Archive for the 'Dessert' Category
Coconut Macaroons
Ina Garten
14 oz sweetened shredded Coconut
14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 extra-large Egg Whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-in diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.
Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container.
I love tiramisu. Who wouldn’t? I mean the name basically means “make me happy”. Unfortunately, tiramisu is a lucious dessert made with ladyfinger cookies, cream, eggs, wine and mascarpone cheese. In other words, it is chock full of calories! This version is lighter but still reminiscent of a yummy tiramisu. Use a light pound cake and low-fat or fat-free ice cream and it’s virtually calorie-free. Ok, not really, but still low(er) cal. And Yum-O!
I couldn’t find a direct link to this recipe but there is a link to Rachael Ray’s website. I hurriedly scribbled this recipe down during an episode of 30-minute Meals. Give it a try even if you’re not a coffee fan, my family loved it.
Near-amisu
Rachael Ray
1 loaf Pound Cake
Flavored Coffee Syrup (I used Hazelnut)
Leftover Coffee
Coffee Flavored Ice Cream, softened (Cheesecake flavored would be tasty too)
1/2 c Cocoa Powder
Cut the pound cake lengthwise into 5 equal slices. Take one of those slices and cut in half lengthwise- these will be the side pieces. Take another slice and cut in half crossways- these will be the end pieces.
Line a meatloaf pan with plastic wrap so that it is completely covered, with lots of extra hanging over the edges. Begin laying the pound cake slices into the loaf pan. Put one full slice on the bottom, then the 2 end pieces and the 2 side pieces. The loaf pan should be completely lined with pound cake at this point.
Lightly brush the pound cake with the coffee and then with the coffee syrup. The cake should be moist but not soaked. Then cut slices of the ice cream (about the same thickness as the slices of pound cake) and lay into the cavity to create an ice cream layer. Smooth with a small offset spatula if needed. Next place another full slice of pound cake on the ice cream layer. Again, brush with coffee and coffee syrup. Top with another layer of ice cream and the final slice of pound cake. Brush the last layer of pound cake with the coffee and coffee syrup.
Cover the cake with the overhanging plastic wrap and press down to “smoosh” the layers together firmly. Place, wrapped, into the freezer for at least an hour.
To serve, unwrap the cake and use the overhanging plastic wrap to pull the loaf out of the pan. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle lightly with cocoa powder. Slice and serve.
I’ve completed just about everything on my initial dinner party to-do list. I ran into a snag with 3 items on my grocery list - lemon sorbet, beef tenderloin and white truffle oil. I’ve been to 4 different markets looking for these items with no luck. Tomorrow I will stop by the butcher shop to pick up a tenderloin and I can substitute a plain Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the truffle oil. The sorbet is a whole other issue - I’ll have to make it from scratch. I’ll be serving the sorbet as a palate cleanser but it can also be served as a refreshing summertime dessert.
Lemon Sorbet
Better Homes and Gardens Recipe
1 cup Sugar
3 cups Water
1 tsp finely shredded Lemon peel
1/2 cup fresh Lemon juice
Few drops of Yellow food coloring
Bring water and sugar to boiling in a saucepan. Remove from heat; cool thoroughly. Cover and chill for about 1 hour.
Combine syrup, peel and juice in a 9×9x2-inch baking pan. Add food coloring. Cover; freeze 3 to 4 hours or until almost firm.
Break frozen mixture into small chuncks. Transfer to a chilled mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy but not melted.
Transfer to a 4- to 6-cup freezer container; cover and freeze until firm.
Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 9 (1/2-cup) servings. Serve in pretty dishes with a mint leaf garnish.
Note: This was very sweet and lemony. I would recommend doubling the amount of water.
We’ll be having that old standby Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes for Sunday dinner. I’d love to be able to give you the meatloaf recipe that we use around here but the loaf at our house is usually made by Steve or Jon and is never the same twice. No measuring is actually used. Everything is just “eyeballed”. Instead, I’ll give you this recipe for an absolutely decadent desert. You can make the whole thing from scratch but I like to cheat on the cake and use a box mix that has pudding in it so that it’s really moist.
Chocolate Raspberry Torte
Virginia’s version
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix (with pudding in the mix)
1/3 c Water
1 small jar Red Raspberry Jam (seedless if possible)
3 cups Heavy cream
2 T Butter
2 T light Corn Syrup
1 1/2 lbs semisweet Chocolate - I use Ghirardelli semisweet chips
Prepare cake mix according to box directions making 2- 8″ cakes. Remove from pans and cool completely.
While cake bakes, make ganache. In a saucepan, bring 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream, 2 T butter and 2 T corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 pound of chocolate. Whisk until it is smooth. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before assembling cakes.
Prepare raspberry syrup by heating raspberry jam and 1/3 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat until of syrup consistency. Keep warm. If you used jam with seeds you will need to strain the syrup to remove them.
Assemble the cake. Slice each 8″ cake into 2 layers with a long serrated knife. Remove the ganache from the refrigerator and bring to just under room temperature (it should still have a slight chill). Mix the ganache with an electric mixer until smooth and light.
Place one layer of the cake on a large plate with cut side up. Brush with 1/3 of the raspberry syrup. Top with about 1/4 of the ganache. Place another layer of the cake on top of the ganache and repeat the process with the syrup and ganache for the next 2 layers. Always place the cake layer cut side up so that the syrup is absorbed better. Add the top layer and spread the sides and top of the 4 layer cake with the remaining ganache. Chill for 30 minutes.
Prepare a glaze by putting 1 cup of heavy cream into a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. Remove from heat and add 8 oz of chocolate, whisking until smooth. Pour the glaze over the top and sides of cake. Chill another 30 minutes before you serve.
Serve the cake with a dollop of whipped cream made from the remaining heavy cream.
This is a recipe I got from a site called Ronnie’s Easy Recipes. The site is no longer available. I converted the measurements from metric to US standard measures. The cake is wonderfully moist and could be served without the cream cheese frosting if you are watching your calories.
Banana Cake
Ronnie’s Easy Recipes
2 sticks Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs
4 Ripe Bananas, peeled and mashed
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Milk
2 T Lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add eggs then bananas, mixing well after each addition.
Gradually add half of flour mixture, mixing well.
Add milk and lemon juice. Add remaining flour mixture, mixing well.
Spread batter in 9×13 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until light golden brown and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 stick Butter
2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
Cream cheese and butter in mixer. Add vanilla and mix. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue whipping until smooth.
Frost cake after completely cool.
