Desserts

Custards and Puddings

Creamy custards and puddings typically include a thickened dairy base. The thickener used determines whether it's a custard or a pudding. Generally, custards are cooked and thickened with eggs. Crème brûlée and flan are both baked custards. Puddings are thickened with starches. Two common types of puddings are rice and tapioca. Variations on puddings include vegan puddings and instant pudding.

Frozen Desserts

Nothing beats the heat on a blazing summer's day like a cooling ice cream. Ice cream consists of cream slowly stirred in a churn to freeze it to a creamy consistency. Gelato uses a milk base instead of cream and has less air mixed into it than ice cream. Frozen custard uses a cooked base of egg yolks. For a dairyfree dessert, try a sorbet, which is made from churned fruit purees. Frozen yogurt uses yogurt rather than the heavier cream base of ice cream, which also makes it a lower calorie treat.

Cakes

Cakes are not just for birthday parties. These desserts resemble tender, sweet breads. Examples of cakes include angel food cake made with egg whites, sponge cake, flourless cakes like the sachertorte, German chocolate cake, pavlova cake made with a meringue base, pound cake and fruitcake. Petits fours, cupcakes and snack cakes are single-serve sizes of larger cakes.

Cookies

Cookies originated as small cakes. The name cookie, comes from the Dutch word "koekje" meaning "little cake," according to the Nibble's website. They were spoonfuls of cake batter cooked to test the oven temperature before ovens had thermometers. Cookies vary in size, shape and texture, but many share variations of basic ingredients such as sweetener, eggs, butter or shortening and flour. Varieties include chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, gingersnaps, tender shortbread, chewy oatmeal cookies, crispy meringues and cake-like bar cookies.

Pies

The simplest form of pie involves a crust with a filling. The crust can be on the top and bottom or just the bottom, made from pastry or graham cracker crumbs. Pie fillings include custards, puddings, nuts and fruits. Chocolate cream pie, lemon meringue pie, shoo-fly pie, pecan pie, apple pie and tarts are just some pie variations. Tarts use a baking pan with straight sides and don't have a top crust.

Chocolates and Candies

Chocolates and candy involve the crystallization of sugar. The size of the sugar crystals determines the texture of the candy. Rock candy has large sugar crystals and a crunchy texture, but fudge contains small sugar crystals, giving it a smooth taste. Candy and chocolate desserts include fudge, caramel, lollipops, taffy, marshmallows, fondant, pralines and cotton candy.

Pastries

The same flaky pastry used to make pie crusts is applied to other desserts such as cream puffs, baklava, eclairs, Danish pastries and palmiers. Profiteroles consist of an unleavened dough with a high amount of fat. During preparation, the pastry dough is handled lightly to keep the finished pastry light and airy in texture.

Other Desserts

Some desserts don't fit nicely into just one category. Cheesecake is an example. Though it's called cake, it more closely resembles a tart, but the filling is basically a custard. Desserts featuring simply prepared fruits also don't fit well into other categories. Flaming bananas foster and cherries jubilee are fruity desserts with a syrup and alcohol sauce. This sauce is lit at the table before eating as a flashy presentation to end the meal.

Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart

Yield 10 servings JEAN KRESSY April 2003 RECIPE BY COOKING LIGHT Prepare the crust and filling up to 2 days ahead for this strawberry-almond cream tart; then assemble the dessert recipe the morning of your brunch. You'll have extra glaze--try it on ice cream or pound cake.

Ingredients Crust: 36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets) 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 teaspoons water Cooking spray Filling: 2/3 cup light cream cheese 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract Topping: 6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided 2/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted Nutritional Information

How to Make It Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2 To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 3 To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.

Step 4 To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Step 5 Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Step 6 Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate.

Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes

Yield 1 dozen (serving size: 1 cupcake) GLORIA BRADLEY, NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS January 2007 RECIPE BY COOKING LIGHT Lemon and blueberry flavors give these cupcakes a great taste. Blueberries or fresh, edible flowers make an easy, pretty decoration.

Ingredients Cupcakes: 1 1/2 cups (about 6 3/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided 10 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 large egg 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed Frosting: 1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Fresh blueberries (optional) Nutritional Information

How to Make It Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°.

Step 2 Place 12 decorative paper muffin cup liners into muffin cups.

Step 3 To prepare cupcakes, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Measure 1 tablespoon flour; level with a knife. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine melted butter and egg in another large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk, milk, and 1 teaspoon rind to butter mixture; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Step 4 To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon rind, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar (do not overbeat). Stir in juice. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes; garnish with blueberries, if desired. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

PREPARE DESSERT Dessert is usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal. Everyone should be familiar with the tools, equipment and utensils needed in preparing desserts. Every pastry chef must have these tools, utensils, and equipment for efficient preparation of desserts. Each tools is designed to perform a specific job in the kitchen. 1. Measuring cup and spoon. Individual measuring cup for dry ingredients, glass measuring cup for liquid and measuring spoon for ingredients used in small quantity. 2. Mixing bowl. Used for mixing ingredients. It comes in different sizes. Small, medium, and large 3. Cans, bottles, cartons opener used to open a food tin, preferably with a smooth operation, and comfortable grip and turning knob. 4. Cutting board a wooden or plastic board where fruits and vegetables can be cut. 5. Double boiler – used when temperatures must be kept below boiling, such as for egg sauces, puddings, and to keep foods warm without overcooking. 6. Funnels – used to fill jars, made of various sizes of stainless steel, aluminum, or of plastic 7. Graters - used to grate, shred, slice and separate foods such as carrots, cabbage and cheese. 8. Kitchen Knives often referred to as cook's or chef's knife. Use for peeling and slicing fruits and vegetables Fruit and salad knife - used to prepare salad greens, vegetables, and fruits Spatula – used to level off ingredients when measuring and to spread frostings Citrus knife – used to section citrus fruits. The blade has a two-sided, serrated edge Paring knife – used to core, peel, and section fruits and vegetables. Blades are short, concave with hollow ground. 9. Kitchen Shears They are practical for opening food packages, cutting tape or string to package foods or simply to remove labels or tags from items. 10. Scraper- a rubber or silicone tools to blend or scrape the food from the bowl; metal, silicone or plastic egg turners or flippers 11. Spoons – solid, slotted, or perforated. Made of stainless steel or plastic, the solid ones are used to spoon liquids over foods and to lift foods, including the liquid out of the pot 12. Temperature Scales - used to measure heat intensity. Different thermometers are used for different purposes in food preparation – for meat, candy or deep-fat frying.

13. Vegetable peeler. used to scrape vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes and to peel fruits. The best ones are made of stainless steel with sharp double blade that swivels. 14. Whisks for Blending, Mixing used for whipping eggs or batter, and for blending gravies, sauces, and soups. The beaters are made of looped steel piano wires which are twisted together to form the handle 15. Wooden spoons continue to be kitchen essentials because of their usefulness for used for creaming, stirring, and mixing. They should be made of hard wood 16. Baking pan. One cannot bake without bakeware. . Baking pans like loaf pans, cake pans, pie plates, baking sheets and so on are necessary for baking.

More complicated tools are called equipment. They may refer to a small electrical appliance, such as a mixer, or a large, expensive, power-operated appliance such a range or a refrigerator. A EQUIPMENT 1. Refrigerators/Freezers are necessary in preventing bacterial infections from foods. 2. Range a kitchen appliance used for cooking food. 3. Mixers. Used for mixing, creaming, beating and whipping ingredients. The ultimate mixer for anyone who bakes is, of course, a stand mixer. 4. Blenders are used to chop, blend, mix, whip, puree, grate, and liquefy all kinds of food. A blender is a very useful appliance. Note: As a rule, never use a piece of equipment until you are thoroughly familiar with its operation and features. Reasons for eating Desserts and Sweets Dessert balances out a meal and gives “closure” to the meal. Eating dessert is an opportunity to experience different flavors and textures that you cannot get in other foods like vegetables, meats, and fruits. Dessert can be an opportunity to be creative. You can make interesting mixtures that you otherwise may not have thought of. Dessert isn’t “fattening”. Remember, there is no such thing as a fattening food It will make you feel like a kid again.. Forget anti-aging creams or long and sweaty workout sessions at the gym, the fastest way to recapture your youth, or embrace a more youthful spirit is to eat like a kid

It is romantic. Desserts are designed for romance. After all, you can’t really order a salad with two forks. But, when it comes to cake, that is a different matter. Classification/types of desserts and their characteristics A. Fruits The simplest dessert and one of the best are fruits because they are nutritious, appetizing, and easy to prepare and serve. Characteristics of good fruit desserts: appetizing aroma / simple / clean washed appearance / slightly chilled B. Cheese Cheese is another excellent dessert that is ready to serve. It is made in all parts of the world from a variety of milks from cow, goat and sheep. Cheese differs depending on the kind of milk used, the kinds of cheese-making procedures, the seasonings and the ripening processes also distinguish its variety. Each variety has a definite character, a special appeal and particular uses. The three general types of cheese based on consistency are: 1. Soft a. unripened cheese / b. ripened by bacteria 2. Semi – hard a. ripened by mold / b. ripened by bacteria 3. Hard a. with gas holes / b. without gas holes C. Gelatin Dessert These are easily prepared, economical and vary in many ways. Gelatin is marketed in two forms. First, the unsweetened, granular type that must be softened in water before use, and the fruit gelatin to which flavor, color, and sugar have already been added. D. Custard Baked and soft custards vary in so many ways. Creamy, delicate, baked custards may be served in their baking cups or may be unmolded and served with fruit garnishes or with dessert sauces. Characteristics of baked custard firmness of shape smooth, tender texture rich and creamy consistency excellent flavor Characteristics of soft custard velvety smooth texture rich flavor has pouring consistency of heavy cream E. Puddings

Puddings are relatively simple to prepare and vary with sauces. These are classified as: 1. Cornstarch pudding, sometimes called blancmange 2. Rice pudding 3. Bread pudding Characteristics of Pudding attractive appearance excellent consistency well – blended flavor firmness of shape an accompanying sauce to add interest F. Fruit Cobblers These are not fruit pies. They have a depth of two or three inches and are topped with biscuit dough rather than being made with pie crust. They may be served either hot or cold. G. Frozen Desserts 1. Ice cream- smooth frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugar, flavorings and sometimes eggs. 2. Sherbet and Ices – made from fruit juices, water and sugar. American sherbet contains milk and cream and sometimes egg white. The egg whites increase smoothness and volume. Ice contains only fruit juice water, sugar and sometimes egg white. 3. Frozen Soufflés and Frozen Mousses Made like chilled mousses and Bavarians, whipped cream, beaten egg whites or both are folded to give lightness and allow to be still frozen in an ordinary freezer.