Shahi Tukhra

Description
Bread roundels served on a bed of saffron-flavoured rabri, the Indian version of bread pudding. Serves: Four.

Ingredients
For the rabarhi (rabri):
 * 350 ml milk
 * 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
 * 1 drop kewra essence

The bread:
 * 4 (1.4 cm thick) milk bread slices
 * ghee to deep fry the bread
 * 350 ml milk
 * A few strands saffron

The syrup:
 * 135 gm Sugar
 * 1 drop kewra essence
 * -- To garnish:
 * 4 almonds, blanched and sliced
 * 4 pistachios, blanched and sliced
 * A few strands saffron, soaked in 1 tsp lukewarm milk
 * 2 sheets silver varakh

Directions

 * 1) To prepare the rabarhi: Put milk in a pan, bring to a boil, lower the heat and then keep, stirring constantly, until milk is reduced to 125 ml and acquires a granular consistency. Remove and pass through a fine mesh soup strainer into a bowl, add cardamom powder and kewra essence. Mix well and refrigerate.
 * 2) To prepare the bread: Remove the crust and cut into roundels. Heat ghee in a kadai and deep-fry the roundels over medium heat until golden brown and crisp. Drain and keep aside. Break the saffron strands with pestle or back of a spoon. Put milk in a large, flat, thick-bottomed pan. Add saffron and bring to a boil. Remove and keep aside.
 * 3) To prepare the syrup: Boil Sugar with 70 ml water to make syrup of one-string consistency, removing scum at regular intervals. Stir in the kewra essence. Keep warm.
 * 4) To prepare the tukhra: Soak the fried bread in boiled milk, placing the roundels 2.5 cm apart. Put the pan on heat and simmer until milk is almost absorbed, turning once, very carefully, with a spatula, ensuring the bread does not break. Pour the warm syrup over and cook over low heat for two to three minutes until bread absorbs the syrup.
 * 5) To assemble: Make a bed of thin saffron rabarhi (the method is similar to the thickened rabarhi made for the tukhra, only it is thinner and has saffron) on individual plates. Carefully remove and arrange tukhra over it, spread equal quantities of rabarhi on top, garnish with nuts, sprinkle saffron and cover with silver varakh. Serve warm.