Tag: Dessert
Raspberry Gelato
Okay, this is another really easy, healthy and a yummy treat to make. I love coming up with such desserts- I don’t mind how often Sia eats it. I love having healthy breads and such desserts in the freezer. My daughter has a big sweet tooth- gee, I wonder where she got that trait from?
Since my daughter is always looking for something sweet after a meal, I feel compelled to come up with healthy things for her to eat. She loves ice cream- and prefers to eat it outside. I made this at home and gave her a bite and her eyes lit up! I can’t say that she only eats ice cream at home now but it’s a good start. She loves raspberries and it has just enough sugar for her to think this is a real treat.
Fresh raspberries are still available in the stores and farms right now, so it’s a great time to make this easy dessert. It’s delicious with a drizzle of chocolate sauce or just by itself. As the weather changes, frozen raspberries can be substituted- although the fresh ones give the gelato a more intense flavor. Strawberries or even apples can be used. Speaking of apples- I think I will try a gelato for the holidays. Maybe one with cinnamon and nutmeg- like an apple pie! I will keep you all posted…
read more …
Healthy Frozen Treat: Fresh Strawberry Sorbet
Everyone loves frozen treats in the summer and as I sit outside in this humid sauna, I wouldn’t mind having one right now. Every time we (my daughter and I) are in town (Maplewood), she wants to get an ice cream; or any time we are outside or in the park, the ice cream truck comes along; or any time we are at the pool, she wants ice cream. You get the picture. I am not happy buying her ice cream all the time, especially because I don’t know what kind of crappy ingredients are in there. I especially hate the very colorful ones with gum inside- and of course Sia absolutely loves them. There is always an argument over when and where she can get ice cream. I would prefer to buy ice cream outside once in a while and instead give it to her more often at home. I remember growing up and only wanting to eat ice cream outside- it just tasted better…. so I do understand her point of view.
I keep healthy things at home and want her to eat and be aware of what she puts in her body. Beside buying good quality ice cream, I try to make some at home. I have experimented with a few gelato flavors and some sorbets. I had a lot of strawberries at home- which is quite easy to do in the summer months- and didn’t know what to do with them. I first thought of making a strawberry sauce to drizzle on top of ice cream but then decided to make a sorbet instead.
Fresh, healthy sorbet with all natural ingredients- what a concept. I looked at a few recipes on line and then came up with my own version. It was very simple to make and not time consuming at all. My daughter helped by being the ‘taste tester’.
It was a winner- she loved it. I can’t say the ice cream eating outside the house has decreased since then- though I keep trying, but at least I feel good every time she eats it at home!
Try this one, it’s delicious!
read more …
Pistachio Cardamom Gelato
This is the second flavor I have tried after discovering a gelato recipe made out of whole milk and corn starch. I thought of pistachios because it is my husband’s favorite and it was around his birthday. I decided to be a really nice wife and make him happy. When I started to think about the recipe, I felt it needed to be a little different than your typical pistachio gelato. Since whole milk was the main ingredient – I felt another ingredient needed to be added to off-set the lack of fat in this gelato. I thought of cardamom- I love the flavor, very flowery and delicate but exremely dominant. It makes me think of the Indian version of ice cream, kulfi. Kulfi is made out of whole milk that is cooked on a low heat for hours- it is essetially evaporated till the consistency is thick and custard like. It is then frozen in different molds. Typically it is flavored with cardamom, mango or saffron. I remember growing up eating mango kulfi that my Mom would make. It would be quite a production since it takes a while to cook and then freeze. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the frozen metal mold full of yummy frozen milk. When I was putting this particular frozen dessert together, the smell took me back. Adding the cardamom to the milk and pistachios made this concoction amazingly delicious.
After chilling the mixture over night and then adding it to the ice cream maker- we were all very curious to try the first bite- and , it was delicious- the creaminess of the pistachios came through and the cardamom was definitely the star. It definitely didn’t taste like it was made out of whole milk- extremely creamy- we didn’t miss the cream and the eggs at all.
Most importantly, my husband really enjoyed it. I took it to a get together and it was a big hit! I think the next one I make will be with hazelnuts- can’t wait!
Healthy Summer Recipe: Chocolate Cinnamon Gelato
I am surrounded with ice cream lovers at home. Both my daughter and husband love it! I, on the other hand like ice cream but don’t love it. Somehow thinking about the ingredients – cream, eggs and sugar- deters me from eating it too much so somehow I have convinced myself that I don’t like it too much. Place a slice of pound cake in front of me and the ingredients don’t matter at all- I devour it!
I do enjoy a scoop or two of gelato- my first time eating it was about 10 years ago in Rome. I still have a vivid memory of a gelateria right next to our hotel. The first day there, we checked in, showered and walked out and noticed the place. We went right in and ordered a cone with two flavors- I can’t remember what I had but can picure the dollop of cream that was placed on the scoops of gelato. Oh, my God- it was amazing! I still think about it.
Years later, gelato is available all over the US. Somehow it doesn’t taste the same- not sure why that is. I still eat it every chance I get but it is quite expensive to buy. So, when I came across a recipe by David Lebovitz that used corn starch to thicken the milk- I was instantly excited. I looked at a few more recipes on line and came up with this one. I used whole milk and corn starch with great cocoa powder and turbinado sugar. It’s all healthy and there isn’t that much sugar in it. I added cinnamon and almond extract to it- the flavor was unbelievable…
It was absolutely delicious! I took it for a dinner party and it was a big hit. I have been experimenting with a few different flavors now- will be posting soon. I am thrilled to be making gelato that is healthy and delicious. My daughter love it!
Apricot Kuchen- Gesa’s German Cake Recipe
My favorite breakfast would be a big-huge cup of perfectly brewed coffee with a huge slice of toasted pound cake!- oh and a big chunk of salty cheese as well. I don’t think I have indulged in just cake and cheese for any meal in a long time. Pound cake has a special place in my heart. I remember eating lots of it in India growing up. My Mom would make it at home but the one I remember fondly is from Standard Bakery. They made their pound cakes in round molds. It was small in diameter but baked really high. It used to be wrapped with a brown parchment paper, which I remember peeling off and devouring a big slice of cake as soon as it came home. I do try to eat that particular one whenever I go back.
I ate an apricot cake a few years ago at a friend’s baby shower. Her Austrian friend had made her Mom’s recipe. It was delicious! It reminded me of the pound cake I used to eat years ago. It was not too sweet but had the pound cake texture. The apricots on top were a great accompaniment- sweet and tangy. The cake was served with sweetened whipped cream- again, my favorite. I could have eaten that whole thing by myself.
Recently my friend made her aunt Gesa’s apple kuchen (word for ‘cake’ in German). I ate some and it reminded me of the apricot cake I had at her shower. I took the recipe, tweaked it a bit and added apricots instead of apples. It was delicious. It is not as rich as a pound cake but has a similar feel. It is not too sweet so it can be eaten for breakfast and tea. Most importantly, it tastes delicious with ice cream or whipped cream. I served it with a mixture of creme fraiche and ricotta cheese. I decided to use creme fraiche because its thick and creamy. I added ricotta cheese for it’s great texture. Both mixed together made a really yummy accompaniment to the cake. I sweetened the whole thing with a bit of vanilla sugar.
Vanilla sugar can be bought but it is quite easy to make. Every time a recipe calls for a vanilla bean, I scrape the seeds out and save the rest. I add the emptied pods to a jar of sugar. After a week or so, the entire jar of sugar is flavored with the yummy vanilla taste. I always have some on hand – it’s a great way to flavor anything. Every morning my daughter, Sia get a bowl of berries topped with a bit of vanilla sugar- she loves it!
Strawberry and Mango Dessert Sauce
A friend came over for dinner a few nights ago. I had a day notice and it was through the week- I wanted to make an easy entree and something I can assemble ahead of time. I decided to make a baked pasta with red peppers and zucchini (recipe to follow) and garlic bread. What about dessert??? I had plenty of ice cream in the freezer and of course lots and lots of mangoes! In the fridge, I also had a pint of strawberries looking a little sorry and not so fresh. I decided to cook the strawberries down and add chunks of mangoes in the sauce. First of all, the topping color made me happy- such bright red and yellow- my favorite colors, they are all over my house! I served vanilla ice cream with a big dollop of the topping. It was delicious! Great to have over a pound cake or even angel food cake. It’s actually great just by itself with a little whipped cream on top! It would be great to have in the fridge in the summer months with abundant berries and mangoes. I am sure raspberries would taste delicious with mangoes as well.
- 1 pint fresh strawberries- washed and cut
- ½ cup fresh mango and pineapple juice (orange juice will do)
- 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar (use according to how sweet the strawberries are)
- 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
In a medium pan, add the strawberries and the juice. Bring to a boil and lower the heat and simmer the fruit for 30 to 40 minutes. Add sugar as needed. The strawberries will cook down and have jam like consistency. Take the off the heat and add the mangoes. Chill the fruit mixture and serve on top of ice cream.
Quick Delicious Brownies
A few weeks ago I had plans to go out with some friends to the local pub. It was going to be a girls evening out and the husbands were in charge of the kids. We were supposed to leave at 5 o’clock- our neighbor offered a dinner invitation(at three o’clock) to my husband and daughter since his wife was going out to the pub with the rest of the women. The husbands and the kids planned to grill hot dogs and hamburgers outside. At 4 o’clock I decided to bake brownies for them to enjoy with their grilled dinner. I was able to put this dessert together and bake it within an hour. I have to admit- the brownies were still in the oven when I left- so I gave my husband directions to take them out of the oven in five minutes, let them cool down and then cut them into squares. Well- he did all of that – but saw that the brownies looked kind of raw and decided to just cut the sides off to take with him next door. He called me at the pub to inform me that the brownies didn’t come out right since they were still raw. I came home later that evening and saw that the brownies were the perfect gooey consistency we all look for! So, I went ahead and salvaged what was left of the mess!
These brownies are super easy to make. I used healthy whole wheat flour and evaporated cane juice. Both together give them a very creamy nutty flavor. I admit there is a whole cup of melted butter- I plan to make them again and substitute a cup of extra light olive oil. Overall they are quite healthy and extremely delicious- no reason to use a store-bought brownie mix!
- 2 cups evaporated cane juice
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup walnut halves- optional
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Butter an 9 X 13 -baking dish.
In a large bowl, blend the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla extract well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing well in between. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes if you like gooey brownies- a few minutes more if you like them more cake-like.