Chef Jehangir Mehta
Aix
2398 Broadway
New York, NY 10024
212.874.7400
Lavender cotton candy…handmade chocolates infused with herbs…salty caramel tapioca tart with pomegranate molasses and orange ice cream - no one tests the limits like pastry chef Jehangir Mehta. His Indian heritage provides endless inspiration when he's coming up with unorthodox, brilliant combinations, adding exotic pinches of tamarind, saffron or charoli nuts. Fruits and spices are his favorite ingredients, and he has a gift for transforming them into fun, delectable conversation pieces.

It all started in Mumbai, where Mehta loved assisting his grandmother in the kitchen. She and the rest of his family encouraged him to pursue his interest in pastry, and he went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Stints with celebrity chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Rocco DiSpirito quickly followed. Today, Mehta is happy working with his culinary soul mate, Didier Virot, at Aix on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Together, they serve uncommonly good food to a bevy of adventurous eaters.

Mehta's chocolate panna cotta ignites the soul as he conjures up infinite possibilities that are wonderfully matched with vanilla malt sauce, a creative yet familiar combination that you wouldn't normally think of doing.

Meet Chef Jehangir Mehta
Friday, September 24th at 2pm
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY

Click here for more recipes
Corinne Sidselrud
Patrick Lassaque
Giordano Marchese
Kristine Bender
Leon Baker
Jehangir Mehta
Pierre Reboul


Chocolate Panna Cotta with Vanilla Malt Sauce

Serves 6-8


For Chocolate Panna Cotta
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (at least 60% cacao)
2 gelatin sheets1, bloomed in cold water until soft

1. Bring to a boil heavy cream and milk with the sugar, and immediately remove from heat; pour into a bowl containing chopped chocolate and gelatin sheets. Whisk mixture until smooth.
2. Cool mixture down to just below room temperature. Pour into four 4-ounce molds. Place molds in refrigerator until ready to plate.



For Vanilla Malt Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup malt
2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
2 gelatin1 sheets, bloomed in cold water until soft

Boil cream and evaporated milk with malt and vanilla beans. Add presoaked gelatin and whisk together. Take immediately off heat and cool.



For Assembly
Remove chocolate panna cotta from mold and place on the center of a plate. Pour the vanilla malt sauce around the panna cotta and serve.



1Not as readily available as granulated gelatin is leaf (or sheet) gelatin, which comes in packages of paper-thin sheets. Four sheets of leaf gelatin equal one package of powdered gelatin. Leaf gelatin must be soaked longer than granulated gelatin and is therefore not as popular. This product is often called for in jelled European dessert recipes. It can be found in some gourmet and bakery supply shops. – Source Epicurious.com