Goodbye summertime, hello Autumn! A chill in the air promises warm days snuggling in blankies with a hot cuppa and the sun in your eyes. Delhi winters are also the only time you can take the party outdoors and get cozy on a green, sunny patch or throw a frisbee around with your furry friends. As the festive spirit starts to wear off, we bring to you the perfect way to keep that cheer going-get a dose of Vitamin D while enjoying a picnic basket of treats, amidst the birds and the bees. If you’re wondering whether to take along a quick bite or big fat blowout, we put your food-woes to rest and have you picnic-ready with our selection of season-appropriate dishes.
Before we serve you the first course, we have a young superstar chef with her take on what makes a picnic the meal for this season. Janeya Khanna is one-half of the super duo behind Holy Belly with Rishi Bharadwaj. Janeya is a pastry goddess and Rishi, a master of meat. Both hail from Le Cordon Bleu academies and have created a singular eating experience where they work with the diners to create a menu that caters to their personal sensibilities. Here are Janeya’s tips for a winter’s day out.
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#DSSCRecommends: 5 Fabulous Picnic Tips From Cool Cat Janeya Khanna
1. The picnic basket should adapt to the time of day – afternoon meals would be funkier and snappier than an evening meal which would warrant a bit more sparkle. Think of the humble sandwich and fruity salads for the day and a Quiche Lorraine or a vegetarian Provençale Quiche for a night soirée.
2. When it comes to appetisers, learn from the French and carry what they do on drives and picnics – a French rillette. This is an exquisite pork jam which is best paired with a slice of homemade sourdough or focaccia. What gives this combo a unique flair is having it with pickled gherkins. If you want to indulge a bit of your sweet tooth, Holy Belly’s baguette with a piquant fig compote is a counter to the rillette.
3. Any suitors you care to dazzle? A garden picnic with that special someone deserves an evening just as exquisite. Be it a first date or the night you pop the question, going all out and hiring a butler for service and a chef to whip up a seven-course dinner, will make it a marvellous evening you’ll always remember.
4. Picnics are a full-blown event if you’re spending a day with lil’ ones. While they’re busy finding their footballs and skipping ropes to carry along, you can pack up a simple pasta salad with cheese ‘wiches and grilled sweet potato fries. The youngsters will adore you for bringing their faves out with them. Add chocolate chip cookies to the mix, and you’ll be their rockstar for a long while.
5. The last course of the meal, ta-da – dessert, has immense potential with Holy Belly’s kiwi-grape chocolate crepes and masala chai infused cake. Satisfy that sugar craving which is oh so much yummier in winters with their 70% dark chocolate orange infused brownie and their pumpkin spice cookies. For homemade fare, try your hand at a round of muffins, and you might just surprise yourself.
We know you can’t wait to bring in the fun by picnicking around, we help you get that frisbee flying with our picnic perfect select menu. Wearing the chef’s hat or a quick run to the store for packing that basket, we got you covered on all fronts!
A Salad Start
With an organic store in every nook of Delhi including some which deliver like this one, you have your pick of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits this season. It’s the perfect weather to go nutty with dry fruits and your options are literally limitless with leafy lettuce, robust rocket, colourful capsicum and meats from water and land. To begin with, we have picked two salads for you – one with a zing and one with a little yin to balance our yang. Carry along the Fennel, Crab & Orange Salad or the Thai Glass Noodle Salad (or both!) to get that picnic party started.
Amuse-bouche
Have a mélange of cheese to nibble on. Winter is coming, you need it: pick from nutty edam, chilli gouda, sour camembert, creamy burrata, intense emmental and caramel-esque manchego. Add on prosciutto, dry chorizo, pancetta and salami for meaty nutriment with your choice of bread – saltines, crostini, breadsticks, sliced baguettes. Add a healthy dose of salsas and jams and remember the olives. Slap on some pears, apples, melons and grapes to balance out the plate and this will be the easiest meal you’ll never have to make.
Entrées Galore
The outdoors and fresh air tends to bring out a vigour for life as does the smell of freshly-cut grass and sweet sunshine. It all adds to the appetite and we hope you’re sufficiently craving a real bite by now. We have two simple yet malleable dishes which are elegant plates in a rustic setting – the sandwich and the pie. The Mediterranean sandwich is high on the veggie quotient and the mini Mushroom Quiches are a divine indulgence and mega-easy to put together.
Sweet Endings
While some of us crave winters just to enjoy coffee in bed, sharing a sweet treat with a dear one that’s lovingly made is just as heartening. There is an amplitude of choices here and we have picked two desserts keeping in the mind the picnic palate. The first is the ever-loved brownie, but this version does not require an oven or oil and sugar is optional but the brownie is still delicious! The second is the smooth Strawberry Shortcake. Would you choose one or go for both?
A Tipple & Some Fizz
If you’re picnicking in your own backyard, you can grab that wine or champagne to accompany your meal. But if you’re dining in a garden out & about in a garden tucked away in a corner of Delhi, we encourage you to try out the Chilli Hot Chocolate. The potent blend will work with synergy to keep you cozy and your energy levels up.
We hope you’re now stocked up with all the ideas you’ll need for an ace picnic in the park. Safe to say, send us an invite on hello@theideaslab.com.
