A short little recipe this week folks. Quick and sweet, two of my favourite things in a trustworthy dessert, guaranteed to satisfy that gnawing sugar craving or provide some much needed comfort after a long day.

What is this delightful concoction to which I so vaguely allude? Peach crisp – cheery cousin to the traditionally loved apple crisp, second to none with its rich brown sugary topping and succulent peachy stuffing. A breeze to make and a joy to eat, peach crisp is definitely something to try. Here’s how.

Courtesy of kag2u

The Things You’ll Need:

8 peaches (fresh is best, although canned does work)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats (avoid the instant kind, the trick to the crispy topping is allowing the oats to bake slowly)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

photo provided courtesy of elanaspantry.com

And to put it all together…

1. Peel the peaches, slice and place in the bottom of an oven-safe dish.

2. Sprinkle sliced peaches with lemon juice for added sweetness.

3. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.

4. Mix and pat over fruit.  Bake at 350F for 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven, scoop, dollop with vanilla ice-cream and serve.  A luscious and superb peachy feast is yours for the eating! For some added fruity flavour, throw in a handful of rich raspberries or blueberries! Try it today!

Courtesy of .Larry Page

Pancake Tuesday is almost here. Also known as ‘Shrove Tuesday,’ this day is traditionally meant to signify the first day of fasting for Christian Lent. However, a great many people choose to celebrate this day (also know as ‘Fat Tuesday’ in Catholic circles) by making a pancake feast for friends and family to enjoy.

Pancakes are one of those strange foods that simultaneously fall into the breakfast and dessert category. Smothered in rich thick maple syrup or topped with a dusting of icing sugar, this favourite food can be enjoyed at any hour of the day. The variations that can be put on an original pancake recipe are endless; banana, banana chocolate chip, strawberry, blueberry, whole wheat, carrot, apple, potato, even meat filled pancakes have become a popular staple on breakfast tables all over the globe.

So this year, for Pancake Day, why not indulge in a huge pancake buffet? Make a batch of every kind of pancake imaginable, to provide guests with a wide selection. Check out the “Pancake Recipes” site for an extensive database on unique recipes to get your started.

Courtesy of hlkljgk

To make your pancake laden table a little more interesting to look at, why not try fashioning different shapes out of your pancakes? All you need are some cookie cutters, and voila you can have hearts, tulips, stars, dinosaurs, teddy bears, fish, horses, whatever you’d like! Shop around at “Golda’s Kitchen,” and the cookie cutter of your dreams will cost you less than $5 CAN.

Slice up lots of fresh fruit and serve in individual bowls so guests can garnish their sugary indulgences with some nutritious goodness and colour, throw on some tunes and there you have it – the greatest pancake party of all time. Hey-ho!

Whether you’re using a box of banana Jell-O filling for a cream pie or whipping up parfaits for dessert, the world of pudding includes much more than just the basic varieties of chocolate and vanilla. In the past, the most common way to prepare pudding was to mix ingredients with a grain product or other binding material (like flour, butter, eggs or cereal) to create a solid product. Nowadays, people boil, steam or bake creamy and thickened puddings from scratch.

A couple of ways to step outside of your pudding comfort zone include:

1) Fruit Bread Puddings

To create a new pudding, you may add tropical juices and other fruits to elevate the taste and texture of your recipes. For example, Fruity Bread Mango Pudding may contain Rubicon mango exotic juice drink paired with dried cranberries and mango.

2) Yam (or Sweet Potato) Pudding

Around the holidays, candied yams and sweet potato pie are popular desserts. You probably don’t think of yams and sweet potatoes as creating satisfying puddings, but these healthy starches offer quite a taste and consistency with common ingredients, such as butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and slivered almonds.

3) Steamed Fruit Puddings

Boiling water is used as a method of preparing steamed puddings, where cranberries, plums and apples serve as common ingredients. Known as a popular sweet treat in England, Devon’s Georgie Porgies Puddings offers two tempting steamed fruit selections: Orange & Cointreau (an orange flavored triple sec liquor) and Cider & Apple (contains West Country cider and apples). For a holiday twist, use canned or fresh pumpkin puree to create a steamed pumpkin pudding, which tastes heavenly with a whipped cream or brandy sauce topping.

4) Latin American Rice Pudding

Take a page from Latin American and Caribbean cookbooks by preparing a rice pudding called “arroz con leche” (rice with milk). When preparing this sweet treat, the typical list of ingredients differ per country. In Chile and Mexico, the pudding contains raisins soaked in sherry wine or tequila. Colombians soak their raisins in red wine, rum or pisco – Peruvian liquor distilled from grapes. Anise seed adds a touch of licorice to the Cuban version of arroz con leche. In Peru, it is not uncommon to find shredded coconut or walnuts added to the pudding.

Truffles. Photo courtesy of mhaithaca

Any true chocoholic has spent a lot more time then they’d care to admit either pressing their noses against the front window of a chocolaterie, or drooling over a beautiful glass display case, housing the most beloved and cherished chocolaty treat of all time – truffles. 

Invented in 1625 by John Labarge, the humble chocolate truffle is traditionally a sphere like entity with a chocolate ganache center, encompassed by more chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. However, history has seen several changes made to this cute confectionery – cream, nuts, liqueurs, berries, nougat, toffee, caramel, marshmallow, even wasabi has made its way into the recipes and hearts of chocolate lovers around the world. 

But one need not wander a chocolate shop dreamily, wishing for lots of money to throw down on a $4 or $5 taste of heaven. In fact, these delightful delicacies can be made right in the comfort of your own home at very little expense. 

THE BASIC TRUFFLE:

The trick is to begin with something simple, like a plain chocolate truffle, nothing fancy, but still sinfully good. Then later, once you have perfected your truffle technique, you can add different extracts and flavours to modify the original recipe. 

Ingredients:

- 12 ounces of chopped or broken bittersweet chocolate 
- 1/3 cup of cream (heavy cream is ideal, but ordinary cream will suffice) 
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

photo courtesy of photojenni

Method:

1. Heat cream and chocolate together in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture luxuriously smooth.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add vanilla extract and whisk, whisk, whisk!
4. Pour into a new container or dish and leave to cool in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour, until sufficiently cooled, but not hard.
5. Roll into balls and roll in the topping of your choice.
6. (TIP: When rolling truffles, keep placing your hands on a package of crushed ice to keep your hands cool. This helps avoid melting the truffles into gooey messes.)

And there you have it – truffles galore right in your very own kitchen! Also, truffles make excellent gifts if packaged in tissue paper and presented in a pretty little box. Nothing says love quite like a homemade truffle (and nothing tastes quite as sweet either)!

At times the prospect of making dessert can seem a bit daunting.  You have to pick a recipe, make a list, go to the store, buy the ingredients, then return home, prep and bake.  Often there just aren’t enough hours in the day to make that special trip out.

Courtesy of axlotl

But does that mean dessert has to be forgotten altogether?  Never!  A marvelous website, “ice-cream-recipes.com,” shows how to dress up dessert using a single, readily available ingredient, ice-cream!

Try this out for yourself and make some funky Ice Cream Sculptures.

Believe it or not you can sculpt anything from an otherwise unassuming block of ice-cream; pyramids, houses, faces, flowers, all sort of things!  But here are a few tips to get you started.

First of all, it is best to use hard ice-cream, as soft scoop melts quickly, thus making sculpting trickier than it has to be.  Have a variety of utensils set out, so that you can scoop and sculpt as much detail as you’d like.

It is best to have a bowl of hot water on hand as well, so that you can clean utensils between scoops and slicing, especially if you’re using different kinds of ice-cream in a single sculpture.

Another helpful suggestion is to use a chilling tray.  Think of it as sort of a staging area for your sculpture, which can be easily slid into the refrigerator for safe keeping.  And last, but not least, keep your sculpture chilled.  Place it in the fridge about every 5 minutes while sculpting away to avoid melting.

Ice-cream sculptures can be as simple or complex as you’d like.  Use different flavours of ice-cream to achieve different colours and textures in your design.

Decorate with candies, chocolates, and sprinkles to bring forth a refreshing take on a classic favourite — ice-cream — who doesn’t love it?  Especially now that it is available in any shape and size.  Literally.

When did breakfast become ‘the’ meal to eat?

Well, for me, it was shortly after the discovery of these insanely decadent Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes (original recipe compliments of the ingenious folks at “Key Ingredients.”)

Breakfast since never been the same.

Courtesy of bursonm123

The Things You Need:

(other than an enormous sugar boost first thing in the morning)

• 1 package of plain cream cheese (soft)
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and another of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of whipped cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• about 4 tablespoons of strawberry jam (homemade, of course, is best, but if you must use store bought, no worries)
• 2 cups of fresh sliced strawberries; although applause will be given to those who use more, obviously
• 1 batch of crepes

The Things You Do:

1. Combine together the cream cheese, lemon juice and zest, icing sugar, and vanilla in a bowl.  Electric mixers work best, but a strong arm will do the trick as well.

2. Gently fold in the whipped cream to the rest of the mixture.

3. Take a large spoon and spread a thin layer of strawberry jam onto each crepe.

4. Add approximately 1/4 cup of the cheesecake mixture and a generous handful of strawberries onto each jam slathered crepe.

5. Roll, serve, and enjoy!

photo courtesy of Baha'i Views/ Flitzy Phoebie

Final Touches:

If you want to make this mouthwatering breakfast fancier still, serve the rolled crepes with a dusting of icing sugar, dollop of whipped cream, or drizzle of rich strawberry and chocolate sauces and truly put your morning over the top.

When it comes to getting a great start to your day, you can’t go wrong with the power and delight of Strawberry Cheesecake Crepes.

From enhancing the taste of coffee to elevating confections, crème de menthe is a mint-flavored liqueur that adds to the flavor of desserts and beverages without overpowering other ingredients. Sometimes added during the preparation of recipes, crème de menthe also serves as a syrupy topping for cakes, pastries, fresh fruit, and ice cream. Since the flavoring is concentrated liqueur syrup, you’ll find that a small amount of crème de menthe goes a long way. When you’re looking for a dessert or drink with a minty flavor, consider the following suggestions that take full advantage of crème de menthe:

* Grasshopper Pie

Using a graham cracker crust or cookie crust made out of chocolate wafers (or Oreos), Grasshopper Pie (shown above)  is a chiffon pie served cold that offers a distinct chocolate and mint flavor. The crust is typically baked for a short time and then chilled before adding ingredients. Depending on the recipe, you may use marshmallows, cream cheese, and whipping cream when making the pie filling.

* Crème de Menthe Parfaits

For a frozen sweet treat perfect for dinner parties, create a parfait using 1 pint fresh raspberries, ½ cup crème de menthe liqueur, and 2 pints of French vanilla ice cream as layers – all topped with whipped cream. Many recipes exist, which make use of other ingredients, such as white creme de cacao, chocolate wafer crumbs, crushed pineapple, and fresh mint leaves.

* Crème de Menthe Coupes

Coupes are usually ice cream or fruit-flavored ice sweet treats served in a special dessert glass. Haagen-Dazs offers a recipe for Crème de Menthe Coupes that uses a carton of their Mint Chip Ice Cream layered with green creme de menthe syrup and chopped pistachio nuts. Fresh mint leaves, hot fudge sauce and whipped cream serve as delicious toppings.

* Crème de Menthe Cheesecake

The options in cheesecake know no bounds and there are plenty of variations that take mint flavors to new heights. For example, you can use 2 tablespoons of green or white crème de menthe liqueur to enhance the flavor of filling for a creamy cheesecake that uses mint candies as a garnish. Land O Lakes has a recipe with a crust that uses finely crushed chocolate graham crackers.

* Creme De Menthe Brownies

When you crave a chocolaty sweet treat with a little kick, consider the minty blast of Creme De Menthe Brownies. Use a package of Creme de Menthe baking chips to heighten the taste of the brownies. A chocolate frosting makes a delicious cover for the dessert. Since shaved Creme de Menthe thins serve as a topping, using Andes is a convenient and inexpensive way to decorate the brownies.

Crème de Menthe for Drinks

Crème de menthe allows you to add a mint flavor to your favorite coffees and teas. From a variety of hot and cold beverages, just ½ teaspoon of the liqueur will do the trick. Another way to include crème de menthe in your drinks is to add ¼ teaspoon over ice before pouring a glass of soda. The flavoring also adds pizzazz to an assortment of after-dinner drinks and fruit-flavored alcoholic beverages, including daiquiris and margaritas.

In the past, ice cream was once an expensive and rare treat because it took quite a long time to prepare the dessert before the invention of modern refrigeration was born. Today, ice cream isn’t the only frozen indulgence that satisfies a sweet tooth. We can now choose from a variety of frozen sweet treats that offer an array of ingredients, flavors, and textures, including:

Ice Cream

Dairy products, such as milk and cream, play a significant role in making ice cream, which comes in fat-free, slow churned, sugar free, and low-fat versions. The variety of fruits, nuts, flavors, and other ingredients livening up our ice creams are endless. From rosewater-flavored selections served at Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream (Los Angeles, California) to inspired blends, like Turkey Hill’s Limited Edition Baked Apple Dumpling, creative minds cease to surprise our taste buds. Ice cream is also used in a variety of delicious desserts – ice cream pies, parfaits, cakes, and other desserts, like the infamous Baked Alaska.

Frozen Yogurt

Introduced as a healthier alternative to ice cream, frozen yogurt (also known as ‘froyo’) is made from or contains yogurt and/or other dairy products, which contributes to a lower calorie count. Frozen yogurt possesses a softer consistency and is considered tartier than ice cream. A basic frozen yogurt recipe generally includes milk solids, milk fat, yogurt culture, sweetener, gelatin, corn syrup, coloring, and flavoring. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, peach, and other fruity flavors dominate the frozen yogurt market.

Frozen Custard

Similar to ice cream, frozen custard carries a high percentage of butterfat and egg yolk, which creates a thick, creamy texture. This frozen treat offers a much smoother, softer consistency than ice cream. The best place to enjoy frozen custard is at a modern stand or facility, where the treat is prepared fresh. It’s usually hard to track down frozen custards in a grocery store. Standard flavors include chocolate and vanilla with the occasional unique blend – often touted as a ‘flavor of the day.’

Gelato

The Italian version of ice cream is called gelato – a frozen dessert typically consisting of milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavorings – most often fruit and nut purees. This traditional sweet treat usually delivers a bolder flavor and contains about 3% less fat than ice cream. Often served in a small glass dish or paper container, popular gelato flavors include chocolate, pistachio, coffee, egg custard, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon.

Sorbet

A range of sorbets is found in restaurants and grocery stores – a frozen treat consisting of sweetened water flavored with frozen fruit juice or puree. Wine, liqueurs, and chocolate can also play a role in the creation of sorbet. While ice cream uses dairy products with an abundant amount of air whipped in, sorbet differs in its composition – allowing a dense and fuller flavor to emerge in this non-fat or low-fat dessert. Popular flavors of sorbet include key lime, mango, and coconut.

Sherbet

Sherbet offers a refreshing frozen blend of sweetened fruit juice and water. Sometimes, sherbet contains egg whites, gelatin, and milk, but usually only a small amount. The sweet treat possesses a lighter consistency than ice cream and is known for its vibrantly fruity flavors. Raspberry, orange, lime, and lemon represent standard sherbet flavors. Tropical blends, such as pineapple, mango, and coconut are also available. Pair orange sherbet with vanilla ice cream to create a dazzlingly traditional combination.

Italian Ice

Not to be confused with an Icee or flavored shaved ice, Italian ice actually undergoes the same process as ice cream – mixing ingredients and pouring them into a batch freezer. This frozen dessert is comprised of concentrated syrup flavoring or natural fruit purees. Cherry, lemon, orange, and blue raspberry are popular flavors of Italian ice, which is typically served in small cups or tube-like containers.

Image Credits: Richard Dudley (top),  Michal Zacharzewski, SXC (middle)

Everything is ready. The table is set, the candles are lit, the wine is chilled, a delicious main course is warming in the oven and wafting delicious scents throughout your home. You’re dressed, primped, lip-sticked and ready to hostess what will surely be a night to remember, when all of a sudden you realized you’ve forgotten one crucial element – dessert!

Courtesy of Thea Leworthy Catering

You look frantically at the kitchen clock and suddenly dread the imminent arrival of guests and beloved friends, especially dear George who has the annoyingly polite habit of showing up at least ten minutes early to any function.

But do you throw down the oven mitts and admit defeat? Never! Instead a single word forms in your mind – meringues.

An easy, melt in your mouth dessert, these globs of heaven not only taste divine, but they look elegant on any table as well.

In short, meringues are the salvation to any dinner party dessert faux pas.

All you need to do is this:

1. Gather your ingredients.  2 egg whites, 1 cup of white sugar, and 150 mls of whipped cream.  Seriously, that’s it.

2. Place egg whites into a large bowl and whisk with an electric beater until stiff.

3. Add in sugar slowly — 1 teaspoon at a time is recommended — and continue to whisk at a high speed until all the sugar has been added.

Courtesy of shok

4. Use a large spoon to place ‘blobs’ of the mixture evenly across a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper and shape the ‘blobs’  into ovals.

5. Bake at 250 F for approximately 1 hour, or bake until the ovals can be lifted easily from the waxed paper without sticking.

(Meringues are often called the ‘Forgotten Cookies,’ because they can be left in an oven for several hours after the baking is done, without any harm.  In fact, the dryer they are, the better, so if you get engrossed in a story at the dinner table and don’t hear the calling ‘DING!’ of the oven timer, not to worry.)

6. Once the meringues have cooled, spread whipped cream on one side of an oval and sandwich together with another.

7. Arrange on a serving platter and tra-la!!! You’re done! Dessert is served! Disaster averted!  Congratulations!

Courtesy of Cake Lover

And if you have the time, as always, creativity can be added to your baking!

Place mixture into an icing tube, squiggle onto the cookie sheet and then bake.  Drizzle chocolate sauce, top with sprinkles, garnish with fruit, add nuts, COLOUR, vanilla, hazelnut or caramel extracts!

Experiment with shape; swirl, flatten, stack or cupcake!  Do whatever you wish to make these light fluffy treats a hit!

Either way, whether classically presented or creatively infused, meringues have it all, looks, taste and easy assembly.

Doesn’t this sound delicious? Check it out:

Ingredients:
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
One 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon Amaretto or Frangelico (optional)
8 ounces soft ladyfingers (about 2 1/2 packages)
6 ounces gingersnap cookies, crushed

Directions:
Make Pumpkin Mixture: In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar until peaks form. Set aside. In another medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and salt. Beat until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the sweetened whipped cream. Do not over mix.

Prepare Pan: Combine the orange juice and liqueur in a shallow dish. Cut the ladyfingers in half lengthwise (some packages come pre-split). Lightly dip each piece in the orange juice and start to line the bottom of a 13”x9”rectangular baking dish, overlapping and crowding to fit. Spread half of filling over ladyfingers. Sprinkle with half of the crushed gingersnaps. Repeat layering with the remaining ladyfingers and filling. Save the remaining gingersnaps for garnish. Cover with plastic and chill for at least 1/2 hour.

Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle the rest of the gingersnaps on top of the tiramisu and serve.

About: Recipe adapted by Parties That Cook® from Bon Appétit magazine.