Need a quick, easy, fairly healthy yet impressive dessert?!
I'm hoping to find something that is incredibly delicious but in a smaller portion (there will only be four of us and I don't want a lot left over).
I would prefer quick, but thats not that important as long as I can make it at least 24 to 32 hours before-hand. I am also in no-way that talented in the kitchen. I don't really have all too many supplies (no beater, no mixer, etc) so simplicity would be great.
Any ideas? Thanks! ^_^
Answers: My parents are coming to visit me for the first time since I got married and I'm very excited. We're going to go out for a nice dinner and I want to be able to bring them back to my home and serve them an impressive dessert on our gorgeous new dishes.
I'm hoping to find something that is incredibly delicious but in a smaller portion (there will only be four of us and I don't want a lot left over).
I would prefer quick, but thats not that important as long as I can make it at least 24 to 32 hours before-hand. I am also in no-way that talented in the kitchen. I don't really have all too many supplies (no beater, no mixer, etc) so simplicity would be great.
Any ideas? Thanks! ^_^
Strawberry Shortcake. You can make the shortcakes a day ahead and slice the strawberries before you go out. The heavy cream can be sweetened before you leave, then whipped when you get back. It won't take too long, just take two forks and put them so that the tines are intertwined (tips facing each other) to make a whisk, or use a whisk if you have one.
SHORTCAKE:
2 1/4 c. cake flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
2/3 c. milk
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Add shortening, cutting it with pastry blender (or a fork) until crumbly. Stir in egg and milk. Spread in greased 8- inch round cake pan. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. You can make this in a muffin pan to make individual servings.
If you don't want heavy cream, you can purchase fat free or sugar free cool whip.
Edit: FYI
Marscapone Cheese is an Italian dessert cheese found in the deli section of the grocery store with the specialty cheeses. Meringue is whipped egg whites, sweetened, then slowly baked to crisp up.
mascarpone cheese with rasberries and merengue.
Crush 4 merengues, crush a punnet of rasberries and mix them into a tub of mascarpone cheese.
Or mix the rasberries with the mascarpone and serve them in merengue nests.
It is very easy and is so delicious!
Buy an Angel food cake. Cut in pieces, and layer in fancy dishes with strawberries, pudding, and cool whip.
I loooove this recipe and never have left overs
Fruit pizza
1 pkg sugar cookie dough
1 pkg cream cheese
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 kiwis
strawberries
chunked pineapple
1 pkg white chocolate or choc chips melted
On a pizza pan or cookie sheet spread sugar cookie dough and cook according to package which is usually about 400 or 425 for 10-12 minutes... once crust is cool..soften cream cheese in microwave for about 15-20 sec then add vanilla extract..spread on cookie crust then add sliced fruit
you can really get creative with your fruit designs then when finished drizzle choc on the top and chill...serve cold
poptarts
THE DESSERT that *really impressed* me was at a Wedding reception, where the family served mixed fruit with simple whipped topping (Cool Whip) on top.
Everyone who partook commented how "simply-elegant and delicious" this dessert was.
Baked apples with vanilla bean ice cream
peel and core apples and hollow them out slightly for the filling
mix
1/2 cup cup crushed walnuts
1/3 cup raisins ( golden are best )
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice or nutmeg
2 tablespoons of honey, sugar or agave nectar
stuff apples and dash a little lemon juice over them if you have some.
baked in a buttered pan at 375 f for 30-40 minutes
serve with a quality vanilla ice cream like Hagan daaz vanilla bean
.......... use Granny Smith apples ....................
Buy a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines chocolate food cake mix and make it exactly as the box tells you to; it will stay fresh for several days if you keep it chilled. a few hours before you will want to serve it, take a can of whipped cream and spray a good thick layer on one cake,sandwich it with the other and dust with a little powdered sugar if you have any. It goes really well with coffee and why on earth would anyone bother making one from scratch when these mixes are so good?
Get an Angel food cake at the grocery store...cut it in three layers using a long knife or even dental floss. Frost the layers, including the top, with Light Cool Whip but leave the sides unfrosted so you can see the layers. Put it back in its original container and store it in the freezer until about 30 minutes to one hour before serving - I usually put it in the fridge before I start preparing dinner. Sprinkle with fresh fruit (berries look beautiful) - go for lots of color.
For something extra, you can even add a can of crushed pineapple to the Cool Whip before "frosting" the cake. I like to do a layer of Cool Whip mixed with pineapple, one mixed with chopped strawberries, and one mixed with whole blueberries...very colorful and looks like you worked harder on it than you did.
A healthy, beautiful dessert that can be done in advance.
Jello or chocolate carmel cheesecake
Strawberries in Port.
two punnets of strawberries (approx 500g).
2 TBSP Castor (fine ) sugar)
1/4 cup port
Clean and hull strawberries and (if large) cut into bite size pieces.
Take one quarter of the strawberries and place on a dinner plate, add castor sugar and mash with a fork.
Place strawberry pulp in a jug and add 1/4 cup port and stir with fork
Chill strawberries and sauce until ready to serve
Serve strawberries either in a small individual bowls (or as a special treat in a purchased chocolate cup) and spoon sauce on top.
serve plain or +/- cream, sour cream, ice-cream
You will need small desert dishes or nice champaign or other fluted type glasses for this : ( can make it while the after dinner coffee is brewing)
1container of low fat or fat free Vanilla yogurt
1 container Philadelphia cream cheese no bake cheesecake filling
1 can of cinnamon , nutmeg or ginger ( your choice)
2 cram cracker rectangles , crushed well
1 package fresh mint
1 container of pre cut fruits in the deli section of the grocery ( this will save time in all the cutting and cleaning of the fruits , though you may want to cut some of them down to bite sized. or you can buy containers of small fruits like blue berries, grapes, raspberries, currents, etc...)
start with a small dollop of the yogurt in the bottom of the glass. sprinkle that with a little of the crushed gram cracker. then add a few of the fruits then a little of the pre made cheese cake filling, some gram cracker crumbs, some more fruit, some yogurt. keep layering this till the glasses are full and top with either a dollop of the yogurt or the cream cheese cake filling ( which ever would come next) , a sprinkling of the spice and a fresh sprig of mint
Hope this helps
Carmel Apple Pie
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup of flour
1/2 Cup of oats
1/2 Cup cold buter
Crumb topping: stir first three together, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
1/2 Cup sugar
3 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of salt
6 cups of thinly sliced, peeled-cored apples (I use GrannySmith)
In large bowl stir sugar,flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss to coat. Put apple mixture in pie crust, sprinkle crumb topping over, cover edge of crust with foil.Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, remove foil bake another 20 minutes or until top is golden. Remove from oven and drizzle with carmel ice cream topping and chopped pecans/walnuts if desired