What’s the Difference?

Before you explore the possibilities of fruity desserts, you should get familiar with the differences between available options. Jam is typically a thick spread made from crushed or ground fruit. Jelly does not have any visible pieces of fruit and is made from the juices. Whole or large pieces of fruit cooked in thick sugary syrup create preserves. Marmalade has a soft gel consistency comprised of pieces of fruit and citrus peel.

Desserts Ideas for Jelly, Jams & Preserves

Just some of the ways you can use jelly, jams, and preserves includes making flavored cream cheese frosting, cookie bars, ice cream sundae toppings, fruity tarts, muffins, fruit bars, sticky buns, and fruitcakes. Other ideas…

Jelly Desserts

Paula Deen garnishes her Old South Jelly Roll Cake with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, jelly or jam, and whipped cream. An extremely easy way to make Jelly Cookies is with a container of piecrust and jelly. You can also add peanut butter to the recipe for a PB & J treat. Try using frozen or refrigerated pie dough to create Cream Cheese and Jelly Turnovers. Unbaked or unrolled Pillsbury piecrust is a common choice. A recipe from Country Living calls for ½ cup softened cream cheese, 1 large egg, sugar, salt, and 8 tablespoons of jelly, such as guava.

Jam Desserts

From sweet, fruity cake to thumbprint cookies, the thickness of jam makes a delicious ingredient in many dessert recipes. For example, all over the world, you will find a variety of jam cookies, from Austrian Jam Cookies using chopped almonds and raspberry jam to Swedish Jam Cookies made with chopped walnuts and dark corn syrup. Perhaps you’d rather sink your teeth into a slice of Smucker’s Peanut Butter & Jam Cheesecake – a rich peanut butter cheesecake inside a graham cracker crust topped with strawberry jam glaze.

Preserves Desserts

Transform vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, pineapple chunks, chocolate syrup, maraschino cherries, banana, and strawberry preserves into Banana Split Dessert Crepes. Get tropical with Pineapple Rum Dream Cake, which uses crushed pineapple, French vanilla cake mix, and apricot preserves to create an island treat. For a low-calorie dessert for the summertime, Creamy Fruit Ambrosia combines chopped pecans, low-fat vanilla yogurt, pineapple, peaches, shredded coconut, and peach preserves.

A pomegranate is about the same size as an orange. In the beginning, the pomegranate is a yellowish fruit that turns a rich shade of red when it becomes mature. The husk is inedible, but the seed kernels situated in individual cells are. A sac filled with juice surrounds each seed, which is pressed out when the fruit is processed to make a fruity, sweet liquid.

If you are interested in incorporating the fruit into your diet, perhaps you will enjoy the following ideas for pomegranate desserts:

Pomegranate Parfait

When properly served and garnished, parfaits make an elegant dessert for get-togethers and romantic nights in. Ingredients to make a pomegranate parfait may include 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs (separated), 3/4 cup water, 1 cup pomegranate juice, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 1 cup whipping cream.

In a heavy saucepan, mix the gelatin and sugar together. Set aside so that you can whisk together egg yolks and water that is stirred into the gelatin mixture. Cook the ingredients over medium-low heat, making sure not to boil. You should constantly stir until the gelatin and sugar dissolve, which should take about five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pomegranate and lemon juice. Place the pomegranate mixture into the refrigerator. You should occasionally stir the dessert until the mixture slightly mounds when dropped from a spoon. This process will take about 2 ½ hours.

When the pomegranate mixture is ready, beat egg whites until stiff (but not dry). Thoroughly fold the egg whites into the pomegranate mixture. Set aside. Beat the cream until soft peaks form, and then carefully fold into pomegranate mixture. Chill the dessert in parfait glasses for at least four hours. A garnish for this pomegranate dessert includes whipped cream, chopped pistachio nuts, and of course, pomegranate seeds.

Pomegranate Syrup

To liven up a dessert, consider drizzling on pomegranate syrup – perfect for cheesecake.

A typical recipe calls for 1 cup of pomegranate juice and ½ cup sugar. Fresh pomegranate juice at home is as easy as adding 1 ½ to 2 cups of pomegranate seeds to a blender, which yields 1 cup of juice. Blend the seeds until liquefied. Pour the mixture through a sieve or fine strainer.

To make the syrup, combine the sugar and pomegranate juice in a 1 to 2 quart pan. Boil the ingredients over high heat – stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Boil the mixture for one minute, remove from heat, and then allow to cool. Cover the syrup and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Other ideas for a pomegranate dessert include:

Pomegranate Mousse – made with powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese, egg whites, and crème fraiche as some of the ingredients.

Pomegranate Yogurt Dip – made with chilled plain yogurt, finely chopped scallions, pomegranate juice, fresh cilantro, and pomegranate juice.

Pomegranate Muffins – made with pomegranate seeds, milk, one egg, butter, baking powder, flour, sugar, salt, and grated lemon peel.

Ranging in color and texture, there are more than 150 varieties of figs – all bursting with their own supply of sweetness. Popular choices include:

• Adriatic: Light green skin and pink-tan flesh commonly used in fig bars
• Black Mission: Blackish-purple skin and pink colored flesh
• Kadota: Green skin and purplish flesh
• Calimyrna: Greenish-yellow skin and amber flesh
• Brown Turkey: Purple skin and red flesh – large southern fig also grown in California.

The Versatility and Benefits of Figs

Yes, figs make delicious desserts, and also provide eaters with a range of health benefits and flexible baking possibilities. For starters, you can embrace figs to achieve your weight management goals, as they contain a good source of dietary fiber. Other benefits of figs include:

• Delivering a healthy boost of potassium, figs can help lower high blood pressure.
• Besides the occasional rough patches or thick skin, figs do not require any peeling. Leaving the skins on figs when making desserts actually produces a stronger flavor.
• A variety of herbs and spices make satisfying accompaniments to sweet and savory fig recipes, including bay, thyme, aniseed and lavender.
• With 79 milligrams of calcium in an 8-ounce serving of figs, the fruit contains minerals that promote bone density.

7 Ideas for Fig Desserts

Fig Galette: With a buttery crust, fill your galette (flat, round or freeform crusty cakes) with figs for a pastry oozing intense flavor best topped with whipped cream.

Fig Tarts: Use fig preserves to create Cinnamon-Sugar Fig Tarts with ingredients, such as toasted, chopped walnuts (or pecans), ground allspice, and brown sugar. You can also add cloves to enhance the flavor of your favorite fig tart recipe. Consider blending a mascarpone cheese filling with Black Mission figs or serving a fig tart with paper-thin prosciutto di Parma, like the infamous chef Mario Batali.

Fig Cake: Use freshly chopped figs to create a moist cake for the holidays with hints of almond and vanilla extract. Add lemon or a dash of balsamic vinegar to fig desserts to enhance the sweetness of slightly underripe figs or awaken the flavor in ripe selections.

Fig Bars: If you love the taste of Fig Newtons with a cup of tea or coffee, then you’ll appreciate a good fig bar recipe. Try adding cardamom and rose water to enjoy a different take on the typical fig bar filling.

Fig Stuffed Apples: Stuff apples with fresh figs, honey, apple juice and lemon juice to create a tantalizing dessert that bakes in the oven for one hour.

Ice Cream Treat: Serve figs poached in juice or red wine with frozen yogurt or ice cream for a cold dessert. For the ice cream maker at heart, explore a recipe that focuses on figs.

Nutty Fig Delight: For a hearty dessert, stuff fresh figs with goat cheese and chopped almonds.

Image Credit: Linda Pannekoek (vanepan) on sxc.hu