You can’t escape the sweets during the festive season, they’re bound to appear in prettily wrapped boxes, at taash parties and of course, the usual exchange of mithai. While these are things that are synonymous with Diwali, there’s always some scope for creativity, so instead of churning out the usual Indian sweets or ordering those liquerfilled chocolates, go in for something that’s a little different which will give both you and your guests a welcome break from the usual.

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Fruit trifle with rasgullas
Ingredients
250 gms of rasgullas
2 cups of vanilla flavoured custard
2 bananas, sliced
1 pear or apple, sliced
½ cup of seedless grapes
2 tbsp of mixed nuts
½ cup of berries
¾ cup of fresh whipped cream
Hot water

Method
Squeeze out all the syrup from the rasgullas and soak them in hot water for two hours, drain the water and cut them into halves.
Now take a deep, glass dish and arrange the rasgulla halves along the bottom of the dish, add some of the custard over this followed by the fruits, sprinkle some nuts on this and finish with a thin layer of cream. Repeat this until you get two layers for the trifle. Finally, evenly spread the whipped cream on top of the trifle and decorate with berries. Chill for about two hours before serving.
Note: Mix a couple of strands of saffron with warm milk and add this to the cream for a desi touch.

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Strawberry phirni shots
Ingredients
1 cup of rice, soaked overnight
1 litre of full fat milk
3 tbsp of strawberry puree (use fresh strawberries if you can find them)
¾ cup of sugar
½ tsp of cardamom powder

Method
Grind the rice to a coarse paste in a mixie, mix this with some cold water and keep this aside for a while. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan and when it is bubbling away, add the rice paste to this along with the sugar and simmer until the rice is cooked thoroughly and the sugar is dissolved. Just before turning off the flame, stir in the cardamom powder. Allow this to cool down and then refrigerate it for a couple of hours until completely chilled, add the strawberry puree to this and mix well. Pour into shot glasses and serve chilled.
Note: If you’re serving this for adults only, add a few drops of an almond flavoured liqueur to perk up the taste.

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Apple fritters with honey
Ingredients
2 red apples, cored and cut into slices
1 cup of maida
3 tsp of powdered sugar
½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
¼ tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
2 tbsp of honey
Some powdered sugar for garnishing
Cold water
Oil for frying

Method
Mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon powder and baking soda, use the cold water to bind the batter together (this helps to keep the fritters crisp). Dip the apple slices into this batter and coat them evenly, deep fry them in oil until they are cooked. Transfer the fritters on to a plate that’s lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil. Dust them with sugar and drizzle with honey just before serving.

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Churros with shrikhand
Ingredients
For the churros:
1 cup maida
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp of cinnamon powder
Oil for frying

For the shrikhand:
2 cups of yoghurt, drained and hung overnight
¼ cup of sugar
½ tsp of nutmeg powder

Method
Churros: Mix the water, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and sugar together, bring this to a gentle boil and allow it to cool down for a minute. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a vessel; create a well in the middle of this and slowly pour the hot liquid into it. Now mix it well to form a thick batter. Pour this into a piping bag with a big nozzle and pipe lines into hot oil, deep fry the churros until they’re golden. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle some cinnamon powder on them.
Shrikhand: Mix all the ingredients together and use an electric beater to combine them and achieve a thicker consistency. Refrigerate this for four to five hours before serving.
Serve the warm churros with the chilled shrikhand.

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Easy chocolate pudding
Ingredients
1 cup of dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp of butter
¾ cup of milk
3 tbsp of maida
¾ cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla essence
Whipped cream to decorate

Method
Melt the dark chocolate with a few drops of milk in the microwave or over a double boiler. Mix the butter, rest of the milk, sugar, maida and vanilla essence with this and pour the batter into a heat-proof, greased bowl. Now microwave on high for four minutes or bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius or until the pudding has come together, it should be a little wobbly in the centre but the sides need to be firm. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.