Category: Dessert – Eat dessert first, Life is uncertain

Eat Dessert First – Life is uncertain. This saying was on a packaged cake I purchased 20 years ago. As I have gotten older, it has taken on deeper meaning or at least my understanding has increased.

  • Pie Crust

    1 1/2 cups flour
    1/4 cup sugar
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 cup cisco

    You can also mix half butter and crisco, but I like crisco 100%.
    Water about 3-6 Tablespoons
    Great for Quiche and sweet pies!

    Flaky, light and not too sweet. Perfect.

    Lemon Meringue Pie. Good for you. Prevent Scurvey.
  • Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

    Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

    by Sandra Nickerson on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 4:26pm
    I love these cupcakes. I loved mixing them, filling them and making the meringues. Most of all, I loved eating them.

    The cake is moist and tender with a light lemon flavor from zest that is stirred into the batter. It is possible that lemon juice would have added to the intensity, but I don’t think that it would have been necessary since the cupcakes were filled with lemon curd. In fact, as you eat the cake, you will come across a bright burst of tart-sweet lemon in the center; more lemon flavor isn’t even necessary. The meringue makes a nice change from more traditional buttery frostings, too. It is light enough not to take away from the flavor of the cake, but it adds a bit of extra sweetness and a delightful look. And it also gave me an excuse to use my kitchen torch to brown the peaks.
    I used a cooked meringue for these, so they would stay stable at room temperature for several hours, though they can be finished and refrigerated for 24 hours. If you don’t have a small kitchen torch, just place the cupcakes on a baking sheet, top with meringue and put them under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

    Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes
    1 cup cake flour
    1 cup all purpose flour
    2 tsp baking powder
    ½ tsp salt
    ¼ cup butter, very soft
    1 cup sugar
    2 tbsp lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)
    1 large egg
    1 tsp vanilla
    1 cup milk, room temperature
    Preheat oven to 375F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
    Sift together cake flour, ap flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
    In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg thoroughly, followed by vanilla. Alternate milk and flour in three additions, ending with flour.
    Evenly distribute in prepared pans.
    Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
    Remove to a wire rack to cool.
    Makes 18 cupcakes.

    Once the cupcakes are cool, fill a metal-tipped pastry bag with lemon curd (recipe follows, or you may use store-bought) and pipe into cupcakes. Poke the tip of the pasty bag 1/2-1 inch into the top of each cupcake and squeeze about 2 tsp lemon curd into it. You might not use all the curd.

    Meringue Frosting
    3 egg whites
    ½ cup sugar
    ¼ tsp cream of tartar
    Set a glass or metal bowl over a sauce pan with an inch or two of boiling water in it (i.e. use a double boiler) and beat egg whites in it until foamy. Add in cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not yet at soft peaks. Stream in sugar until meringue reaches fairly stiff peaks. Spread on cupcakes with a small knife or offset spatula.
    Brown with a blowtorch or place on a baking sheet under the broiler until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

    Lighter Lemon Curd
    (adapted from Chocolate and the Art of Low Fat Desserts)
    1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
    1-2 tsp lemon zest
    5 tbsp sugar
    1 egg, room temperature
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, dissolve sugar into lemon juice. Add zest.
    Lightly beat egg in a small/medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour lemon/sugar syrup into the egg. Beat for 2 minutes (only 1 if you’re using a mixer), then transfer back into the saucepan.
    Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
    Transfer to a small container and store in the fridge.
    Makes 2/3 cup.

  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

    Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

    by Sandra Nickerson on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 3:54pm
    Mix your favorite brownies, mix your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. (Or buy them).
    Spread the brownie mix on the bottom layer in a parchment lined pan, drop the cookie dough by tablespoon on top of the brownie mix. Flatten the cookie dough into the brownies. Bake 350, 40 minutes… or until cake done.

    Perfection! Serve with coffee or even vanilla ice cream.

  • Baked Pears with Vanilla Ice Cream

    3 Tablespoons Walnut Oil or butter but remember the Walnut adds a richness that is exceptional.)
    6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
    2 Pears: halved, cored, peeled
    1/2 C Chardonnay

    Mix ingredients in an oven proof pan or frying pan.
    Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or fork tender.
    Baste several times with sauce.

    Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream

    Heaven, I am in Heaven

    Simple, Elegant, Delicious.

    Denny, I made the pears we did in the cooking class. You should definately try this recipe.
    Serves 4, but very easy to double or triple this recipe. Great for a crowd.

    If you have leftovers, serve over cottage cheese in the morning for breakfast.

  • Bread Pudding Muffins

    Bread Pudding: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Lightly grease with butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (23 x 33 x 5 cm) heatproof baking dish. Place the baking dish into a larger roasting pan that has enough room to fill with water.

    For Custard: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until thick and lemon colored (about 4-5 minutes) (when beater is raised the batter will fall back into bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. Then beat in the melted and cooled butter and half and half (light cream).
    Assemble: Place the bread cubes and fruit (if using) in the baking dish. Carefully pour (or ladle) the prepared custard over the bread cubes until completely covered. Press down the bread cubes so they are covered with the custard.
    Prepare a water bath. (A water bath is used to provide temperature protection for the egg custard.) Carefully pour in enough hot water so that the water is halfway up sides of the 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Another way to judge whether the pudding is fully baked, is to gently press down on the center of the pudding. If any custard comes up to the top, the pudding needs to be baked a little longer. Remove the bread pudding from the water bath and cool slightly before serving.
    Can be served warm or cold with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and a dollop of softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
    Makes one 9 x 13 bread pudding (serves about 8 – 10 people)

    Bread Pudding:
    9 – 10 cups of bread cubes, (crusts left on or removed) cut into bite sized pieces
    Custard:
    4 large eggs
    1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
    1 1 /2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    4 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
    4 cups (960 ml) half & half, milk, light cream or a combination thereof
    Variation: Can replace 2 tablespoons of the milk/cream with 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum.
    Note: Use breads (or a combination thereof) like French, Broiche, Challah, Croissant, Italian, or Panettone. The bread can be fresh or stale and crusts can be left on or removed. You can also use day old scones.
    Fruit: (Optional)
    – 1 large peeled and cored tart apple, diced
    – about 1 – 2 cups of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
    – one large diced banana and 2 ounces of chopped white or dark chocolate
    – 1 cup sultanas (raisins)
    – 1 cup of chocolate chips

     
  • Lemon or Lime Cool Whip Mousse

    If you are avoiding Cool Whip and other frozen whipped toppings because they contain hydrogenated oils and trans fats, try Tru Whip, an all-natural frozen whipped topping available at Whole Foods Markets. It has no trans fats or hydrogenated oils.

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    Lemon Cool Whip Jello Mousse

    • 3 3 oz. packages of sugar-free (or regular) lemon Jello
    • 4 cups boiling water
    • 1 9 oz. container of sugar free, fat free or regular Cool Whip
    • 1 12 oz. container of frozen sugar free or regular lemonade

    Pour boiling water into a large mixing bowl. Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add frozen lemonade until well blended and all ice crystals have dissolved. Cool in the refrigerator until thickened, but not set (about 2-3 hours).

    Remove Jello mixture from refrigerator and beat in Cool Whip, a little at a time, with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed. When all the Cool Whip has been beaten in, pour mixture into a tall glass serving bowl and chill in refrigerator until set, about 4 hours

  • Julia Child’s Cherry Clafoutis

    Julia Child’s Cherry Clafoutis

    Baking my Black and Blue Berry Clafoutis

    I have heard many descriptions for this dish, from pancake to pudding. My goodness, just say crepe! That is the taste and texture. It is a crepe dish. Instead of making a bunch of crepes, you make a crepe casserole. And thinking of this makes me also realize it would be great with a mushroom cheese filling served along a nice salad. I guess any filling for a crepe could be used. How exciting! A savory clafoutis. I have to put that on my to do list!

    For things like clafouti you can’t go wrong with Julia Child’s recipe. While this serves 6-8 people for dessert, it also makes a wickedly indulgent breakfast for 4!
    Cherry Clafoutis

    Julia Child’s Clafoutis  (kla-foo-TEE)
    serves 6-8

    1 1/4 cups milk
    1/3 cup sugar
    3 eggs
    1 Tablespoon vanilla
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup flour
    3 cups cherries, pitted
    1/3 cup sugar
    powdered sugar

    In a bowl mix the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour with your stick blender. Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7 or 8 cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in the oven until a film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread the cherries over the batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to an hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch baking dish, 1 1/4 inches deep. Coat with granulated sugar; tap out excess. Whisk eggs, yolk, and flour in a medium bowl; whisk in creme fraiche, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt.
    2. Arrange cherries in prepared dish. Strain batter over cherries. Bake until browned around edges and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve warm with creme fraiche.

    Clafouti is best warm, so bake it just before you serve dinner. Scoop it into bowls, with a spoonful of creme fraiche or bake it up and have it for breakfast in the morning!  

    Clementines, Blackberries, Raspberries, Cherries all are great in this crepe like dish with fruit!

    Blackberry Clafoutis
  • Arroz con Leche – Rice Pudding

    Arroz con Leche – Rice Pudding

    Serve as dessert or for breakfast in the morning

    Abby would make this for the kids for breakfast and they would go crazy for it.  It is still a favorite.  I tried to make it on the stovetop like she did, but invariably I burn it. Nothing smells as bad a milk and rice.  Yuk.  I stick to the oven method. The classic recipe is with raisins, but they make it too sweet for me, so I omit them.

    4 to 6 servings

    • Milk — 4 cups
    • Short-grain rice –1/2 cup
    • Cinnamon stick — 2 broken into pieces
    • Salt — pinch
    • Raisins — 1/4 cup (Optional, I like mine without raisins)
    • Sugar — 1/2 cup
    • Butter — 2 tablespoons
    • Vanilla — 1 teaspoon
    • Zest of one orange
    • freshly ground nutmeg (garnish)

    Method

    1. Place the milk, rice, cinnamon stick, orange zest, salt and sugar  in a medium oven proof bowl and set into oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours.  Stir every 20 minutes. 
    2. Add the raisins if you are using them, vanilla and nutmeg and bake for another 20 minutes. Stir often to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Adjust sugar to taste and serve hot or cold, with some ground cinnamon or nutmeg and orange zest to top as garnish.

    Variations

    • Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rico), or Arroz-Doce (Brazil): use coconut milk in place of regular milk.
    • Short-grain rice, like arborio or Valencia rice, is best for rice pudding as it gives the dessert a creamier texture, but regular long-grain rice can be used to good result too. A little more rice can be added if you want a firmer pudding. If the pudding gets too thick, just add a little more milk.
    • Sometimes water, cream, sweetened and condensed milk or evaporated milk is substituted for part of the regular milk. Just make sure the total amount of liquid adds up to 4 cups. And adjust the amount of sugar as needed.
    • Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum when you stir in the butter and vanilla if you like.
    • Some recipes call for stirring in 2 beaten egg yolks at the end before adding the butter and vanilla. The heat of the pudding will cook the yolks, make it creamier and give it a pale golden color. (I like mine eggless.)