Arts
DIY little Christmas treats this season!
Christmas season is a busy time for Shanaz De Lanerolle as she juggles her orders for Anna’s Kitchen and prepares to travel overseas for her husband Ishan De Lanerolle’s Christmas concert in Singapore, all of which is in addition to her full-time role as a mother to eight-year-old daughter Khaliah. However, a love of baking and cooking has fuelled her commitment to keep on going, even during the season. “When you are able to feed people and they enjoy your food, there’s nothing like it,” she says, adding that few accolades can compare to this sense of accomplishment.
Shanaz, who earlier worked at Emirates Airlines has loved baking since she was young. However, it was only when she left the airline after her daughter was born that she decided to go into business with ‘Anna’s Kitchen’, under which she has published a cookery column and provided for many satisfied customers. She hopes that more people will take to the kitchen this year so that they can feed their guests something which they themselves have made. To her, a perceived lack of ability is not an excuse. “Just try it out – with the recipes I’ve given you, you can’t go terribly wrong,” she says, adding that if it’s made with love, the love will transfer into the food. In her book, a busy schedule is also not an excuse to avoid the kitchen. “It’s all about planning – with proper planning cooking is not difficult,” she says, giving an example of how she has cooked for 40 – 50 people by herself.
Financial constraints are not limiting either in her opinion – a little bit of creativity and imagination is all it takes to create a sumptuous meal. “There are three kinds of whipping cream. There’s the expensive kind that you can freeze, the well known brand and then there’s a powdered packet for Rs. 150 that you can make by adding milk. They don’t taste too different, but the pricing is quite different. Baking is like grocery shopping in that way – you buy what you can afford and use that,” she says simply. You can decide what you want to do and how you want to do it, she says – whether it’s making things festive by adding icing, or fruits or chocolate to making desserts more complex by adding layers.
Here are four simple recipes that Shanaz hopes people will try out at home. “They are really simple but they look like you’ve really done something complex,” she says. She hopes that everyone will take to the kitchen this season to make yummy treats for their families and guests. Happy Christmas cooking!
Creative cook: Shanaz De Lanerolle
| Mini Christmas puddingsAll these puddings are another way of serving your Christmas cake. Easy to assemble and looks so pretty on a platter. Ingredients Method |
| Strawberry SantasThis is a real cute way to adorn your Christmas dessert table and is suitable also for older kids to make. All you need are two ingredients and a little time. Ingredients Method |
| Smoked salmon canapésIngredients One brown or white baguette sliced into about 15 slices 8 ozs cream cheese 1 tsp Dijon mustard (cream) 15 bite sized pieces of sliced smoked salmon 2 tsps finely chopped parsley A bunch of fresh dill leaves \ Method |
| Christmas cookiesThese colourful cookies are a lovely addition to your Christmas table and can even be made to adorn your Christmas tree! Ingredients (cookies) Method |