Posts filed under 'Dessert'
Recipe of the Week – Easy Berry Tart
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Easy Berry Tart
I was baking some tart shells to take on our next trip to New Jersey when my neighbor said she was having some family over for dinner yesterday. She doesn’t bake and I had the shells made already… so I decided to put a quick dessert together to send down to her.
This is a really easy dessert to put together. If you have the tart shell made, you can make them and freeze them for a later use, this tart takes about 10 minutes to to construct. Using a box of pudding and pie filling and two cups of milk; you create a dessert that looks great and taste even better. A nice way to salute the passing of the summer season.
Easy Berry Pie
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | recipe | tart shell |
| 2 | Tb | raspberry jam |
| 1 | box | pie filling, vanilla |
| 0.75 | cup | strawberries, whole |
| 0.75 | cup | raspberries, fresh |
| 0.75 | cup | blueberries |
| 1 | Tb | sugar, white, optional |
Make and bake tart shell according to the recipe found under recipe/dessert/tart dough. Allow to cool. Spread raspberry jam evenly on the bottom of the tart shell. Make the vanilla pie filling according to instructions on the box. Pour filling into tart shell and spread evenly. Quarter strawberries and place with blueberries and raspberries in a bowl; add a little sugar if the berries aren’t quite ripe. Toss berries together and spread on top of tart. Refrigerate until served.
Add comment September 14, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Pear Tatin
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Pear Tatin
I finally got to see the Julie and Julia movie this weekend. Regular readers will recall that I couldn’t go last weekend as I was still letting the kidney stone kick my butt. Feeling better after my last surgery my wife said I should go and off we went. I can only say one word to describe this movie, YUM!!!. Not just the food but the whole thing, acting, visuals and the food. For those “foodies” among us this is the first movie that really shows why we cook, why we are willing to spend the time and effort to get it right and get it to the table. If you go, watch the way everyone savors every morsel of the food. Not since the movie Tom Jones has such attention been given to the actual enjoyment of the food.
Cooking is all about, at least for me, watching my guests attack the food with gusto and enjoy it fully. This is the same if I am cooking for a crowd or just for myself; it’s simply about the pure pleasure of the food. I drive my wife crazy, she is not a taster, I can’t cook without tasting. I am constantly chasing her around with a spoonful of this or that, not so she can adjust my flavors, although that does happen on a few occasions, but to watch her reaction to the food.
Back to the Tatin, basically an upside down pie, this is delicious and can be made with pears or apples or a combination of both. On our emealsforyou.com website we have a Pear Tart Tatin listed which differs from this in that it is closer to an upside down cake. This tatin is listed as an Apple Tatin under the dessert category. As Julia says in the movie, “you must have courage and conviction” when flipping the tart onto the serving plate, Do this in the kitchen and simply re-arrange the tatin prior to bringing it to the table. No matter what it looks like, the taste is simply “divine”.
Apple Tatin
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Dinner with Old Neighbors (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 0.5 | recipe | Never Fail Pie Crust |
| 5 | medium | apple |
| 1 | medium | lemon zest, finely chopped |
| 0.5 | medium | lemon, juice of |
| 1.5 | cup | sugar, white, divided |
| 3 | Tb | butter, unsalted, softened |
| 5 | Tb | butter, unsalted, melted |
| 1 | Tb | sugar, powdered |
Prepare half a Never Fail Pie Crust, set in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and quarter the apples. Place in bowl with zest, lemon juice and ½ cup of the sugar. Set aside. Soften 3 Tb of the butter and spread over inside of a heavy cast iron frying pan (You may use cake or pie pan). Sprinkle a ¼ of an inch of sugar into the bottom of the pan, arrange the apples (this will become the top) in a pattern. Sprinkle with sugar and a tablespoon of the melted butter. Repeat until all the apples, sugar and butter have been added. Roll out dough and place over the top of the apples. Tuck sides and pierce crust in 6 places with a small knife to vent steam.
Place the pan over moderate heat on the top of the stove for 4-5 minutes to thicken the juices. Remove from stove and place in the center of a 425 degree pre-heated oven. Bake for 30 -35 minutes until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and place over moderate to high heat on stove and heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pan the entire time. This will loosen the apples from the pan and evaporate the juices. Place a serving plate over the top of the pan, invert quickly, shaking pan to release apples. Don’t panic if some of the apples stick to the pan, simple remove them carefully and replace on tatin. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar just prior to serving.
Add comment August 24, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Baked Alaska
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Baked Alaska
Need a special dessert for a special occasion? Want something that will have the crowd saying WOW! Baked Alaska may just be that dessert. This was my signature dessert for a friend’s birthday party last weekend. I wanted something that would look as special as it tasted. Usually on cruises they end the last night’s dinner with the waiters walking into the dining room holding a Baked Alaska over their heads; a sparkler blazing away from the middle. The guests applaud and then dig into it as if there was no tomorrow.
My version of this is both tasty and easy. While very impressive to see breaking it down into its componets makes it a simple recipe that anyone can make and impress their friends and families. To make this even easier use your favorite chocolate cake; mine is great but will take a bit more time.
P.S. We had a sparkler failure and they just burned like a candle instead of great sparks and all; nobody noticed.
Baked Alaska
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | We’re Talking Chicken (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 0.5 | recipe | Valentine Chocolate Cake Recipe |
| 1 | qt | vanilla ice cream |
| 5 | large | egg, whites |
| 2 | Tb | sugar, white |
| 1 | recipe | Hot Fudge Sauce |
Make Valentine cake (only ) in cookie sheet.
Cut cake into 3-inch rounds using cutter or thin wine glass. Place 1 dip of softened ice cream in center of cake round, spread evenly. Freeze to firm. Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Spread egg whites around cake and ice cream to totally cover. Place in broiler until golden, just a few minutes. Serve surrounded by hot fudge sauce.
Note: May be frozen as cake, cake with ice cream, or finished product. Broil to brown prior to serving.
Add comment July 27, 2009
Recipe of the Week – De-constructed Hazelnut Cheesecake
I made this for the dinner party last week; I wanted something special but that wasn’t hard or long-winded in its preparation. It takes a couple of easy recipes and combines… them adding some berries along the way. Apparently it was a hit as 7 out of the 9 people chose this over the baked pear with blue cheese fondant. Okay, reading that last line sounds a little uppity but really both desserts are easily made and served. The point being that something can look great, taste great and still require only as much work as making chocolate chip cookies and your guests will appreciate it more.
To prepare this dessert start by making half of the cheesecake recipe found on emealsforyou.com; just change the serving number to 6 on the sidebar. Take the cheesecake out of the oven just when the cheesecake is set but has not started to brown. Next make the hazelnut tuilles. All can be refrigerated or even frozen prior to the day you will serve them. Mix some berries in a bowl with a little sugar and set aside.
To assemble: place a dab of the cheesecake on a plate, place one hazelnut tuilles on top of the dab. Now with a melon baller or just a small spoon scoop out 3 small round balls of the cheesecake and place on the tuille, spoon a small amount of the berries over the cheesecake balls. Repeat for the next level and finish with a tuille. Spoon any berries leftover onto the plate.
Cheesecake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 24 | oz | cream cheese |
| 4 | large | egg |
| 2 | large | egg, whites |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 1 | tsp | vanilla |
Have everything at room temperature. Mix together until very smooth. Pour into a springform pan, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit ( in oven) for 1 hour. This is best if made the day before and refrigerated over night.
2 comments July 20, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Pine Nut Baklava
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Pine Nut Baklava
I know this is weird for those of you who look upon cooking as a chore but every once in a while I get the urge to put together a full dinner party. This differs from most of the meals I prepare in that I make several different complete courses. My wife thinks I usually overdo it but then again she likes the food I serve so the complaints are muted.
A group of the neighbors have been getting together to let our dogs run and enjoy some wine and conversation. As we did or rather Debbie did the picnic thing for Memorial Day (see Best Ribs Ever) I thought it was time to do the full blown dinner party thing. Here is the menu for those who want to know what I will be serving along with the Baklava recipe. It may not seem like it, but I picked these recipes as they are both easy, can be made before the guests arrive and won’t destroy the budget. Here is the recipe for the Baklava which will be part of one of the desserts. Yes I did say part ; so if you are like my wife… right about now you too are thinking I may be a little over the top with this dinner.
A quick note on Meal Planning. Notice that I have the menu pretty much set, the recipes printed and the shopping list printed a full two weeks out from the event. This will allow me to find what I need and also watch for sales on the ingredients; saving money and relieving stress.
Neighborhood Saturday Night Dinner
Drinks
Martinis and Wine
Appetizers
Baked Garlic
TJ’s Special Dipping Sauce
Salad
Warmed goat cheese medallion served on Mixed Greens with French Vinaigrette
Main Course
Bistro Chicken
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Haricot Vert
Bread
French Rolls
Dessert
Deconstructed Hazelnut Cheesecake
Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese Fondant and Pine Nut Baklava
Pine Nut Baklava
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 2 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.5 | cup | butter, unsalted |
| 1 | cup | honey |
| 0.25 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 9 | sheets | filo |
| 1 | tsp | sugar, powdered |
| 0.5 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.5 | cup | simple syrup |
Chop the toasted pine nuts and combine with half the butter, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl. Lay 2 pieces of the filo dough on a flat surface, melt remaining butter and brush the filo with the butter, dust with powdered sugar and 2 Tb of the nut mixture. Repeat with the remaining filo, capping with the last piece of filo. Cut the filled filo to fit an oven-proof pan. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the simple syrup in a pan and reduce by half. Pour half of this on top of filo and spread evenly. Bake for 30 -40 minutes , until lightly browned. Pour remaining simply syrup over the top and allow to cool. Cut into serving pieces.
The recipes for this meal and much more can be found at emealsforyou.com
2 comments June 29, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
Last week I told you my NY City son asked me to come up with a recipe for cookies he said were all the latest and greatest in New York. What he described seemed to me to be some form of meringue cookie with a filling. In NY City they call them Macaroons or Macroons ( both spellings seem to be correct) which I associate with those warm, coconut cookies. Anyway after tasting them I believe I have come up with the recipe.
These cookies only take a few minutes to make the batter but will take most of an afternoon to bake and dry. Not that it requires you to constantly be working on them; just that they bake, low and slow. A forewarning: these babies are very sweet, a few will go a long way towards satisfying that craving. They would be ideal served after a meal. I filled these with a chocolate filling but they would be just as good with raspberry jam. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, serve some strong, hot coffee and you should get rave reviews. Not surprisingly, leave these on a plate on the counter and they will disappear after the first wave of kids runs through.
Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 6 | large | egg, whites |
| 0.25 | tsp | cream of tartar |
| 1 | tsp | vanilla |
| 1.33 | cup | sugar, white |
| 2 | Tb | cocoa powder, unsweetened |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, white |
| 0.5 | cup | corn syrup, light |
| 1 | Tb | vanilla |
| 3 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
| 0.5 | cocoa powder, unsweetened | |
Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. whip on low until frothy. Increase speed to high and gradually add the sugar. whip until stiff peaks and glossy. Gently fold in the cocoa until no white shows.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a spoonful of the mixture onto the cookie sheets, cookies may be placed close together as they do not spread. Bake for 1.5 hour and then turn off oven and leave door slightly ajar. Allow cookies to dry for 2 hours.
For the filling: Heat the sugar,corn syrup, vanilla and butter until blended. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Allow the mixture to cool, spread between to cookies.(bottoms in)
Add comment June 1, 2009
Bonus Recipe of the Week – Tiramisu
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a little like handwriting, everyone’s is a little different. I make this recipe in a very large bowl or in a square springform pan… with the bowl it becomes a less formal dessert that you spoon onto plates, the springform allows you to slice the dessert and serve more guests. This dessert is really easy to put together, uses store-bought lady fingers and creates that Oh WOW! at any party or function.
In the old south this would probably be called a Charlotte, in the north a Fool, basically it is pieces of cake, surrounded with sweet cream and pieces of fruit or syrups. It is best made the night before as sitting in the frig helps to develop the flavors. I am taking mine to a party down the street, which started as a neighbor’s family gathering and rapidly progressed to a large group; perhaps it was the Margaritas that were floating around. I think we have lost count of how many will be there but this dessert will easily serve 16 or more people.
Tiramisu
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 1 | qt | cream, whipping |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 24 | oz | cream cheese |
| 2 | Tb | coffee, instant |
| 3 | Tb | water, hot |
| 4 | Tb | sugar, white |
| 4 | Tb | coffee liqueur |
| 6 | oz | chocolate, ground |
| 4 | Tb | cocoa |
| 2 | package | ladyfingers |
Whip cream with 1/2 the sugar. Cream the cream cheese with remaining sugar until light. Gradually add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture.
Dissolve coffee in hot water, add sugar and coffer liqueur.
Place a layer of ladyfingers (split) in bottom of serving bowl (6X9), brush with coffee mixture, sprinkle with cocoa and chocolate, spread a layer of cream cheese mixture (3/4” thick). Sprinkle with cocoa and chocolate, repeat ladyfingers, and so on. Cover top with final layer of cocoa and chocolate, refrigerate.
Best when made the day before.
Hint: serve with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce on top. Shown here made in a 9 X 9 springform pan.
This recipe and more like it can be found at www.emealsforyou.com.
Add comment May 22, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Miniature Desserts
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
This is one of those post you read if : you like looking at the food photos in magazines, you are looking for some dessert ideas for graduation or you are a food nutcase, like me, who likes to cook and a little more work doesn’t faze you. Making one dessert from scratch is crazy; making several desserts is just beyond that.
The top tray is made up of miniature carrot cakes, flourless chocolate cakes, pine nut baklava, lemon tarts, cannolis and swan profiteroles. All of these recipe can be found on emealsforyou.com. I make the basic recipes, only in miniature. The purpose is to allow for a special presentation and give the guests many dessert options, you can never have too many dessert options. The swans, by the way, are profiteroles with the top 1/3rd cut off and then cut into halves for the wings, with the neck and head made by drizzling an “S” of batter onto the cookie sheet.
The bottom tray is miniature cannolis, I buy them at the market and cream puffs and eclairs. Again, all of these recipes are available on the website. Just make the desserts miniature.
When I make these desserts my wife says I am nuts, then she enjoys them with everyone else. Take the extra time and effort and get a huge WOW! when you bring in the trays. As a fun aside, watch people ignore the swans as they don’t want to eat anything that looks that delicate.
Cannoli
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Party Dessert Tray (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 1 | box | cannoli shells -mini |
| 5 | Tb | sugar, powdered |
| 1 | cup | mascarpone cheese |
| 0.125 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 2 | Tb | chocolate, chips |
| 1 | Tb | cream, half and half |
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Reserve 1 Tb of the powered sugar. Combine the remaining sugar, mascarpone cheese and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix thoroughly, add the chocolate chips and mix. Add just enough of the half and half to make a peanut butter consistency. Using a pastry bag fill the cannoli shells from each end. Sprinkle with the reserved powdered sugar.
2 comments May 4, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Carrot Cake
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
It’s been one of those weeks around here. Our son, the Broadway sound designer, called and asked if I could send some sticky buns and carrot cake for an Easter dinner he was having with friends in New York. This meant not only baking the stuff but figuring out how to get it to New York and have it still eatable. While this seems to be a no-brainer the logistics proved to be a bit difficult.
First there is getting the right size box, not too big, not too small, just right. Then I had to line the box in foam to keep some of the cold in. I thought I did a pretty good job of this but maybe I didn’t count on the US Postal Service giving the box the toss test. So here I am unfrosted carrot cake (three layers), two tins of sticky buns ready for the oven, cream cheese icing and of course a few small Cadbury eggs all packaged nicely. I threw in a couple of frozen shipping bags, sealed it up and off to the post office.
$70 later; the box is on its way, next day delivery. Fine, mission accomplished right? Almost! The first problem was that the frozen bags broke. The Postal authorities called to say that the package was leaking and what was in it. Then an hour later a Postal Inspector called to say they would need to open the package, for safety sake. I have to say they were very professional and I had no problem with them opening the box. Finally at around noon the box made it to Lower Manhattan and was delivered.
My son said that despite the sticky buns needing a little rearranging and one of the cake layers being crushed it all worked out fine… extra icing on the cake and the sticky buns disappeared so fast no one noticed any problem. Oh yeah! the Cadbury eggs were pretty good too.
Carrot Cake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | You’re Something Special (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 1.5 | cup | oil, vegetable |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 4 | large | egg |
| 2 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking soda |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking powder |
| 2 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 3 | whole | carrots, fresh, whole |
| 1 | cup | walnuts, chopped |
| 0.5 | cup | raisins, golden |
Cream sugar, eggs and oil.
Mix in flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt. Add grated carrots, nuts and raisins.
Bake in greased tube pan or (2) 9 cake pans for 40- 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cover with cream cheese icing. *
* The icing recipe can be found at emealsforyou.com)
Add comment April 13, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
I’m in a growth spurt, just like our kids experience growth spurts, except now mine are all about stretching my knowledge and abilities. I usually experience these quests for a better this or that after a period of extended “same ole, same ole.” I see something that keys my mind to investigate how to create dishes I haven’t done before. Last week I had two of these epiphanies, one with getting better at bread making and the other at understanding gelato. As I have already written about the bread thing it is time to go into the pursuit of great gelato.
First of all gelato is very rich and highly concentrated in flavor, so while the recipe below looks like it only makes a little it will be more than enough for a dinner party. For those of you who really like coffee ice cream I believe this will become your new favorite. Those around me know that I can’t just make one kind of anything so last week I made vanilla, chocolate and the above pictured espresso. I still have hazelnut to go this week; and while I stressed the mental growth spurt in this endeavor I do have to report that I did gain a few pounds getting the recipes just right.
Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 5 | large | egg, yolks |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 1.5 | cup | milk, whole |
| 0.5 | cup | water |
| 2 | Tb | espresso, instant, divided |
| 1 | Tb | chocolate, semi-sweet bar |
Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow. Place 1/2 of the espresso in the water in the microwave for 1 minute. Bring milk to a boil on the stove. Pour 1/3 of the milk into the egg/sugar mixture and whisk. Pour remaining milk into the egg/sugar mixture, add the espresso mixture and continue to whisk. Pour mixture back into the pan and heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until thick (do not boil). Sprinkle remaining espresso powder into mixture and stir. When you put a spoon into the mixture and remove it you can draw a line with your finger on the spoon. Cool the mixture in the frig. Pour into an ice cream maker and allow it to reach a custard consistency. Shave chocolate into small pieces and add to ice cream maker just before you remove the gelato. Place in a storage container and seal with a lid. Freeze in the freezer until hard.
(See more gelato recipes in the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Add comment February 24, 2009
