprises cinnamon, mace, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and coriander. “Back home, we have a saying about how it is never too early for mince pies. In times like now, traditions help us stay connected.”
Flavours from world over
French connection: Galette des rois (puff pastries stuffed with almond cream or chocolate-and-pear), bredele (cookies), winter apple tart and buche (yule logs filled with chocolate-and-pear or lemon-and-raspberry). Contact Aurelie Lalande on 95919-42490. Price: Rs 320 - Rs 2,100
Greek goodness: Melomakarona (honey walnut cookies) and kourampiedes (butter almond cookies) are available for Rs 50 a piece at Marzipan Café and Bakery, Ulsoor
Packing a punch: Mexican ponche at Chinita, Indiranagar and Koramangala, is priced at Rs 150 (excluding tax). Also available on Swiggy
Easy as pie: Mince pies, mulled wine, gingerbread cookies, pecan brownies and more, available at prices that begin at Rs 150. Contact Paula James-Scott at 9560831518