Pooja Dhingra - The Big Book of Treats

When I look back to the day I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, it seems like Ive been on the clichd long journey, but also like Ive been caught up in a whirlwind. From discovering baking at home as a little girl to turning out macarons and cupcakes for thousands, the ability to whisk flour, butter and sugar together has brought me much, much joy and learning. I am a big believer in working hard towards making your dreams come true and when I see them unfolding in front of my eyes, I always say a silent prayer in gratitude. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to earn friends, supporters, fans and fame through baking. My work has brought me so much happiness but, more than that, what my staff and I turn out every day at the kitchen brings immense joy to the customers that support Le15whether they buy a choux pastry on their way home from work, order cakes for special occasions or ask me to set up counters at their weddings. Ive been fascinated with baking for as long as I can remember.

My first proper kitchen memory is from when I was seven years old. It was the day my aunt taught me how to make brownies. I was amazed that simple ingredients like eggs, butter, sugar and flour could create something so delicious and magical. As I grew older, I continued experimenting with desserts. I remember obsessively crushing biscuits and adding condensed milk and cocoa powder to them. I called it cocoa delight.

To me, baking is the only thing that makes perfect sense in a world that never isor can, or should beperfect. The kitchen at Le15 Ptisserie is my favourite place. I am at peace with the buzz of whisking and the aroma of baking. I have to confess that it still surprises me how much I feel at home in a kitchen, when it was never any part of my professional plans growing up. I quit law school to study hospitality management in Switzerland, where I started to discover who I really was. As an intern in a pastry kitchen, I loved the smell of chocolate cookies as they came out of the oven and, most of all, I enjoyed using my hands to create something beautiful and delicious.

That was when I knew what I wanted to do. So I moved to Paris to study at one of the best culinary schools in the worldLe Cordon Bleu. Its funny to think now that I didnt know what a macaron was until I ate my first passion fruit macaron in Paris at 21. My fondness for food also comes from the realization that flavours play on your palate and become memories. Now every time I have a passion fruit macaron, I am transported to that windy day in Paris, when I stood outside the pastry shop and bit into my prized purchase. At school in Paris, we learnt the importance of techniques, and witnessed different ways in which the same magic ingredients can be used to achieve such a huge variety of treats.

During my internship at a chocolate shop I absorbed the work ethic, the amount of time and effort that goes into running a business. My chef was the first person in the shop at 6 a.m. and the last person out at 8 p.m. every single day. I knew that this was the level of dedication I would need when I started baking professionally. When I moved back to India, I was so excited to try making everything that I had learnt in France.

But I had been away for five years and realized just how different things are in Indian kitchens. It wasnt only the difference between a professional kitchen and a home kitchen; it was the availability of ingredients, the weather, the equipment... well, everything! I started tweaking recipes for my home kitchen and, using mostly local ingredients, I managed to create some pretty amazing desserts. I started baking for friends and family and they loved everything that came out of the little oven at home. At the same time, I knew that if I wanted to contribute to the pastry scene in the country, I needed to take bigger steps and started looking for a kitchen space while working on creating a brand. My vision was clear: I wanted to recreate a piece of my life in Paris.

I wanted to make wonderful desserts, using the best ingredients I could find and serve happiness in a box. And that is how Le15 (named for the 15th arrondissement in Paris, the neighbourhood where I lived) was born. Writing The Big Book of Treats has brought one journey full circle for me. When I was 16, I wanted to bake cookies at home one day. My mother said that I couldnt use eggs on that day, and I had to look online for a recipe for eggless cookies. It was then that I wished I had a book with me that suited Indian kitchens and their traditions, which would tell me how to make something special for a birthday but also something ordinary to have with masala chai in the afternoons.

Heres the thing. As a baker I have two personalities. The first is when I am in the Le15 kitchen supported by fancy ovens, hi-tech equipment and a team to work with. The second is when I am baking at home with ingredients purchased from a shop around the corner, with no shiny equipmentonly my modest little oven staring back at me. But then, at home, not manyincluding me!have the time and the means to bake like a professional. And thats where this book comes in.

I have written this book as a home baker, but with a professional bakers exacting eye. The Big Book of Treats is steeped in my culinary philosophy: simple techniques, subtle flavours and comforting, delicious desserts that anyone can make. Baking is not a skill thats traditionally taught in an Indian kitchen and the idea behind this book is to help anyone at any age bake with accessible ingredients and easy techniques. You can choose to start with very approachable recipes, such as . However, whether you are beginning or continuing your own baking journey with this book, I really wish for each reader to experience that sense of achievement when you are done frosting a cake or baking the perfect tart. And, of course, that sense of comfort and happiness when you share it with friends and family and create memories that will come back to you every time you bake.

Good luck!