Dessert

I want something snacky!

Who hasn't said (or, at least, thought) that on occasion? I think most of us do like something a little decadent. To that end, here are six Dessert recipes to help you through the day, including Gourmet S'Mores and Mango Pie. Enjoy!

CHEWY PICNIC BROWNIES

This is from the July/August 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 61. It begins, "Using cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate allowed us to cut back on the traditional high-fat, high-sugar ingredient quantities in brownies and still have a satisfyingly chewy, chocolaty dessert." Makes 16 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/chewy-picnic-brownies/.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

6 oz. (1-1/2 sticks) nonhydrogenated margarine or butter, cut into 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

Preparation

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt chocolate and margarine in double boiler. Remove from heat, and whisk until smooth.

Stir brown sugar into chocolate-butter mixture. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in beaten eggs. Spread in prepared baking pan, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until brownies look set, but still soft in center. Cool. Slice into squares.

GOURMET S'MORES

This is from the July/August 2016 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 67. It begins, "You don't need a campfire to make s'mores! Pull these out of the oven at your next summer get-together and you'll win raves from kids and adults alike." Makes 12 s'mores in 30 minutes or less

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a link for this.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 tsp. sugar

6 slow-fat graham crackers, broken in half

1 4-oz. bar milk chocolate, broken into 1-inch pieces

1 banana, thinly sliced on an angle

3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff

Directions

Preheat broiler. Toss berries with sugar in bowl, and let stand 10 minutes.

Place graham cracker halves on baking sheet, and top with chocolate pieces.

Set 2 or 3 banana slices over eacj pf 6 s'mores with raspberries.

Spread 2 Tbs. Marshmallow Fluff over each s'more. Place 6 to 8 inches under broiler, and broil 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, or until chocolate is melted and fluff is toasty and browned. Serve immediately.

SWIRLED BERRY CHEESECAKE

This is from the June 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 61. It begins, "This recipe can be easily adapted to suit vegan diets by substituting margarine for butter in the crust, vegan “cream cheese” for cream cheese, and 1/2 cup silken tofu (purée it with original tofu before adding the other ingredients) for the eggs." Makes 12 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/swirled-berry-cheesecake/.

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups (6 oz.) vanilla snaps or vanilla wafers

2-1/2 Tbs. butter or vegan margarine, melted

Filling

1 12.3-oz. pkg. firm silken tofu, drained

1 8-oz. pkg. reduced-fat cream cheese, cut into pieces

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. lemon juice, divided

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 Tbs. grated lemon zest

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1/2 cup strawberry fruit spread

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap outside of pan with double thickness of foil. Place kitchen towel in roasting pan.

To make Crust: Place cookies in food processor, and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add butter, and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 10 minutes, or until firm. Cool.

To make Filling: Purée tofu in food processor 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add cream cheese, sugar, 1 Tbs. lemon juice, cornstarch, lemon zest, and vanilla, and process until blended. Add eggs, and pulse until mixed in. Pour into crust.

Warm fruit spread with remaining 2 Tbs. lemon juice in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Strain into bowl to remove seeds, then transfer to resealable plastic bag. Cut small hole in one corner of bag. Pipe fruit spread over batter in lines. Draw tip of knife crosswise through fruit spread to create design.

Place cheesecake in towel-lined roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until cheesecake is set around edges but center still jiggles. Turn off oven and prop oven door open with wooden spoon. Cool cheesecake in oven 45 minutes. Remove foil. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.

MANGO PIE

This is from Kanta and Hrishikesh Kirway, and adapted by Samin Nosrat in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Samin wrote, "When Hrishikesh Hirway was a kid, his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Maharashtra, in western India, began hosting Thanksgiving. The meal soon evolved into a hybrid of a traditional Thanksgiving and an Indian potluck. “Out of that cultural mash-up, my mom started making this mango pie,” he said. She’d gotten the idea from other Indian aunties in the States, but their versions weren’t as good. “They weren’t making it with the best kind of mango,” Hirway explained. “The Alphonsos have a stronger, more intense flavor.” That Alphonso flavor shines as brilliantly as the pie’s bright filling, made tangy and rich with the addition of cream cheese and whipped cream. And the salty, crumbly graham cracker crust is the perfect foundation for the golden cloud of custard that sits atop it. It’s so satisfying that you'll catch yourself cutting sliver after mouthwatering sliver of pie."

Yield: 2 9-inch pies; Time: 50 minutes, plus 5 hours' chilling

This was featured in "A Very American Mango Pie, Inspired by Indian Aunties," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019974-mango-pie.

Note: I found the featured article very interesting, and hope you will, too. Please, take a look at it. Nothing like combining the old and new cultures and food!

While we're at it, check out Melissa Clark's guide titled "How to Make a Pie Crust." Helpful stuff there!

Ingredients

For the graham-cracker crust:

2-1/2 cups finely ground graham-cracker crumbs

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 large pinch sea salt

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the mango custard:

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin (2-1/2 packages at 2-1/2 teaspoons per pack)

cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 30-ounce can Alphonso mango purée (3-1/4 cups)

1 large pinch sea salt

Preparation

Stir crumbs, sugar, cardamom and salt together in a medium bowl. Add butter, and stir with a fork until evenly combined.

Pour half the crumb mixture into a 9-inch round metal pie pan, and spread evenly. Press down with fingers, a metal measuring cup or a second pie pan to compact the crumbs as much as possible across the bottom and up the sides of the pan into an even crust. (The more compressed the crust, the less it will crumble.) Repeat to form the remaining crumb mixture into a crust in a second pan.

Heat oven to 325. Transfer both crusts to freezer, and chill for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place 3/4 cup cold water in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar with the gelatin; sprinkle mixture evenly over the surface of the cold water. Let sit a few minutes to bloom.

In the meantime, whip the cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar together until medium-stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm 1 cup of the mango purée to body temperature (stir to make sure you are just warming it and not bringing it to a boil). Pour warmed mango purée over gelatin mixture, and whisk until well combined. Gelatin should dissolve into mango completely. Gradually whisk in remaining mango purée.

Use a rubber spatula to beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until it is soft and smooth, then add to mango mixture along with a large pinch of sea salt. Use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth, tipping the bowl to make sure you’ve incorporated everything well. Gently tap the bowl on the counter once or twice to pop any air bubbles. Use the spatula to gently fold about 1/4 of the mango mixture into the whipped cream, then fold cream into the larger amount of mixture until no streaks remain.

Divide custard between cooled crusts. Use a rubber spatula to smooth out the filling. Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight until firm and chilled. Serve chilled.

Tip

You can find Alphonso mango purée — which is a variety, not a brand — at most Indian grocery stores. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a food processor or a countertop blender to blend the custard mixture.

MELON WITH FRESH BERRY SAUCE

Recipe Yield: Yield: 6 servings

Source: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

Book Title: The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/melon-with-fresh-berry-sauce.

Ingredients

3-1/3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and undrained) raspberries or blackberries

1-1/2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Sugar substitute equal to 3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 raspberries or blackberries

1/2 honeydew melon

Directions

Place 2 cups of the berries and all of the orange juice and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a wire strainer and use the back of a spoon to push the mixture through the strainer and into a bowl. Discard the seeds. Stir the sugar substitute into the berry puree and set the sauce aside.

Remove the seeds and rind from the melons. Cut each melon piece into 3 long wedges and then cut each wedge in half crosswise to make a total of 12 shorter wedges. Using a sharp knife, slice each melon wedge lengthwise toward the point without cutting completely to the end and open each wedge into fan shape.

Place 2 tablespoons of the sauce on each of 6 dessert plates. Top the sauce on each plate with a cantaloupe and honeydew fan and garnish with some of the remaining fresh berries. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 85; Fat: 0.2 g; Fiber: 3.3 g; Sodium: 41 mg; Protein: 1.6 g; Carbohydrates: 21 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Carbohydrate

SOUTHERN PEACHES WITH PECAN SHORTBREAD

This is from the July/August 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 48. It begins, "This recipe makes about 18 cookies." Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/southern-peaches-with-pecan-shortbread/.

Ingredients

Southern peaches

2 Tbs. granulated sugar, or to taste

1/8 tsp. salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Pecan shortbread

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Soft whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 Tbs. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preparation

To make Southern Peaches: Slice peaches, and put slices into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle slices with sugar, salt and lemon juice. Set aside, covered, at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a large baking sheet, and set aside.

To make Pecan Shortbread: Cream butter, flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, using an electric beater, until dough is smooth and creamy. Add vanilla, and beat again. Stir in pecans. Pinch off a piece of dough, and roll into a 1-inch ball. Place on cookie sheet, and press flat with tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies until golden but not brown, for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and, while still warm, sprinkle both sides with sugar. Set aside to cool.

To make Soft Whipped Cream: Put all ingredients into a chilled mixing bowl. Whip just until cream forms soft peaks, taking care not to overwhip. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon portions of cut-up peaches on individual plates, place 2 cookies next to peaches and top with Soft Whipped Cream, if using.

Southern Peaches with Pecan Shortbread,Melon with Fresh Berry Sauce,Mango Pie,Swirled Berry Cheesecake,Gourmet S'Mores,Chewy Picnic Brownies,Vegetarian Times,New York Times,diabetic gourmet,