Crispy creamy crusty

CHENNAI : Whisks, mixing bowl, some flour, butter, eggs, and sugar can give Divya Eapen the adrenaline rush, which no adventure sport can. The home baker has been baking for 10 years. Seven years back, she began her label ‘Tangerines’. ‘Customised wedding cakes, birthday cakes, celebration cakes, bread, cookies, French macrons, quiches and more’, reads her Facebook page, which has over 11,000 followers. Divya’s journey into baking and satisfying the sweet tooth of Chennaiites began as a hobby after becoming a mother. “We were in Goa. After I had my daughter,  I wasn’t doing much apart from taking care of her. There was a bread bakery next door and that got me interested in baking,” she recalls. Eventually, she began baking breads.

Gradually she started making drool-worthy cakes, pastries, quiches and pies. “Initially, I was into bread baking. From garlic to milk bread, I used to do it all,” she beams. Her biggest breakthrough was when her baked goodies were sold in Sandy’s, and Ox and Tomato, two famous restaurants in the city. “Until then I was baking only for my family and close friends. After my bakes made it to the shelves of two popular restaurants in the city, I began getting orders from people who had become fans of my dishes,” she says.

The textile designer specialises in wedding cakes, French macrons, and hand-frosted /hand-painted cookies and cakes. “I am a self-taught baker...I learnt it all by trial and error. About five years back, there weren’t many people in Chennai who made French macrons. I wanted to try something different and started making them. So, that became one of my signature dishes. I get several orders for hand-painted cakes and cookies. They are unique,” says shares.

You’d think that her inspiration would be an A-list pastry chef. But, Divya says that her inspiration is her mother. “She used to make amazing fish pies and I was inspired by that,” says Divya, who has followed her mother’s footsteps, when it comes making delicious savoury pies.  “My family prefers my savoury bakes over my sweet ones. Especially the pork and mushroom pie,” she says. She grew up in Coonoor, amid tea estates and cottage houses in the Nilgiri hills. She dreams of opening a cottage style café, outside Chennai, as a reminiscent of her childhood. “My childhood was about roaming around in our tea estate, having a beautiful view of the cottages in Coonoor and eating in small time cafes. I want to open a café that looks like one of those cottages there. The way I lived,” she smiles.

Sweet corn quiche recipe
Ingredients for the crusT
● Flour: 150 g  ● Butter: 75 g  ● Salt  
● Cold water (enough to bring the 
dough together)
Instructions
● Sift flour and salt. Rub in the butter.
● Add water a little at a time to bring the dough together. Refrigerate for 
15 minutes to chill the dough.
● Roll out the dough to the size of the tart pan using. Transfer to the pan, trim and crimp the edges. 
● Blind bake the shell for 
15-20 minutes.
Ingredients for filling
● Onion: 1, chopped  ● Sweet corn kernels: 175 g  ● Butter: 20 g  ● Eggs: 2, lightly beaten  ● Milk: 150 ml  ● Salt and pepper to season
Instructions:
● Melt butter. Saute onions until they become soft. Add in the corn. Transfer to the baked base. 
● To the lightly beaten eggs, add in the milk. Season this mix and pour over the filling. Bake until set.