A sweet sinful summer affair

Fancy a dessert made with vegetables or grains or rose-infused delicacies?

It is these and more that are going to dominate the dessert trend report this summer, say experts.

Ayush Agarwal list some dessert trends to watch out for this summer:

* Outrageous ice cream desserts: Continuing the all-time favourite desserts trend, ice-cream desserts will remain one focus for this summer. To kick-off with, try surprising seasonal flavours like watermelon, muskmelon, rose, strawberry and mango lassi. One can also try an inverted chocolate ice cream cone with vanilla bean mousse ice cream, salted caramel flavoured ice-cream desserts with walnut brownie loaded and topped with cherry loads.

* Citrus and tropical flavours: It becomes nearly impossible to imagine the scorching heat of summer without lots of refreshing citrus and tropical flavours. Give the chocolate flavours a miss and try more refreshing desserts in citrus and other tropical flavours.

Desserts loaded with lemon, grape fruit, and kaffir lime will be seen in the form of salads, jellies and sorbets.

* Rose-infused delicacies: Indian summer dessert trends are absolutely incomplete without rose-infused desserts and drinks. Dry, crisp and sometimes with subtle notes of fruit, rose pairs up perfectly with any savoury or sweet treats. Desserts infused with rose don’t have a strong piercing flavour, so it is always a good decision of adding a competing flavour to the recipe.

* Use of vegetables: Vegetables like cucumber, beetroot, and tomatoes will be used in desserts in many forms such as sorbets, parfaits or panna cotta. Cucumbers and tomatoes have a very refreshing taste when combined with mint, coriander and some citrus flavours.

* Use of grains: Grains like Chia, Foxtail Millets are used in place of regular flours. These grains are now gaining precedence with diners, and give healthier and different textural aspects to the desserts as well.

* Jarred cakes: This striking new trend is all set to have your sweet fix in an attractive jar. A new fad will now have you popping into ganache, fresh fruit, red velvet cakes – all in a glass jar. Jarred cake not only looks quirky and attractive, it also catches the attention of those people who also keep an eye on their weight and wallets, since they are small and cost less.

Jarred desserts like Banoffee Pie, Fruit Triffle, mocha mud pudding and Raspberry Pannacotta is a must try this season.

* Mini desserts: Going mini is widely popular these days, not just to save calories, but also for integrating a greater variety of flavours and textures to a dish. Since people are looking for more styles and diversity to the menu, a trend like this provides more room for creativity and more unique pairing of components. This summer is the best time to pamper yourself with different mini desserts.

* Rolled ice cream: Dessert lovers can always satiate their taste buds with rolled ice-creams in some surprising flavours of tender coconut, musk melon, papaya-pineapple, chickoo and litchi.