The book has 30 recipes, including the La Folie café menu, Classroom favourites as well as contributions from home chefs Kalyan Karmakar (Kolkata hakka noodles), Amrita Kaur (Seetalphal kheer and jowar crepes) and Shriya Shetty (Kori rutti and chicken sukka). "They are all friends of the café. We were able to launch the book within two weeks of the lockdown and 82 copies have been sold so far. From a honey glazed fig and feta tart, to learning to temper chocolate, the book literally brings the café home, that is if you're willing to put on an apron and get your hands dirty.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.81%

AAP 42.19%

INC 25.00%

Submit

View All In Poll

Log on to theclassroombylafolie.com to purchase the book
Cost Rs 1,000

Nachni chips(Makes 80)

Ingredients

200g bread flour
300g nachni
110g salt
10g garlic powder
10g white sesame
90g butter
250g water
10g onion powder

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixer till it forms a dough. Rest the dough for half an hour. Sheet dough between two pieces of paper till there's 1.5 inches on the dough sheeter. Cut into triangles and bake at 150°C for 10 to 12 minutes. Relish with dips of your choice.

Sanjana Patel

Le 15 Cafe Cookbook – From our kitchen to yours

On May 1, Pooja Dhingra announced the closure of her four-year-old Le 15 Café in Colaba. "We took the hard call of cutting off the savoury section from the business. When I announced the closure, I was flooded with messages of how much the café and food would be missed. The space had earned a cult following of its own. To carry on that legacy, we decided to have a cookbook of our menu favourites for people to try out at home," says Dhingra, who roped in her executive chef Tejashwi Muppidi to co-author the book.

In two weeks, they had to re-assess the recipes to be home kitchen-friendly. "I had a staff of 30 at the café, and we are still figuring out how many we can retain. The e-book became an idea to support them. All earnings will go to them," she said.

The book, titled Le 15 Café Cookbook — From our kitchen to yours, has 50 recipes. "Cooking in restaurants is different from home cooking. We have a section called building blocks where we offer recipes for our sauces, pickling (created by chef Pablo Naranjo Agular), followed by salads and our all-day breakfast items. I have added a few desserts, too, like the hot chocolate, salted caramel, waffle pancakes, milk cake and Audrey – the gluten-and-sugar-free cake.

"This was a cathartic process for me. Shutting the café has not been an easy decision. It had to be done to keep the other parts of our business afloat," shares Dhingra. The book takes the reader through the story of the café. Dhingra talks about nursing a dream for a café since the age of 16 and how she put out a post as a message to the universe. "A friend got in touch saying her father had a space in Colaba. When I saw the high ceilings and the glass windows, I knew this was it. I couldn't afford the space so I decided to do a savoury section for which I convinced Pablo on my seventh attempt to help me set up here," recalls Dhingra.

Log on to shop.Le15.com
Cost Rs 550

Quinoa salad

Ingredients

Method

Make the dressing in a large bowl by whisking lime juice, salt and olive oil together. Add quinoa, mint leaves, coriander leaves, basil leaves and mix well to coat with the dressing. Place the salad in a serving bowl. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta and roasted quinoa.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news