Sweets – Other

Caramel Sauce Oceania

by // // No Comments

We would check out the desserts on the ship lunch buffet and plan lunch around how many desserts we could eat with caramel sauce.  Sooooo good!

Ingredients:

1 ½ c sugar
¼ c water
1 ½ c heavy cream
5 Tab unsalted butter, room temperature (1/3 c)
Pinch of Fleur de Sel (sea salt)

Directions:

  1. Pour the sugar into a large saucepan.
  2. Stir in water.
  3. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to completely dissolve the sugar.
  4. Continue to simmer without stirring until the sugar has melted and is a rich amber, about 15 -25 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Slowly stir in the cream. Do not add too quickly or the caramel will bubble up and burn you.
  7. Stir in the butter and Fleur de sel.

Serves: about 2 cup

Notes: If the caramel seizes, return the pan to medium heat until it melts again.

Source: Taste of the World – The Food and Flavors of Oceania Cruises

Gorp (Trail Mix)

by // // No Comments

An essential on all outings with children (or children at heart).

Ingredients:

  • M&Ms
  • peanuts or other nuts
  • small pretzels
  • raisins or other dried fruit
  • sunflower seeds
  • “sweet” cereal (Fruit Loops, etc.)

Directions:

Mix and eat.

Serves:  To make  1/2 c per person – take the number of people, divide by 2 times the number of ingredients.  This will give you the number of cups of each ingredient.  (for 6 people, 5 ingredients —  6 ÷(5×2) = 1/2 cup of each ingredient.
Vary ingredients to taste -or what is left in the cupboard.

Source:  20 years of field research

Cream Cheese Flan

by // // No Comments

This traditional dessert look more difficult that it is.  It is best served at room temperature.

Ingredient:

  • 2 c milk
  • 1 1/2 c sugar
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla (or rum extract)

Directions

  1. Heat oven 350°.
  2. Heat milk until hot, but do not boil.
  3. Pour into blender container.
  4. Add 1/2 c sugar and cream cheese.
  5. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and vanilla.
  6. Add 12 c milk mixture.  Then pour egg mixture into blender.
  7. Blend at low speed until thoroughly mixed.
  8. Heat remaining 1 cup of sugar over medium-low heat until liquefied and medium amber in color, stirring occasionally.
  9. Coat the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with caramel (melted sugar).
  10. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan.
  11. Set in another pan of hot water at least 3 inches deep.
  12. Place on middle rack of oven and bake 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
  13. Remove from water bath.
  14. Cool
  15. Turn out onto serving plate.

Serves:  8

Source:  Mardi Gras restaurant, Long Beach (long gone!)

Nell’s Lemon Dessert

by // // No Comments

My go-to dessert – keeps for a week in the freezer!  Make it fancy in lemon shells, easy in a pan and dish it into bowls.  (Nell would refreeze the lemon shells and use them all summer!) You can vary the amount of lemon juice if you like it tart.  

Ingredients:

  • 1 pt whipping cream, not whipped. (2 cups)
  • 1 c sugar
  • 5 Tab lemon juice (or more, I taste it and adjust)
  • 1 Tab lemon rind

Directions:

  1. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
  2. Freeze overnight.

Serves:  10 – 11 lemon shells or 6 sherbet glasses

Source:  Nell Hinshaw

Shortcake

by // // No Comments

Remember when we didn’t buy those little cake things for strawberry short cake?  This is what your mother made.  Your grandmother made the biscuit from scratch!

Ingredients:

  • 2 c Bisquick
  • 34 c cream (or 1/2 c milk plus 1/4 c melted butter)
  • 2 Tab sugar

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450°.
  2. Mix ingredients with a fork to a soft dough.
  3. Beat vigorously 20 strokes.
  4. Knead 8 – 10 times on a floured board (you can use Bisquick).
  5. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thick.
  6. Cut with floured 3 inch cutter.
  7. Bake on ungreased sheet about 10 minutes, or until nicely brown.
  8. Split crosswise.
  9. Spoon sweetened fruit between layers and over the top.
  10. Top with cream, sweetened whipped cream or sour cream.

Serves: 6

Source: Bisquick Cookbok

Baked Caramel Corn

by // // No Comments

You know that pretty cookie/candy tin you saved – fill it with this for a great (cheap) hostess gift.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c butter
  • 2 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c corn syrup, light or dark
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 6 qts popcorn, popped (about 1 1/4 c raw)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 250°.
  2. Melt butter in the largest pot you have.
  3. Stir in the sugar, syrup and salt
  4. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  5. Boil, without stirring for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove pot from the heat.
  7. Stir in the soda and vanilla.
  8. Gradually pour over the popped popcorn, mixing well.
  9. Turn into 2 large shallow greased baking pans.
  10. Bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  11. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  12. Break apart and store in a tightly covered container.

Serves:  Makes 5 quarts:

Source: Sunsational, Junior League of Orlando-Winter Par, FL

Rum Cream

by // // No Comments

This is the rum cream that goes on the Sweet Potato Soup.  It should be good on the Corn Soup or any dessert that needs dressing up.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c heavy cream
  • ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp grated lemon zest
  • 5 Tab good quality dark rum
  • pinch of sugar

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
  2. Add the lemon juice and zest, rum and sugar.
  3. Continue whipping until the cream is almost stiff.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves: 10

Source: The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion, By Patrick O’Connell, Washington, Virgina

Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce

by // // No Comments

Not a diet dish, but delish!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups milk
1 (1 pound) loaf soft French bread, torn into small pieces
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins, or more to taste (optional)(could be chocolate chips – maybe?)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Coat a 13×9-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup melted butter.
3. Pour half and half and milk over bread in a large mixing bowl.
4. Let soak for 10 minutes before gently stirring.
5. Stir eggs into the bread mixture until incorporated.
6. Add sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and raisins respectively, stirring each addition into the mixture before adding the next.
7. Spoon bread mixture into prepared baking dish.
8. Bake in preheated oven until bread mixture is firm and pudding-like, about 50 minutes.
Praline Sauce
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Directions:
1. Stir 1/2 pound unsalted butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar together in a heavy saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low.
4. Stir pecans into the cream mixture, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
5. Pour over bread pudding to serve.

Servings: 16

Source: allrecipes.com

Note:  For KOA we used a generous mix of dried cherries, cranberries and raisins.  And, as sometimes happens, we forgot to put the pecans in the pudding so put them in the caramel sauce.  Still great!

Mudslides

by // // No Comments

Just a wonderful nightcap/dessert!  The adult milkshake.

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz        Kahlua
  • 8 oz        rum
  • 1/2 gal   chocolate ice cream

Directions:

1. Place liquor in blender.
2. Add small portion of ice cream.
3. Blend.
4. Add rest of ice cream in 2 batches.

Serves: 6-8

For single serving:  1 oz Kahlua, 2 oz rum, 2 c ice cream

Source: Carol Chesarek, Stanford 1983

Notes:  Infinite variations are possible, ie. Amaretto with vanilla ice cream (avalanche), Drambue with chocolate or vanilla ice cream (Loc Ness), Tia Maria with chocolate ice cream (Revolution),  etc.