Saffron is the world's most expensive spice and with good reason.

Extracted from the dried stigmas of the purple saffron crocus, it can take between 70,000 to 250,000 individually, handpicked flowers to make just one pound of saffron. Luckily, only a small amount is needed to lend color and subtle flavor.

To make 12 servings of chef Peter D'Souza's Benarasi Cashew Saffron Rice Pilaf, for example, the amount of this Indian seasoning jewel is less than a pinch.

Try the earthy taste of saffron yourself at this year's 11th annual IndUS of Fox Valley celebration of Indo-American Friendship and Goodwill. Themed "the Glorious Tradition of Indian Textiles and Jewelry," the event is slated from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton.

An array of colorful and artistic jewelry and textiles will be on exhibit at the fundraiser, which attracts upward of 400 guests, limited only by space. The meal will feature new creations by D'Souza complimented by wine. Following the meal, a cultural extravaganza will showcase the dance, music and theater offerings native to India.

D'Souza, who for the past 24 years has taught food and beverage classes at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, again returns to prepare the meal. He also has tweaked the names of items on the menu.

Benarsi, a city famous for its silk, lends its name to the saffron rice, for example. The Moti Shammi Kebab with Mint Chutney appetizers give a nod to the word moti, meaning pearl. And sona, which in many Indian languages means gold, perfectly describes the colors of the Sona Mango Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce.

"If someone tries to Google the recipes they probably would not be able to find them," said Mona Dugal, who co-chairs this year's event with Viju Rao.

The IndUS banquet committee, which decides on the menu before submitting it to D'Souza, also includes Janice Dugal, Kurt and Christine Wanless, Shekar Rao and Usha Singh, many of whom attended a tasting event Oct. 25 to make any last-minute adjustments to the menu.

Indian food offers brilliant colors and a variety of different flavors created by marrying a host of spices, D'Souza said.

"They just dance in your mouth. In the end what separates it from other cuisines is it is initially spicy but then it fades away, which means it's flavorful. And that's the beauty of all these different flavors, which blend together in your mouth."

Paper Valley sous chef Chris Gosz, who will help prepare the banquet with D'Souza's wife, Debra, said Indian cooking differs with American cooking in that oil is heated and then spices are added to release all their flavors.

The heat in Indian foods not only tastes good, it also causes a person to sweat, which in India acts as a natural cooling agent, D'Souza explained.

IndUS of Fox Valley is a nonprofit organization led by more than 100 volunteers dedicated to promoting Indo-American friendship and goodwill by serving the community through social, cultural, educational and charitable activities.

"We had been living here, but we realized there's not a great deal of awareness about who we are and where we came from," IndUS president Sandhya Sridhar said. "We felt the need to create that awareness and also promote goodwill and friendship. After making it a second home, we wanted the next generation to grow up with a sense of pride in their culture and heritage.

"We thought one way to do that was to build bridges with the local community. Being a minority community we felt it was our responsibility to create that awareness."

IndUS also holds outreach educational activities and events celebrating diversity and participates in charitable work assisting and empowering those in need locally and internationally.

"It is not only developing the Indo-American culture but also to do the charity work for the disadvantaged people," Rao said. "That's why we are doing all these things."

Cashew Saffron Rice

Yield: 12 2-ounce portions

½ pound Basmati rice

1/8 cup vegetable oil

14 ounces hot water

Salt, to taste

Pinch of saffron

1½ ounces roasted cashews