Tag: summer desserts

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Peach Pavlova

Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. For four servings, whip four egg whites until the peaks are soft, then gradually whip in a half cup of confectioner’s sugar mixed with a tablespoon of corn starch along with a teaspoon of lemon juice and a half teaspoon of vanilla. Continue beating until whites are stiff. Spoon meringue onto parchment paper; working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, leaving a slight depression in the center. Bake until crusty, turn off heat, and keep in the oven. Slice, macerate, and refrigerate two large unpeeled peaches; the skin gives the syrup a strong color. Sweeten and whip a half cup of heavy cream. Remove and plate meringues; a small dollop of whipped cream on the plate will keep the meringue from sliding around. Top with whipped cream and fruit.

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Lemon Pecan Baklava

Mix a half cup light brown sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon, a stick of melted butter, and 3 cups chopped pecans. Spread on a pound of buttered phyllo. Cover with another pound of buttered phyllo and bake until golden. Stir a cup of sugar into a cup of water.  Add a half cup honey, a half cup corn syrup, and the juice of three lemons with zest. Bring to a low boil until slightly thickened. Pour evenly over pecan phyllo, and cool before slicing and serving.

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Homemade Ice Cream Base

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and a scant teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in a quart of half-and-half and place over low heat. In a large bowl beat together 2 large eggs and a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract until whites and yolks are thoroughly blended. Slowly add eggs to the cream, stirring constantly and gradually increasing heat until thickened. It should have the consistency of eggnog. Stir in a pint of whipping cream and remove from heat. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to cool, then add fruit, nuts and/or flavorings, process in freezer, and make people happy.

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Jesse’s Easy Icebox Pie

Whip a 14 oz. can of Eagle brand milk with an 8 oz. bar of softened cream cheese. Add a half cup freshly-squeezed lime juice, a mashed ripe banana, and a jolt of vanilla. Pour into a cooled 8 in. graham cracker crust and freeze until solid.

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Blackberry Ice Cream

Macerate 4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries with 1 cup sugar; mash and strain. This will yield about 3 cups of syrup. Sift together 1 cup sugar with a tablespoon of cornstarch. Drizzle this mix into a quart of warm half-and-half, add 2 eggs well beaten and a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Simmer until thickened, remove from heat, add 2 cups whole cream, another teaspoon of vanilla, and the blackberry syrup. Whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before processing in the ice cream freezer with a squeeze of lemon. This recipe works well with any berry or stone fruit.

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Angel Food

You can find mixes for this old cake  in the store, but they cannot compare to scratch, and September’s hot, dry weather is the perfect time to make it. It’s tricky; the water and cream of tartar go a long way to make sure you get good results.

Preheat oven to 350. Separate a dozen eggs, using caution to ensure no yolks make it into the whites. Bring whites to room temperature and stir in a tablespoon of water. Sift a cup of cake flour with a half cup sugar until it’s very light, at least twice, thrice is better. Beat egg whites in a large, very clean, dry bowl until foamy and sprinkle in a half teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue beating, and as the texture begins to even out, add a teaspoon or two of pure vanilla extract and–gradually mix in another cup of sugar. Keep beating at a medium speed until the whites form stiff peaks, then carefully fold in the flour while sifting it over the whites. Use a spatula, and turn the bowl; the key is not to deflate the bubbles, so don’t over-mix.

Gently pour the batter into a 10-in. ungreased tube pan; the cake has to cling to the sides as it rises to make it crusty. Bake until the top is browned and springy. Use a knife to separate the cake out, and cool on a rack.

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No Churn Ice Cream

Line a lightly buttered loaf pan with parchment paper, and place it in the freezer. Add two teaspoons pure vanilla to 14-ozs. sweetened condensed milk and refrigerate. Whip two cups of heavy cream to stiff peaks. Working quickly, GENTLY fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk, along with any additions—mashed macerated fruit, chocolate syrup, or crushed cookies or nuts—until well blended. Pour into the cold loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least four hours. Some recipes will tell you to stir the mixture after about two hours (while you still can) but you don’t have to.

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Homemade Sno-Cones

Bring to boil one cup of water, stir in one and a half cups sugar and a package of Kool-Aid. I like banana. Cool and refrigerate. A few drops of vanilla or almond extract–depending on the flavor–and a jigger or so of rum are suggested options. The syrup will thicken as it cools. Pour over finely crushed or shaved ice. Serve immediately.