Chef Anna Polyviou’s power is contagious. The favored Pastry Chef from Australia has been exploring numerous Indian cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, and lately got here to the nationwide capital for a particular excessive tea at The Claridges, New Delhi. Chef Anna is aware of learn how to mix sophistication with punk vibes, and the identical involves life in her dishes. Whether or not it’s the candy rose mousse filled with unbelievable layers of strawberry lychee compote, champagne gel and pistachio dacquise; or the golden tarlet with fromager custard, caramelised onion, and heirloom tomatoes — Chef Anna is aware of learn how to give a novel edge to each dish.
When the chef works on crafting her desserts, she does so with utmost focus, focus and readability. Her love for meals normally, and desserts particularly, might be gauged very quickly. Nevertheless, what Chef Anna loves essentially the most pleasure is feeding individuals all issues candy, and bringing a large smile to their faces once they benefit from the bursting and refreshing flavours of her desserts.
With the revealing of this occasion, Lutyens Deli, nestled inside The Claridges, has launched its new excessive tea expertise. The menu is fastidiously made by the cooks to please everybody who tries it. It is a particular deal with for anybody who loves scrumptious meals in a elaborate setting.
We spoke to Chef Anna to study extra about her journey, her love for desserts since childhood, her ideas for budding cooks and way more. Learn on to study extra in regards to the celeb chef’s pleasant insights into the culinary world.
Excerpts From NDTV Meals’s Interview With Chef Anna Polyviou:
1. What’s the better part about being a pastry chef?
With a smile on her face, Chef Anna says, “I believe one of the best half is the chance to make individuals pleased once they have a candy deal with. You understand, such as you noticed, everybody’s getting excited. It is an expertise like no different and makes individuals really feel actually particular once they’re consuming it. I believe that is actually what I like about it.”
2. What are the challenges to being a pastry chef that maybe no different chef faces?
“The burden, the waistline is unquestionably a problem,” Chef Anna jokes, including on a critical word, “But additionally with savoury, you realize, you possibly can at all times regulate it and repair the issue. While with candy, that is it. Like, you probably have weighted it fallacious or one thing, you possibly can’t repair it, you possibly can’t return to it. You’ve got to start out over.”
3. What’s your favorite color for a dessert?
Not a giant fan of dark-coloured desserts, Chef Anna shares, “I like berry colors, so I just like the pinks and the purples. As a result of you do not need your dessert to be too darkish. That is at all times like darkish goodies and stuff, not a lot. I like contemporary tropical colors. We see mango is a yellowy color after which berries are like a pinkish-reddish color. So I like these two areas. It pops out and it will get thrilling. However I additionally love utilizing pure inexperienced herbs to stability it out very effectively. And in addition edible flowers. I actually like flowers, they’re stunning.”
A take a look at Chef’s Anna Polyviou’s excessive tea menu at The Claridges, New Delhi.
4. With an increasing number of individuals embracing a vegan or gluten-free food regimen, how does it problem you as a pastry chef?
Sharing her contemporary expertise from India, Chef Anna stated, “I believe it’s actually essential. Like, you realize, for instance, I got here to India and Conosh have been internet hosting me and have organised all these various things like a masterclass, however it needs to be eggless. And I used to be like, oh, okay, however it’s not a foul factor, it is simply the best way society is turning into, and we have to adapt and we have to meet the necessities of our company. I believe that is actually essential, and I believe this time round I will study that. So we have achieved totally different workshops, totally different masterclasses with Conosh, and we made certain that it was eggless, after which if anybody had dietary necessities, we attempt to meet them.”
5. Do you bear in mind the primary dessert you ever made?
Taking a visit down her reminiscence lane, Chef Anna shared, “It might have been with my mum as a result of she made me within the kitchen after I by no means needed to be in there. I simply bear in mind her making muffins, after which she would not let me lick the bowl and I used to be very upset and he or she’ll take it away from me.”
Speaking a couple of particular dessert made for her, Chef Anna added, “However I simply bear in mind after I was an excellent lady, she would make me a custard with cinnamon on prime, in her glass Greek bowl.”
“I bear in mind the scent, I bear in mind the truth that she used to make it for me after I was good, which was not typically,” she joked. “So after I did get it, it was a deal with. I believe that is why I actually love custards.”
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6. What are your views on Indian desserts?
“I’ve tried so lots of them and I like them. We went to an attractive lodge once we first got here to Delhi, and the pastry chef was Indian. And I at all times love seeing Indian pastry cooks in India. I believe it is actually essential as a result of for us in Australia, it was at all times the Europeans would come, and I at all times needed to see those who dwell in Australia to be doing it,” she emphasised.
Sharing her newfound love for mangoes, she provides, “And I am a giant fan of mangoes now due to mango season and every thing ought to have mango in it. That is actually good to see.”
Chef Anna Polyviou
7. For those who ever had to surrender one dessert for the remainder of your life, which one would that be?
Figuring out the place to attract a line, Chef Anna expressed, “I do not like savoury and candy collectively. I actually am humorous about that. I do know typically it actually works, however I can not course of it. A candy, for me, is a candy. I do not need to have a savoury merchandise that I do not like.”
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8. What could be your recommendation to budding pastry cooks?
Sharing her unfiltered recommendation, Chef Anna stated, “I believe for me, it is actually essential to be a sponge, you realize, to soak up as a lot as you possibly can data, even be round like-minded individuals, encompass your self with individuals that you simply encourage to be and other people that basically encourage you. I believe it is a very troublesome business typically, and having individuals that basically assist you and love you and encourage is de facto essential. However do not suppose you realize all of it. All of us do not know all of it. Simply study, study, study, study. I nonetheless study every single day. I nonetheless ask the questions, I nonetheless learn books, I nonetheless ring up a good friend. So, that is actually essential.”
