Utterly butterly Janmashtmi

Butter and Janmashtami can be said to be synonymous with each other, after all it is said to be the favourite food of Lord Krishna, who was born in Mathura on this day. Till date, the idol of Lord Krishna is bathed with milk on Janmashtami in Mathura.

Butter and Janmashtami can be said to be synonymous with each other, after all it is said to be the favourite food of Lord Krishna, who was born in Mathura on this day. Till date, the idol of Lord Krishna is bathed with milk on Janmashtami in Mathura and served a lavish chappan bhog complete with his favourite sweetmeats such as kheer, laddoo, shrikhand and of course, makhan mishri. Apart from the temple prashad, eateries also whip up lip smacking goodies made of creamy butter, milk and honey. Now, if that makes your taste buds tingle already, how about treating yourself to some buttery delights today! If you’re game to whip up a buttery treat at home itself, take a cue from these fun recipes by city chefs, and you won’t repent giving your traditional desserts a miss. Debasmita Ghosh

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Makhan bharwan appleIngredients5gm walnuts5gm raisins5gm almonds 5gm cashew nuts 5ml honey2-3 cherries100ml orange juice25gm butter 25gm sugar (25 gms)MethodCrush walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts and add raisins. Add honey to the nuts, and then add the cherries. Keep aside.To make the orange butter sauce, heat butter in a pan, slowly add sugar and orange juice, and heat it for five minutes. Keep the sauce aside.Core the apple and stuff it with the nut mixture. Roast the stuffed apple in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degree celsius. Take it out from the oven, place in a plate and pour the orange butter sauce over it. Garnish with orange slices. By chef Salil Chowdhury, Halfway House

Makhmali pineappleIngredients1 cup pineapple chunks1/4 cup semolina150gm sugar1/4 cup coconut chunks6tbsp ghee1/2 cup butter50gm raisins50gm cashew nuts2-3 elaichi

Makhan mishri samosa Ingredients500gm plain flour (maida) 250gm refined oil for deep frying200gm cream1tbsp curd250 gms mishri 50gm almondsMethodTo make the makhan, mix the curd in the bowl of cream, add little water, and beat well. You’ll soon get the butter makhan that separates from the whey. Take out the butter, add mishri and coarsely ground almonds. Knead the maida into a tight dough, and divide it into six equal portions. Roll out each portion into a thin circle. Cut it into two parts, take a semi-circle out and make a cone. Stuff the cone with the makhan-almond filling, and seal the edges to form a samosa. Heat oil in a shallow-bottomed pan and deep-fry a few samosas at a time on medium flame till they turn golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper, and serve it a bit cold.Recipe by chef Praveen Kumar, Et al- café + bar

Parsi butter kulfiIngredients4 cups milk4tbsp butter8 tsp sugar or to taste1/2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds1tbsp skinned pista (thinly sliced)1tbsp skinned almonds (finely ground)For sauce1 tbsp rose syrup1 tsp subja seedMethodTo make the sauce, add rose syrup and subja seed in a bowl and mix well. Set aside in a refrigerator.Pour milk in a wide heavy pan and bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Now lower the heat and cook the milk (keep stirring constantly) until it has thickened and reduced to about one cup. This will take about 40-45 minutes. Stir the sides of the pan constantly to avoid scalding. Now add the butter, sugar, nuts and cardamom seeds, stir well and allow it to cool. Pour the mixture into round ring moulds or Kulfi moulds. Cover it with plastic wrap or foil and freeze until set. Allow at least about six hours for it to completely freeze. Once the kulfi is set, remove it from the moulds. Slip each kulfi on to a dessert plate, cut across into three-four slices, and serve with rose and subja seed sauce. Recipe by chef Pawan, FIO Country Kitchen and Bar