Thursday Desserts

I want something snacky!

Who hasn't said (or, at least, thought) that on occasion? Let's face it: there are times when desserts are the only thing to satisfy a snacky craving.

That said, here are six yummy desserts to help you through the day, including Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars and Frozen Cranberry-Cream Pie. Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY CRISP

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Serves: 4-6; Preparation time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients (use vegan versions)

4 cups frozen blueberries

juice from one lemon

3/4 cup of vegan brown sugar

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons vegan margarine/butter

3/4 cup oats

3/4 cup granola

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Put frozen blueberries at the bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle on lemon juice.

Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl. Make sure vegan margarine/butter substitute is cold. Cut up butter into small cubes and use fork to combine with dry mixture. It will be crumbly when combined.

Sprinkle crumbly mixture on top of blueberries and put in oven for 25-30 minutes.

This is AWESOME served with soy ice cream.

STRAWBERRY MERINGUE NESTS

This was in the July/August 2010 issue of Vegetarian Time (page 49). It begins, "Resembling pale pink clouds, these meringues have a crisp shell and a chewy, berry-flavored interior. Try to pick a day with very low to no humidity to bake these nests, or the meringues will become sticky and somewhat soft. Fill with ice cream, sorbet, or fresh summer fruit." Makes 12 servings.

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/strawberry-meringue-nests/..

Ingredients

1 1.2-oz. pkg. freeze-dried strawberries

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs. cornstarch

1 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°F. Grind strawberries in coffee grinder or mini food processor until powdered. Set aside.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy and bubbles become very small. Whisk together sugar and cornstarch, and slowly add to egg whites with mixer still running. Add vinegar, vanilla, and salt, and increase speed to high. Beat 3 to 5 minutes, or until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold in 4 Tbs. ground strawberries.

Dab 2 small dots of meringue mixture onto bottom corners of each of 2 baking sheets (this will help parchment paper stay put while forming nests). Lay 1 sheet parchment into each sheet pan, and press parchment to adhere to meringue dots. Use large ice cream scoop or 2 serving spoons to dollop 1/3-cup mounds of meringue (6 per baking sheet), leaving 2 inches between each mound. Use back of spoon to gently form indention in middle of each mound.

Bake 1 sheet at a time 50 to 60 minutes, or until meringues are crisp. Cool completely before serving. Store in airtight container up to 3 days.

FROZEN CRANBERRY-CREAM PIE

This was in the November 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 40). It begins, "Sweet-tart cranberry sauce is swirled together with Greek frozen yogurt for an easy holiday dessert. If you’re not a fan of allspice, try ground cloves or cinnamon instead. For a sweeter, creamier pie, double the amount of frozen yogurt." Makes 8 servings. Great for holiday table

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/frozen-cranberry-cream-pie/.

Ingredients

1 12-oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1 cup vanilla Greek frozen yogurt, softened 10 to 15 minutes

1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust

Preparation

Bring cranberries, light brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, allspice, and a dash of salt, if desired, to a simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until mixture is thickened. Mash with potato masher to break up any remaining whole cranberries. Transfer to large bowl, and cool.

Fold frozen yogurt into cooled cranberry sauce. Spread in prepared crust. Freeze 2 hours, or until firm.

COFFEE-PRALINE CRUNCH ICE CREAM CAKE

This is from Samantha Seneviratne in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Samantha wrote, "Inspired by butter-pecan ice cream, this cake combines crunchy praline with graham crackers, coffee ice cream and fudge sauce to make an impressive, but easy to assemble dessert. Store-bought pralines are perfect here, but if you can’t find them, you can make them from scratch with pantry staples. While they can be a little tricky, even a failed praline tastes great nestled in an ice cream cake, but toffee brickle or even just plain chopped nuts could stand in for the praline, too. While you could certainly buy fudge sauce, it’s the one component that is definitely better homemade, just sweet enough and deeply chocolatey. Make a double batch for future sundaes."

Yield: 8 to 10 servings; Time: 25 minutes, plus at least 5 hours' cooling and freezing

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022469-coffee-praline-crunch-ice-cream-cake.

Ingredients

For the Fudge Sauce:

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Dutch-process or natural cocoa, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For assembly:

Nonstick cooking spray

1-1/2 quarts/48 ounces coffee ice cream (about 3 pints)

10 graham crackers (about 6 ounces)

2 cups chopped store-bought or homemade praline, plus more for serving

3/4 cup cold heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks just before serving

Preparation

Prepare the fudge sauce: Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for another minute or two, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Run the sauce through the sieve into the bowl, working out any lumps directly in the sieve. Stir in vanilla. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. (You should have about 2 cups.) About 30 minutes before you assemble the cake, remove the ice cream from the refrigerator to soften.

To assemble the cake, spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. (This is just to help keep the plastic in place.) Press plastic wrap into the pan, making it as smooth as possible against the bottom and sides of the pan, leaving a 3-inch overhang on each of the two long sides.

Spread one third of the softened ice cream (about 2 cups) evenly over the bottom of the pan. (If your ice cream is still too firm to spread, cut it into slices, arrange them in a layer and smooth using an offset spatula.) Lay 3 crackers over the top, breaking them to fit as needed. Top with 1/3 of the fudge sauce (about 2/3 cup), using an offset spatula to spread evenly, and half of the praline, patting into an even layer. Top with another 1/3 of the ice cream, 3 more crackers, 1/3 more fudge sauce and the remaining praline. Finish with the remaining 1/3 of ice cream and 4 more crackers. Use the plastic overhang to wrap the cake up tightly and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

To serve, unwrap the plastic wrap, then quickly rub the outside of the pan with a warm, moistened kitchen towel to loosen. Flip out onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Top with whipped cream and more chopped praline. Cut slices with a knife dipped in hot water. (If too hard to slice, let sit for a few minutes to soften.) Serve with the remaining fudge sauce, warmed, if desired.

MANGO AND PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE

This is from the June, 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 87. It begins, "A home-style dessert gets a tropical twist by baking spiced mangoes and pineapple beneath a crunchy crumble topping. Serve with non-dairy, vanilla ice cream." Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/mango-and-pineapple-crumble-recipe/.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. packed light brown sugar, divided

1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

3/4 tsp. grated nutmeg, divided

1/4 tsp. ground allspice, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbs. chilled vegan margarine, cut into pieces, divided

1/2 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped

2 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut

3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8-inch-square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Add 4 Tbs. margarine, and rub with fingertips until mixture forms coarse meal. Press together until mixture begins to form moist clumps. Stir in pecans and coconut.

Combine remaining 3 Tbs. brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. allspice in large bowl. Add mangoes and pineapple, and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; dot top with remaining 1 Tbs. margarine. Sprinkle oat topping over mango mixture.

Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices bubble. Cool 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

CARROT CAKE CHEESECAKE BARS

This is from the Food Network, and begins, "You'll never have to choose between carrot cake and cheesecake for springtime gatherings again. This mashup starts with a spiced shortbread crust, continues with a carrot juice curd filling that tastes just like carrot cake and finishes with a no-bake cheesecake on top. These colorful, layered bars are topped off with a quick walnut crumble made right in the microwave!"

Active Time: 1 hour; Total Time: 9 hours (includes cooling and chilling times); Yield: 16 bars; Level: Intermediate

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/carrot-cake-cheesecake-bars-11850240.

Ingredients

Crust:

Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

Carrot Juice Curd Filling:

1 cup carrot juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 large eggs plus 4 yolks

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, diced

Walnut Crumble:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

No-Bake Cheesecake:

1/3 cup heavy cream

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

For the crust: Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 of the sides.

Add the flour, confectioners’ sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Add the egg and 1 tablespoon cold water and pulse until the dough comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack, about 15 minutes.

For the carrot juice curd filling: Meanwhile, whisk the carrot juice, granulated sugar, milk, cinnamon, salt and whole eggs and yolks in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until well combined. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly and making sure the butter is melted before adding more, and continue to cook until the mixture is thick, a little lighter in color and coats the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. Strain the curd if any lumps form, then pour into the crust and smooth with a spatula.

Bake until the curd is set (a small part in the center may still be a little jiggly), 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly on a rack, about 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

For the walnut crumble: Meanwhile, microwave the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the walnuts, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt. Microwave until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Let cool in the bowl until the crumble is crunchy, about 30 minutes. Cover tightly or transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature until ready to use.

For the no-bake cheesecake: Once the curd filling is chilled, whip the heavy cream in a medium bowl with a whisk until stiff, fluffy peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes (or 1 to 2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed); set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the lemon juice, sour cream and vanilla and beat until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a large rubber spatula.

Pour the batter on top of the curd filling and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Cover tightly and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle the walnut crumble on top. Cut into squares and serve cold.

Cook’s Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods).

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