NE FEATURES BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, NOV 28
The frills and decorations are being prepared to be put up, there’s a pleasant nip in the air and the smell of freshly baked cake and confectionary samples wafting through the air. Ringing in the Christmas-New Year festivities, ITC Narmada, a Luxury Collection property of ITC Hotels Limited hosted the Christmas Cake Mixing Ceremony at the hotel on Thursday.
Keenan McKenzie, Cluster General Manager, ITC Narmada along with Gaurav Lavania, Executive Chef, ITC Narmada, and his team, hosted the Christmas Cake Mixing ceremony over high tea, at the western lawns of the hotel. Patrons visited the hotel and participated in the Christmas Cake mixing ritual.
Soaking dry fruits, fruit peels and aromatic spices in juices about a month in advance makes for the perfectly delectable Plum cake traditionally prepared for Christmas. The patrons present at the ceremony witnessed and experienced the soaking and mixing of aromatic spices such as cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg with candied orange and ginger peel, stewed apricots, toasted almonds, walnuts, dates, raisins and black currants in a mix of orange and pomegranate juice and mixed together, with great enthusiasm and joy.
Patrons participating in the event were received at ITC Narmada with warmth. After the ceremony, they indulged in Christmas festivities and enjoyed gorging on the cake and confectionery.
Christmas delicacies that will be part of the specially curated Christmas menu at the hotel, next month, were also presented over high tea. These include a choice of pot stickers — water chestnut and garlic chives and scallions and turkey pot stickers, in addition to a range of pancakes with refreshing flavours such as Mango turmeric and avocado, grilled pineapple and hoisin-pickled vegetables, juniper braised red cabbage, peanut and coriander salsa wrapped in warm savoury steamed pancakes. This is besides a range of scrumptious desserts, including cinnamon, chilly and chocolate cream pots with nougat and marshmallows, blackberry, and chocolate basque flan and fresh fig and strawberry frangipane tart.
