The Italian Market Place by Chef Subrata Debnath

There was a masterclass of Chef Subrata Debnath at Taj City Center, Gurgaon on last Saturday with chef's expertise in regional Italian cuisine, and I learned a classic Tiramisu from scratch. Foreign desserts are always a difficult task for me but the chef had made it so easy for me with his detailed description and demonstration. 

Masterclass followed by the chef table of Chef Subrata showcasing traditional epicurean delicacies of Calabria, Tuscany, Sicily, Puglia and Campania. Inspite of being a hardcore nonvegetarian, I recommend the pizza with truffle cream and aged parmesan as "a must try dish" in this 10 days culinary extravaganza started from 9th of this month to 19th feb'18 at their restaurant  Culina 44. 

Pizza with truffle oil and aged parmesan

smoked turkey breast , olive , jalapeno calzone

It was a sunny and warm day and the antiplasti with fresh fig , melon slices . arugula with aged balsamic was very refrshing . 

Prosciutto, melon slices , fresh figs, arugula and aged balsamic

With a brief interaction with the chef , got to know that having  almost 25 years of experience in career , Chef has started his journey from Taj Bangalore and after working in best hotels across 10 countries in south asia and middle east, he is now leading a team of 60 odd chefs and culinary experts at one of the Taj's iconic hotels .

On my curiosity to his best dish , he said he loves preparing rustic Italian fare and "Lamb bolognese" is one dish which he always loves to cook.

With ingredients like Tuscan , Puttanesca sauce , Truffle oil , Taggiasca sauce etc  used in the menu , I was wondering the take of Delhi NCR people  where most of them know Italian food as only pizza and pasta with lots of cheese and white or red sauce .  I was curious to know Chef's opinion , to which he said " The Indian culinary world has progressed phenomenally over the past few years and it is encouraging to see a deepened interest towards authentic cuisines - both international and local . Italian cuisine is all about fresh flavours and quality ingredients and it is much appreciated in the Indian culinary world ".

What I understood of Italian cuisine with my discussion with Subrata is,  there is minimal use of spices and the flavours are delicate , aromatic and easy on the palate  For the "Italian Market Place ", his preparations are all about rustic and regional Italian . Chef is using the freshest ingredients available and the special menu is more than just mozzarella and pasta . For example the "Beetroot Orzottto" is a classic made with pearl barley while  "Tiramisu classico"  is made the authentic way using pasteurised eggs and mascarpone

Beetroot barley , mascarpone cream risotto

Rockstar of the day - Classic Tiramisu

When the masterclass was going on , I could see how passionately chef was answering all doubts on making a classic tiramisu. They say keep your passion alive and here is the chef who left his engineering and graduated from hotel school.
I wish Chef Subrata Debnath my best wishes and thank Ananya Mukherjee , who heads the PR and marketing of the hotel , to introduce me with this "Persona Eccellente" 





To head for "The Market Place by Chef Subrata
- Culina44
Park City Center
Gurgaon.