Dessert Recipes

Chef Shelley R. Pogue asked:


Tiramisu is an Italian dessert consisting of layers of sponge cake soaked with coffee and brandy or liqueur layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with grated chocolate. This version is lighter than its traditional recipe, substituting a reduced fat cream filling for much of the mascarpone.

To make the cream filling:

1 Cup 2% milk

1/4 Teaspoon of cinnamon

2 Teaspoons of a good vanilla bean paste

1/4 Cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for beating the egg whites

1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 eggs, 1 whole egg, plus two egg whites, discard the yolks

1 1/2 Teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 Cup of room temp low fat cream cheese

1/4 Teaspoon cream of tartar

Remainder of ingredients of Tiramisu:

24 Ladyfingers

1/2 Cup cold espresso or regular coffee

1 Tablespoon Brandy

1 Tablespoon of Rum

1 Tablespoon water

4 Tablespoons sugar

3-4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

First, prepare the cream filling:

You will combine the milk, cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, and one tablespoon of the sugar in a small pan. You will gradually bring the mixture to a slight boil, more if a simmer actually while stirring frequently so that the milk does not burn. Remove from the heat and let stand, or start to cool. You will then get a small bowl and start to whisk together three tablespoons of sugar and the cornstarch into about a tablespoon of water. Add the whole egg and the lemon zest, and whisk these together. A micro plane would work well for this recipe, but if you do not have one use your knife.

You will then whisk the scalded milk, into the egg mixture very slowly so you will not cook the eggs immediately. You will then, return this mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, or until the cornstarch does its job and it becomes a very thick mixture. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the low fat cream cheese.

Beat the two egg whites and cream of tartar until they are glossy but not dry, adding the rest of the three tablespoons of sugar as the egg whites stiffen. Fold these egg whites into the warm custard mixture, and let it cool to room temperature.

To finish the dessert, arrange a dozen ladyfingers, you can also use sponge cake for this recipe for an even lower fat recipe, it does not taste as well though, and put into a serving dish or platter with sides a nine inch pan will work fine. You will then combine the espresso, brandy, and rum, water, and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Then whisk the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Brush half of this mixture on the ladyfingers, ideally with a pastry brush. You will spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top, and sprinkle with half of the cocoa. Its best to sprinkle the cocoa by using a fine strainer or a sifter.

Then, place the second layer of ladyfingers on top, followed by brushing on the remaining espresso mixture, and then the rest of the mascarpone. Refrigerate the dessert for 3-4 hours, and then sift the rest of the cocoa on top before serving.

Chef Shelley Pogue, a *** Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and Executive Research and Development Chef, for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA. Shelley is also the desserts editor for BellaOnline.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shelley_Pogue



Courtney

Ted Goldberg asked:


Luscious desserts and low-carb diets typically do not mix.  Sugar is, of course, a carbohydrate.  How can you have something “sweet” without using sugar?

Those of us who cook know that using artificial sweeteners changes the recipe, drastically.  Things like saccharin have less “bulk” than straight sugar.  So, trying to bake a sugar-free cake can be very difficult.

But, even sugar free cakes are not  low carb desserts.  Flour is also a carbohydrate.  Eggs, milk and cheese are allowed on your low-carb diet.  But, sugar and flour are not.  So, what should you do? 

How about cheesecake?

Typically, New York style cheesecake is made with heavy cream, cream cheese, eggs and additional egg yolks to add richness and a smooth consistency.  Lemons, strawberries or chocolate shavings may be added for flavor.  None of those ingredients are carbs, but of course, most recipes call for sugar and lots of it. 

Once you add the carbs from the graham cracker crust, you have about 25 grams of carbohydrates in a 3.5 ounce serving.  That’s a pretty small slice.  But, cheesecakes can be low carb desserts, if they are properly prepared, without the sugar and “sans” crust. 

It’s difficult (next to impossible, really) to make this kind of cheesecake at home, because, as I mentioned, sugar substitutes change the recipe.  If you do get it to set, you also get an unpleasant aftertaste.  It’s hardly worth the effort. 

But, you can still serve delicious low carb desserts at home, with very little effort on your part.  You can simply order it on-line.

Our own line options for serving a gourmet meal are simply amazing, to me anyway.  We can stick to our diets, eat healthy, cater a dinner party or have a private affair for two, right in the luxury of our own homes.

When you consider the time it takes to cook a meal, the shopping, the cost of ingredients and the likelihood that the recipe will “flop”, I think catered meals are a cost-effective option.  I don’t know about you, but my time is money.

My health is very important to me, but temptations are not always easy to resist.  So, I try to be sure that I always have “healthy temptations”.

If you work full time and commute to your office, by the time you get in your daily work-out and get ready for dinner, you might be tempted to settle for fast-food or whatever’s in the fridge.  That’s what happens to a lot of people, so they end up with an unsuccessful and unhealthy diet.

Cheesecake Delivered.com makes healthy delicious low carb desserts, suitable for a dinner party or an everyday treat.  The taste is delicious and you can store them in the freezer, so that you’re prepared for those unexpected guests.  What could be simpler?



Pennington

There are few desserts in the world of sweets more alluring that cheesecake. A good baked cheesecake recipe can provide a dessert that will make a bad meal into a good memory, and make a good meal into an event that will be talked about for years. A slice of baked cheesecake, especially New York style, is perfection itself. The creamy texture, the subtle flavors and the richness combine on the palate to make dessert truly the great finish to the meal.

You might be tempted at some point, however, to explore a simpler way to make your cheesecake. The baked cheesecake recipe, while simple, for more details visit to www.chef-123.com can be unforgiving at times, and it only takes a couple of failures to send even the most intrepid of home cooks looking for alternatives. What they soon find, however, is that there really is no adequate substitute for the creamy richness of the baked version.

There are no-bake cheesecake recipes in great supply on the Internet, and you are more than welcome to be adventurous and try one. Before you serve one to your dinner guests, however, you would be well advised to make one just for in-home consumption. Why?

The answer is quite simple: There is not a single no-bake cheesecake recipe in existence that will give you anything approaching what you get when you go through the effort of producing a baked cheesecake. Most of the no-bake recipes rely on some sort of gelatin to thicken the mix, for more details visit to www.300-dip-recipes.com is that there really is no adequate substitute for the creamy richness of the baked version or they mix in whipped cream to try to mimic the texture of the baked product. A good baked cheesecake recipe can provide a dessert that will make a bad meal into a good memory, and make a good meal into an event that will be talked about for years. While both options produce a generally edible end product, in the immortal words of Snoopy there are like “giving a starving dog a rubber bone.”

If you are going to cook a great meal, and put a lot of effort into it, why go cheap on your dessert? Putting forth the effort to follow a baked cheesecake recipe is worth it every time.



By: reema

About the Author:

Pierre

Jill Seader asked:


These 3 quick desserts are perfect for those last-minute guests or when you need a quick dessert recipe.

Candy Bar Imitations

1/2 cup butter

1 package devil’s food cake mix

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Mix the butter and cake mix in a large bowl until crumbly. Evenly sprinkle this mixture into a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 x 1-inch). Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Put the butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans over the top of the mixture in an even layer. Add the sweetened condensed milk over the entire mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. The top should be light golden brown. Allow it to cool and cut it into bars.

Caramel Brownies

1 package (14 ounces) caramels

1 can evaporated milk

1 package German chocolate cake mix

2/3 cup melted margarine

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a small saucepan over low heat melt the caramels and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk. While those are melting, mix together the cake mix, margarine, and 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk. Put half of the cake mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Put it into a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and pecans in an even layer over the baked cake mix. Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate chip/pecan layer. Then pour the other half of the cake mix over the caramel layer. Bake for 20 additional minutes. Allow brownies to cool and cut into bars.

Easy Lemon Bars

1 package lemon cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a medium bowl, mix the cake mix, egg and oil together. Reserve 1 cup of this cake mixture. Put the remaining cake mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. While this is baking, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix well. Spread this mixture over the baked cake mixture. Take the 1 cup of reserved cake mixture and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 15 additional minutes. Allow it to cool and cut into bars. Refrigerate any leftovers.



Puckett