KRITI SHETTY

Head Chef

What’s your favorite dish to eat and why?

KFC, because that’s the most ordered food amongst the kitchen teams when it’s time to celebrate special days (thank goodness for combo meals).

What are you cooking up today? Tell us more about the dish. For Ramadan I wanted to explore traditional flavours and come up with a fusion plate.

I’m making a mascarpone cardamom mousse with pistachio sponge, infused with orange blossom water and star anise. I will add raspberry coulis on the side along with pistachio praline and KITKAT®crumble.

What are some of the most recent important food trends you can tell us about?

Classical tarts and entremets are all over Instagram. I think French desserts in general be it Choux pastry or croissants are the way to go now.

What would you advise suppliers and foodservice professionals who are looking to offer their best to the market and meet demand?

To stay consistent. It is very rare for chefs to change brands that they use unless the quality, or the delivery of service isn’t what they expect anymore.

When did you know you wanted to become a chef?

Cooking and flavour combinations have always been my passion. I learnt this from my father - but to be sure that this is what I decided to study pastry arts. Chef Nandheetha Varadaraj was my chef at that time and the kind of discipline she had and the way she moved in the kitchen made me very curious. After only finishing a week in her kitchen I knew this is where I belonged. I started falling in love with the smallest details of the kitchen.

How would you describe your cooking style?

I’m spontaneous. I think I even dream about food. When I’m left with scraps or leftovers in the kitchen, I have to create something. Most of the time they have been one of my best creations.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be doing?

I have a degree in theatre and speech. So, if I was not a chef, I think I would be exploring that. I’m very sure I would somehow wind up being in the kitchen again.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US HERE:

Making Delicious Possible Hcnme

Pistachio Souffl

PREP 50 mins COOK 8 - 10 min

Ingredients

DRY STORE

• 200 g Sugar

GENERAL STORE

• 50 g Corn Starch

• 200 g Pistachio Paste

• 100 g Roasted Pistachio

FROZEN ITEMS

• 1 pcs Vanila pod by Tahiti

• 100 g Milk Chocolate

• 100 g Dark Chocolate

• 500 g Chocolate Ice Cream

DAIRY

• 500 g Milk

• 170 g Egg white

• 2 g Egg White powder

• 50 g Butter

NESTLE PRODUCTS

• 200 g KITKAT® Spread

READY IN 1 hr

Directions

Soufflé base

> Heat up milik in a pot until boiling, infuse one vanilla pod inside for 20mins

> Strain, heat it up again unitl warm

> Mix sugar and corn starch, add the mixture in

> Stir with whisk on midium heat for 1mins

> Cool down in blast chiller for 5mins

> Blend the mixture until smooth

Chocolate garnish

> Melt chocolate, spreat out in between two transter sheet, shape with pastry cutter,

> Keep in chiller

Soufflé mix

> Mix soufflé base with pistachio paste

> Whip egg white to hard peek, add sugar by three times

> Mix meringue with soufflé base

> Add KITKAT® Spread to use as crispy stuffing

Cooking

> Preheat oven at 180 degree

> Bake in oven for 8-10mins

Present

> Finish with chocolate garnish, chocolate icecream and toastesd pistachio

Your favorite quote:

Treat others how you would like to be treated.

Can you give us a glimpse of your career journey so far?

In the strict sense, my career started in my dad’s kitchen when I was 6 years old. I spent all my summer and winter holidays there learning and practicing how to perfect Chinese desserts. I later spent 6 years in France and became a French pastry chef. In Dubai I then worked as head pastry in an Italian restaurant. Now I am going back to Paris again. I can’t wait to leave my mark, with the inspiration I got from the GCC.

What’s your favorite dish to eat and why?

Dumplings because the taste reminds me of family. Being Chinese, not only do we eat dumplings during Lunar New Year, we have them every time when my family gets together. My mom makes the dough, my brother chops the meat and vegetables,