Milk & Cardamom (Hetal Vasavada)

One of the only collections of Indian desserts on the market, this book explores the incredible flavors of sweet staples everyone should know, along with new twists on traditional treats.

Former MasterChef Season 6 contestant Hetal Vasavada, nostalgic for the desserts she grew up with, shares a versatile selection of classic Indian recipes and creative interpretations. These desserts are more than one-note sweet treats; they’re complex creations, relying on a wide variety of spices, nuts and fruits for incredible flavor. Readers will learn to work with superb combinations like pistachio and rose, chocolate and ginger, fennel and almond, citrus and sesame and more. Hetal makes it easy to create unbelievable treats with simple instructions and easy-to-find ingredients.

Readers new to Indian sweets will be introduced to traditional rice puddings, lassis and biscuits. Those already familiar with the go-to treats will be delighted to discover Hetal’s riffs on the classics. She infuses European and American favorites with Indian flavors, as in Mango Lassi French Macaroons and Pomegranate Curd Brownies. She also creates fun twists on Indian desserts, such as Thandai Cake Rusks, which combine a popular Indian tea cookie with the amazing flavor of thandai, a spiced beverage popular during festival season.