Category: Dessert

Dessert · Fruit · Gluten Free

Pineapple with rum syrup and lime crème fraîche

Belinda

This hot and fruity dinner party-pleaser from Delicious Magazine only takes 30 minutes to make. It’s sweet, citrusy and drowned in a boozy rum syrup – it’s sure to go down well!

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Vegetable oil for frying
1 large pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 8 long wedges (see tip)
2 tbsp unsalted butter

For the rum syrup
7oz (200g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out and added
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
Finely grated zest ½ orange
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods, crushed
1 bird’s eye chili (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves
3.5 oz (100ml) dark rum

For the lime crème fraÎche
7oz (200g) full-fat crème fraîche
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lime
1 tbsp icing (confectioners) sugar

First make the rum syrup: put 7 fl oz (200ml) water and the sugar in a pan, then bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Add the rest of the syrup ingredients except the rum. Bubble for 1 minute, then cool for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil, then add the pineapple wedges and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Turn the wedges over and add the butter, reducing the heat to medium. Fry the pineapple until golden all over and cooked all the way through. Transfer to a bowl or plate, then pour over the pan juices.

Put the frying pan back over the heat and add the rum (be very careful as it may flame). Use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the base of the pan. Bubble until reduced by half.

Add the cooled syrup to the rum in the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a coating consistency. Strain the liquid, remove the spices (discard), then pour 3/4″( 2cm) of the syrup back into the pan with the pineapple and juices to warm through.

Mix the crème fraîche with the lime juice and icing sugar.
Serve the pineapple with a dollop of lime crème fraîche, a sprinkling of lime zest and the remaining syrup and lime crème fraîche on the side.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead

(Almost) no-bake chocolate mousse pie

Belinda

Who doesn’t like an “almost”non-bake chocolatey dessert?
Recipe by Sue Moran from the food blog “The View from Great Island”

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Serves 12

For the chocolate mousse pie
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used 24 Nabisco chocolate wafers)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups heavy whipping cream
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Garnish
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs
Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan
In a food processor, grind the chocolate wafters until they become fine crumbs. You’ll want 1 1/2 cups of crumbs total, this was just exactly 24 Nabisco chocolate wafters for me. If you want to save a little for dusting on top of the final pie like I did, you can add one or two more and reserve a tablespoon or so.
Add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir together until evenly incorporated.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and up the sides a little bit (about 1/2 inch). Using a flat-bottomed measuring cup to tamp them down is an easy way to get a nice, even layer.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream over medium or medium-high heat until it just begins to boil.
Take the cream off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
Set the ganache aside to cool at room temperature, or place in the fridge once it’s cooled down a bit.

Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and the sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. You don’t want to over beat it, but you want the peaks to stand up on their own without flopping over.
Gently fold the room temperature ganache into the whipped cream until completely mixed, and there are no streaks.
Pour the mousse into the springform pan, and spread out evenly. You can shake the pan a bit to get it to even out a little more, but you don’t want to knock too much of the air out of the mousse.

Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.

To garnish, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and spread in the middle of the cake. Top with cocoa powder or extra chocolate cookie crumbs.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Frozen Margarita pie

Belinda

This recipe is from “Bon Appetite”. Your favorite cocktail in pie form—what’s not to love? Just keep in mind that you’ll need to freeze the pie at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, for the ideal texture, so be sure to plan ahead.

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Serves 8

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10 graham crackers
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt. divided
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
5 limes, divided
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp. tequila blanco

Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let cool slightly.
Crumble 10 graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Add 3 Tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, and melted butter to bowl and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
Transfer the graham cracker mixture to a shallow 9″ pie pan. Using a measuring cup, press firmly into bottom and up sides of dish. Freeze 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk ¾ cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until cream begins to thicken to the point you see ripples and stiff peaks begin to form, 3–5 minutes.
Cut 4 limes in half and juice into a fine-mesh sieve set over a glass measuring cup (you should have about ½ cup juice). Pour lime juice into another medium bowl and whisk in 14 oz. condensed milk, 3 tbsp tequila, and remaining ¼ tsp salt until smooth.
Fold half of whipped cream into lime juice mixture, carefully folding under and over while turning the bowl. Add remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until no streaks remain.

Remove the pie pan from the freezer and pour in the filling. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread filling to edge of crust.

Using a microplane, zest half of the remaining lime over pie.
Freeze the pie at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

Dessert · Fruit

Rosemary and Marsala strawberries with lemon creme fraiche

Belinda

I don’t know about you, but I often buy strawberries from the supermarket that really don’t taste of much.
Here is a great and easy way to change that and it’s lovely served hot or cold.
Recipe from Delicious magazine

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1lb hulled, halved strawberries
7 fl oz sweet marsala
3.5 oz caster sugar
2 good sized rosemary sprigs
7 oz pot of crème fraîche
2 tbsp icing sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice

Heat the strawberries, marsala, caster sugar and rosemary in a large pan. Stir and simmer for 3-4 minutes to soften the fruit slightly, then remove from the heat.
Mix the crème fraîche with the icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Spoon the warm berries and juice into 4 bowls, top with the crème fraîche and devour.

Asian flavors · Dessert · Gluten Free

Ottolenghi’s sticky bananas with brown sugar and lime

Belinda

Another gem from Yotam Ottolenghi
This punchy dessert has everything – sweetness, acidity, saltiness and umami – which makes the creme fraiche essential for rounding out the flavors and mellowing them a little. The bananas you use should have almost completely yellow skins, with only the faintest bit of brown spotting. If you don’t have a spice grinder, it will be virtually impossible to grind the rice sufficiently, so leave it out or use chopped toasted peanuts instead.

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Serves 4

2 oz unsalted butter
3 oz soft light brown sugar
½ tsp ground star anise
6 oz creme fraiche
1½ tbsp white miso
4 semi-ripe medium bananas, peeled and halved lengthways
1 lime – zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, then cut into 4 wedges

For the toasted rice topping
1 tbsp uncooked white rice
2 tsp black sesame seeds
½ tsp ground star anise

Set the oven grill to its highest setting. Meanwhile, put the rice in a small frying pan on a medium heat and toast for 12-15 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until deeply golden. Transfer to a spice grinder, blitz very finely, then tip into a small bowl. Return the pan to a medium-high heat, add the sesame seeds and toast, shaking the pan regularly, for about a minute, then tip into the rice bowl. Add the ground star anise and mix to combine.

Put the butter, sugar, star anise and a tablespoon of creme fraiche in a large, ovenproof cast-iron pan (or large saute pan) and put on a medium heat. Stir the mixture until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved, then, off the heat, whisk in the miso until smooth. Add the bananas cut side-up, and use a spoon to coat the tops with some of the caramel. Transfer the pan to the oven and grill for eight minutes (timings will vary depending on your grill), or until the bananas have softened and taken on quite a lot of color.

Sprinkle over the lime zest and a tablespoon of the rice topping, and serve hot straight from the pan, with the lime wedges, remaining creme fraiche and some extra crunchy topping alongside.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Spumoni ice cream cake

Belinda

Spumoni is a frozen Italian-American dessert made by layering pistachio, cherry and chocolate (or sometimes vanilla) gelati. This showstopper ice cream cake version looks difficult, but it’s made with store-bought ingredients, so it mostly involves shopping and assembly.
The layers can be stacked ahead, and you also don’t have to worry too much about its melting rapidly: The cake’s sheer volume and store-bought ice creams’ stabilizers help it stay cold. For a Neapolitan-style cake, you could swap strawberry ice cream for the cherry and vanilla for the pistachio. The only true challenge here is making sure there’s room in your freezer, since this cake is about 4 inches tall.
Recipe by Ali Slagle from the New York Times Cooking section

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Serves about 16 people

1 (1.5 quart) carton or 3 pints cherry ice cream
1 (1.5 quart) carton or 3 pints pistachio ice cream
1 (1.5 quart) carton or 3 pints chocolate ice cream, preferably with chocolate chips
50 amaretti cookies, meringues or chocolate wafers (about 10.5 oz)
1 cup maraschino cherries (from one 14-oz jar), drained and stemmed if needed
2 ½ cups heavy cream (see Tip)
5 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
Multicolored sprinkles, for serving

Remove the lid from the cherry ice cream and let sit at room temperature until the ice cream softens to the consistency of thick cake batter, 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the lids from the pistachio and chocolate ice creams and let soften in the refrigerator until the ice creams are softened to the consistency of thick cake batter, 20 to 30 minutes.

While the ice creams soften, cover the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with one layer of whole amaretti cookies, flat sides down. Put the remaining amaretti in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy pan.
Line another 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang. Add the crushed cookies and set aside.

On top of the whole cookies in the springform pan, spread the softened cherry ice cream in an even layer. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove air pockets. Distribute the maraschino cherries over the cherry ice cream, saving a handful for the top of the cake.
Spread the softened pistachio ice cream in an even layer on top of the cherries. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove air pockets.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours or up to 1 week.
(If at any point the ice cream is melting to liquid, pop the cake and ice creams in the freezer to firm to a spoonable consistency.)

Immediately after placing the cherry and pistachio layers in the freezer, prepare the chocolate layer:
Shake to distribute the cookie crumbs evenly in the other cake pan.
Spread the softened chocolate ice cream in an even layer over the cookies. Press down as you go to adhere the ice cream to the cookies, then tap the pan on the counter to remove air pockets.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 2 hours or up to 1 week.
Run a knife around the cake in the spring form pan, then unmold the spring form and transfer the cake to a serving plate. Use the plastic wrap overhang to remove the chocolate ice cream out of the cake pan. Invert the layer onto the pistachio ice cream so the crushed cookies are on top (do not remove the plastic wrap).
Freeze until set, about 4 hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to serve, whip the cream with the sugar and salt until stiff peaks form. Remove the cake from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap from the cake.
Working quickly, with a spoon or offset spatula, frost the sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream, then decorate with sprinkles and the reserved maraschino cherries.
Serve right away. (If you find the cake too solid to cut, run your knife under hot water before slicing and wipe it dry between cuts. Also remember that the first piece is always the trickiest to get out.)

Dessert · Fruit · Gluten Free

Honey-Sweetened Mascarpone with Berries and Pistachios

Belinda

Dahlia Narvaez adored the deliciously rich mascarpone cheese she ate in Umbria. “It’s such a great backdrop for all the different honeys made in Italy,” she says.
She made this dish with delicate Umbrian wildflower honey but says stronger honeys like chestnut would also be terrific.

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1 cup mascarpone
1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)
1/4 cup wildflower honey, warmed
4 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blackberries and halved strawberries 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted

In a small bowl, blend the mascarpone with the orange flower water and 2 tablespoons of the honey.

Spoon the mascarpone into large shallow bowls. Scatter the berries and pistachios on top and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey.

Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Icecream

Gin and tonic ice lollies

Belinda

What could be more fun and refreshing to serve on these hot summer days?

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4oz superfine (caster) sugar
3 fl oz Gin
7 fl oz tonic water
Juice of 3-4 limes
6-12 slices of fresh lime
12-18 fresh mint leaves

Place the sugar and 3 fl oz water in a saucepan over a low/medium heat until the sugar has dissolved – be careful not to let it boil. Leave to cool completely.

When cool, pour the syrup into a pitcher and add the lime juice, gin and tonic water and stir well.

Take six 2.5 oz lolly moulds and add a slice or two of lime and 2-3 mint leaves to each, then top up with the lolly mixture.
Add the sticks and freeze until solid – overnight is best.

Dessert · Gluten Free

Extra special Eton Mess

Belinda

This is the worlds easiest and most decadent desserts out there.
Lovely to serve on a summers day, especially if you add the cassis.

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2.5 cups (600ml) thick whipping cream, chilled
15 oz Greek yoghurt, chilled
4 tbsp lemon curd
1 lb (500g) bag frozen mixed berries
4 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp cassis (optional)
1 pinch cinnamon
8 meringue nests (Trader Joes sells these)

In a small saucepan gently heat the frozen berries, icing sugar and cinnamon until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the cassis, if using, and set aside to cool completely.

Whip the chilled cream and Greek yogurt until just holding it’s shape, ripple through the lemon curd.
Break the meringue nests into a glass bowl, or 8 individual glasses. Spoon over half the cream, then half the berries.
Repeat with the remaining cream and berries.
Serve immediately.

Accompaniments · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Whipped coconut cream

Belinda

I am posting this because whipped coconut cream is a far superior replacement to whipped cream and it’s non-dairy.

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You have to be careful which brand of coconut milk or cream you use as some just don’t whip up very well.
Here are the top 4 brands;
Savoy Coconut Cream,
Nature’s Charm Coco whipping cream
365 Whole Foods Organic coconut milk
Native Forest organic coconut milk classic
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Tips for perfect coconut whipped cream
Select a good quality brand of coconut milk (see recommendations above).
Chill overnight, not in the freezer for best results.
Chilling overnight is key or the coconut cream won’t harden and will likely be too soft to whip.
Before whipping, chill a large mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes!
If your coconut whipped cream is too stiff when whipping, add some of the reserved liquid from the can to help it blend smoother and create more air!
See clumps? Keep whipping and scraping down sides, and add some of the reserved liquid from the can to soften the mixture and create more air!
Use immediately, OR (my preferred) make ahead and chill for 4 hours + where it will firm up even more!
Keep it sugar free by adding a little stevia to taste!

Makes 6 (1/4 cup) servings:
Keeps 1-2 weeks in the fridge

1 14-ounce can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk* (Savoy Coconut Cream, Aroy-D Coconut Milk, and Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream work best!)
1/4 – 3/4 cup icing/powdered sugar (use organic to ensure vegan friendliness)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Chill your coconut cream or coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight being sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid.
The next day, chill a large mixing bowl 10 minutes before whipping.
Remove the coconut cream or milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (reserve for use in smoothies).

Note: if your coconut milk didn’t harden, you probably just got a dud can without the right fat content. In that case, you can try to salvage it with a bit of tapioca flour – 1 to 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)- during the whipping process. That has worked for me several times.

Place hardened cream in your chilled mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer until creamy. Then add vanilla (optional) and powdered sugar (or stevia) and mix until creamy and smooth – about 1 minute. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.

Use immediately or refrigerate – it will harden and set in the fridge the longer it’s chilled. Will keep for up to 1 – 2 weeks!
Coconut whipped cream is perfect for topping desserts like pie, hot cocoa and ice cream.
It’s also ideal for french toast, pie fillings, mousse, and even no-churn ice cream!