ACK 10.5: Kasturi sandesh

Kasturi sandesh

Fancy Indian cheese dessert

Our Gita-nagari farm in Port Royal, Pennsylvania has received several awards from the Dairymen's Association for having the best herd of Brown Swiss cows in the state. At the dairymen's banquet, the Hare Krsna display table steals the show with milk confections such as this delicately flavored sandesh, sometimes called "royal sandesh."

Preparation and cooking time: 40 min

1 1/4 lb (550 g) paneer
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
3 pinches saffron powder
2 tablespoon grated pistachio nuts
1 teaspoon rose-water
1 small red rose (optional)

Make basic sandesh as described in the previous recipe. Flavor it by kneading in the ground cardamom seeds and powdered saffron. Shape the sandesh into a flat cake. Lightly score the surface with a fork, sprinkle the rose-water and ground pistachio nuts over the top, and gently pat the pistachios down.

When it's cool, cut it into squares. If you like, decorate each piece with a rose petal.