Sweets – Other

Trifle

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Anything goes!  This was originally the leftovers from tea in England.  Some even put jello in it.  It is hard to make a bad trifle.

Ingredients:

  • 3 dz ladyfingers (or pound cake, or chocolate cake, or brownies, etc)
  • 1 c jam (flavor suitable for cake, pudding and fruit)
  • 1/2 c sweet wine, brandy, liqueur
  • 4 pkg (3.9 oz) instant pudding (flavor suitable for fruit)
  • 6 c cold milk or even better 1/2 and 1/2
  • 1 qt (4 c) whipping cream – whipped
  • 1/2 c powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp almond/vanilla extract
  • 6 – 8 cups fruit – berries, cherries (frozen), peaches etc.
  • 1 c toasted almond slivers and/or chocolate shavings

Directions:

  1. Prepare the fruit – wash, dry, slice, whatever.
  2. Whip the cream.
  3. Add the powdered sugar and almond extract.
  4. Split the ladyfingers.
  5. Spread with jam.
  6. Put them back together (if using cake, make little cake sandwiches)
  7. Line the bottom of a straight sided glass bowl with half the ladyfingers.  Make sure they go all the way to the sides of the bowl so they will show when done.
  8. Sprinkle with half the wine
  9. Mix the instant pudding with the milk/1/2&12.
  10. Layer half the pudding on the ladyfingers.  Again, go all the way to the side of the bowl.
  11. Spoon on half the fruit.  If using berries make sure they are up on the side of the bowl.
  12. Spoon on half the whipped cream.
  13. Place the remainder of the ladyfingers, pudding, fruit and whipped cream in layers in bowl.
  14. Sprinkle the almond and  chocolate on top.

Serves:  30  You want a LARGE (like 12 inch) tall glass bowl for this.

Source:    A riff on Sunset Cook Book’s recipe

 

 

 

 

Grilled Rum Pineapple

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Appetizer or dessert – take your choice.  Save the rum for your next MaiTai.

Ingredients:

  • 3 ripe pineapple peeled, cored and quartered lengthwise
  • 3 c rum
  • toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Slice each quarter into 10 pieces.
  2. Place in a large bowl or self-sealing bag.
  3. Add rum.
  4. Let marinate for 6 hours, or overnight.
  5. Place on a rack over a rimmed pan (lined with foil for easy cleanup).
  6. Place under broiler for about 5-8 minutes, until lightly browned.
  7. Serve on tray with toothpicks.

Serves: 120 pieces

Source: I made it up.

If camping, slice the pineapple into rings.  Grill.  Cut into quarters to serve.  For a not-quite-as-good non-alcoholic dessert, just slap the pineapple slices on the grill, turn and top with a little brown sugar.

Bananas Foster

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The secret to success is to have all your ingredients and equipment on hand and measured before you start.  It all goes together rather quickly.  You could also use peaches, apples or pineapple.  But then you could not call it Bananas Foster could you?

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 stick butter – salted
  • 1 c  dark brown sugar – packed
  • 3/4 c spiced rum
  • 5 whole bananas, sliced into thick slices
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Heat 1/4 c rum in a small sauce pan for flaming.
  2. In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
  3. Add brown sugar and stir together.
  4. Add remaining 1/2 c of rum – room temperature and then stir in the bananas and spices
  5. Mixture should be bubbly. (The steps so far should take less than 2 minutes; this is quick!)
  6. Remove rum from stove and light it with a barbecue lighter
  7. Pour rum rum over bananas and let the flames die down *Be careful with the open flame*
  8. Stir to combine
  9. Serve sauce immediately over vanilla ice cream or French toast. (Sauce does keep in the fridge, though. If there is any left!)
Serves: 6
Source:  Based on a recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Desert Fondue

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One recipe suggested using a slow cooker (it will take hours!) especially for a large party. Don’t limit yourself to the suggested dippers – anything goes!

Ingredients:

  • 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
  • 2 Tab water (or try coffee for a little kick)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and butter with condensed milk, cinnamon and water.
  2. Cook and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Add vanilla.
  5. Serve warm with a variety of dippers:  angel food cake, dried apricots, strawberries, ‘nilla wafers, apples, bananas, maraschino cherries, etc.

Serves:   6

Source:  Eagle brand

Cheesecake in a Rectangular Pan

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This process involves some math – volume and area, but is useful if cooking for a crowd.

The largest challenge you will face is that cheesecakes are notoriously difficult to release from the pan, and they are not very strong. The traditional crumb crust is also not very strong, so it doesn’t provide much support or structural integrity to the slice.

This is why spring form pans are normally used for cheesecakes: they let you leave the cheesecake on its base plate, and just remove the ring. The crust sits on the base plate until service.

If you want to try it in another pan, to facilitate getting it out, I suggest that you:

  • Consider using aluminum foil instead of parchment, as it is easier to shape. Make a sling for the cheesecake, so that the foil comes up the edge of the pan. You will want to do this in both directions.The sling will be used after baking to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. You should then be able to carefully peel the foil back from the edges, and slice it. (Many brownie recipes recommend this technique.)
  • Consider a sturdier crust than a crumb crust, perhaps a full shortbread, that will survive the lifting from the pan, and be strong enough to support the pieces when you cut them.
  • Changing the shape of the pan may change the surface area of the cheesecake, and thus its depth, which will affect the cooking time. You want to choose a new pan that is as close in area to the pan anticipated in your recipe as possible, so that the baking time and temperature do not have to be adjusted too much. Getting the perfect balance of time, temperature, and thickness of the custard is a tricky matter.If your original recipe calls for a 9″ spring form pan (which is fairly typical of cheesecakes), that is approximately 64″ square inches. So you would choose an 8×8″ square pan to have approximately the same area.A complication is that spring form pans tend to be taller than square cake pans, and cheesecake recipes often take advantage of this fact. If all of your filling will not fit (with some reasonable room for a tiny amount of expansion (cheesecake should not really expand when cooked), you are going to have to adjust the baking time and possibly the temperature.Your cheesecake should be done when it jiggles slightly at the center, and has an internal temperature measured in the center of approximately 180-185 F. You will need an instant read thermometer to measure this.If you are changing the depth or the area, you will definitely want to monitor your cake closely for when it is done.

Another approach would be to make individual cheesecakes or tartletts in a tartlet mold or lined muffin tin.

Source:  Seasoned Advice

 

Eric’s Almond Tort

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Eric, Margie’s brother, made this one year for Christmas Eve.  It was wicked good!  You an  alternately use blackberries and blackberry jam etc.

Crust Ingredients:

  • 2 c flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 8 Tab butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 Tab milk
  • 1 tsp lemon peel grated
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten

Filling Ingredients:

  • 7 oz almond paste, refrigerated
  • 3/4 c powdered sugar
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 6 Tab unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 1/4 c flour

Topping  Ingredients:

  • 1 jar seedless raspberry jam
  • 2 T Kirsh or other liquor
  • 25-30 oz raspberries

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Mix flour, sugar and salt.
  3. Add butter, milk, lemon peel and egg yolks to the dry ingredients and mix into a smooth dough.
  4. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
  5. Grate almond paste in food processor with fine grater.
  6. Change to sharp blade and add powdered sugar.
  7. Process until fine crumbs similar to grated Parmesan are formed.
  8. Cream butter and beat in egg yolk and almond extract.
  9. Stir in almond mixture.
  10. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
  11. Fold into almond paste mixture.
  12. Stir in flour one-half cup at a time until smooth.
  13. Roll out the refrigerated dough to 1/4-inch thickness between sheets of wax paper.
  14. Press into buttered and floured 10-12 inch tart pan with removable rim.
  15. Carefully spread almond mixture into crust.
  16. Bake for 25 -30 minutes until crust is lightly brown and filling is just beginning to brown at edges.
    Cool completely.
  17. Gently melt jam add liquor, thin if needed with lemon juice and cool slightly.
  18. Spread in thin layer on top of tart.
  19. Arrange berries densely on top.

Serves: 10-12 inch torte pan

Source:   Ask Eric

Double Chocolate Souffles

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These can be prepared ahead.  Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 week, do not thaw frozen soufflés before baking.  Makes for a really impressive (and delicious) dessert.

Ingredients:

  • 2 T (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 c whole milk
  • 8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
  • 6T sugar, divided
  • 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 4 large eggs separated
  • 1/4 t salt
  • Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Directions:

  1. Butter eight 3/4 cup ramekins or custard cups.
  2. Dust with sugar.
  3. Arrange dishes on rimmed baking sheet.
  4. Melt 2 T butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
  5. Add 2 T flour.
  6. Whisk until the mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute.
  7. Increase heat to medium high.
  8. Gradually whisk in 1 c milk.
  9. Cook until mixture thickens and boils, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes.
  10. Remove from heat.
  11. Add bittersweet chocolate, 4 T sugar, and unsweetened chocolate.
  12. Whisk until melted and smooth.
  13. Pour soufflé base into large bowl.
  14. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
  15. Whisk egg yolks into soufflé base.
  16. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in medium bowl until soft peaks form.
  17. Gradually add remaining 2 T sugar, beating until stiff and glossy.
  18. Fold 1/4 of whites into soufflé base.
  19. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions.
  20. Divide soufflé mixture among prepared ramekins.
  21. Preheat oven to 400°.
  22. Bake soufflés uncovered on rimmed baking sheet until puffed and centers move slightly when baking sheet is shaken gently, about 17 minutes for fresh or chilled soufflés or 22 minutes for frozen.
  23. Server chocolate soufflés immediately with sweetened whipped cream.

Serves:  8

Source:  A mystery!  Found it in my “desserts” file.

Grand Marniar Souffle

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Somewhat last minute but sometimes a delay between dinner and dessert is good.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c milk
  • 3.4 c sugar
  • 1/3 c flour
  • 2 oz butter (2 Tab) melted
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 7 egg whites
  • 2 oz Grand Mariner

Directions:

  1. Beat egg whites until stiff.
  2. Heat milk.
  3. Add sugar.
  4. Stir and bring to a boil.
  5. Mix melted butter with flour.
  6. Stir into boiling mil,.  Blend until a thick creamy consistency.
  7. Off the fire, add the Grand Mariner.
  8. Beat the yolks until lemon color.
  9. Add to mixture stirring continually.
  10. Gently fold in beaten egg whites.
  11. Place a foil collar around a souffle dish. (“Paste” it on the outside with butter. )
  12. Butter the inside of the souffle dish.
  13. Dust the inside of the dish with sugar.
  14. Pour into buttered, sugared souffle dish
  15. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes with oven door closed.
  16. Serve immediately.

Serves: 6

Source:  Off the Grand Mariner bottle via Bob Dell-Imagine

Note:  Related hits from the internet.  I have not tried them.

  1. For Fail-Proof Meringue, Add Acid! This is not required by any means, but if you have trouble getting your egg whites or meringue to peak properly, you can always add a little lemon juice or cream of tartar to help strengthen the structure of the mixture.
  2. Don’t Overfold: The tendency with many people is to really whip the whites into the base mixture. This is a mistake. You want to gently fold in the whites only until the point where the streaks of white disappear. Until you do this a few times, you’ll probably feel as though you’re under-mixing. Chances are: you’re not.
  3. Use Fresh Room Temperature Eggs: Your eggs will act the way you want them to if they’re room temperature. Whipping cold eggs is harder work and you won’t get as much lift.
  4. Level off the Top of Your Soufflé With a Knife: You don’t have to do this, but you know that magical flat top that soufflés have when you order them at restaurants? That’s achieved with the swipe of a flat knife on the top of your souffle.
  5. Use the Bottom Oven Rack: Generally speaking (although each oven is certainly different), the bottom oven rack is what you want to use to achieve lift. So for anything light and airy that needs rise, bake on the bottom.

Weeknight Tip: Did you know that you can make a soufflé ahead of time and bake them off when you’re ready? This is a great party tip — make them the day before, cover and refrigerate them and take them to room temperature before you bake them off. They can be refrigerated for up 2 to 3 days.

Mock Devonshire Cream

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Traditionally served with scones at high tea, this makes a great topping for many pudding type deserts or fresh fruit (even jello).

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 c chilled whipping cream.

Directions:  

  1. Mash cream cheese until soft.
  2. Add cream and blend thoroughly.

Serves:  Makes about 1/4 c – enough for 2 desserts.

Source:   Bobby Westling at Girl Scout Camp Scherman

An Even More Wicked Mock Devonshire or Clotted Cream

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 c butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 c sour cream

Instrictions:

  1. Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth.
  2. Add butter and beat.
  3. Add sour cream and beat once more until smooth.
  4. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for about a week. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before serving.

Servings:  4

Source:  Pioneer Woman, May 22, 2016

 

Cream Puffs

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Do not be afraid – it is not that hard.  And so impressive!  Have the ingredients at room temperature.  We stuff 2 inch puffs with a mixture of crab, hard boiled eggs, celery, and mayonnaise for a fancy hors d’oeuvre.  

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c flour – sift before measuring
  • 1/2 c milk
  • 1/4 c butter (1 stick)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 400°.
  2. Heat milk.
  3. Add butter.
  4. Bring to the boiling point.
  5. Add the flour and salt.
  6. Cook and stir (with a wooden spoon) until the batter leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
  7. Remove from fire.
  8. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to blend well before adding second egg.
  9. Chill the dough for at least half an hour.
  10. Place a spoonful of batter in 2 inch round on a greased tin, heaping them well in the center.   Allow 2 inches between the puffs.
  11. Bake them at 400° for 30 minutes.
  12. Reduce heat to 350° for 5 minutes.
  13. Test the puffs by removing one from the oven.  If it does not fall i is done.
  14. When the puffs cool cut a gash in the side of each puff and fill them with sweeten whip cream, custard, or ice cream.

Serves:   Makes 6 large puffs or eclairs or 30 1 inch puffs.

Source:   Joy of cooking.

Notes:   When you double the recipe, use only one extra egg. (today’s eggs are larger than when the book was written)

We used a 1 oz scoop to make the cocktail puffs.  Baked them 20 minutes at 400° and 10 minutes at 300°.  Cut the top almost off to fill.  2 time the recipe made 40 puffs.