Dessert

I want something snacky!

Who hasn't said - or, at least, thought - this occasionally? What to do? Check out Desserts. Today's six yummy desserts include Cream Cheese Danish Heart and Cherry-Cola Dump Cake. Enjoy!

PEAR AND GINGERSNAP CRUMBLE

This is from the November/December 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 42), and begins, "Canned pears are already tender, so this crumble only needs to bake until the juices bubble, cutting the cooking time to less than half that of making this dessert with fresh fruit." Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/pear-and-gingersnap-crumble/.

Ingredients

2 29-oz. cans pear halves in heavy syrup

3 Tbs. diced crystallized ginger

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

10 oz. (about 40) gingersnap cookies

3 Tbs. dark brown sugar

1 pint low-fat vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F. Coat 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

Drain all but 1/3 cup syrup from canned pears. Cut pears into large chunks. Toss pears, reserved 1/3 cup of syrup, ginger and 1 Tbs. butter in prepared baking dish.

Pulse cookies in food processor until coarsely crumbled. Add sugar and remaining 4 Tbs. butter, and pulse to blend. Sprinkle cookie mixture over pears. Bake 18 minutes, or until juices bubble. Spoon into bowls, top with dollop of ice cream, and serve.

BAKED PEACHES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "Serve the peaches topped with your favorite frozen dessert." Serves 6.

While it was on page 59 of the July/August 2005 issue, you can find it at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/baked-peaches-with-caramel-sauce/.

Ingredients

2 lb. peaches

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup rice syrup

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 pint frozen dessert

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400F.

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add peaches; blanch 1 minute. Using spoon, remove peaches; slip off skins. Halve peaches, and remove pits.

Combine maple syrup, rice syrup, 1/3 cup water, cinnamon stick and salt in 8×11-inch baking dish; blend. Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Open bean, flatten and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and pod to dish. Arrange peaches in syrup, cut side up.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning peaches once after 10 minutes, or until tender. Using spoon, remove peaches from syrup; set aside. Remove and discard cinnamon stick and vanilla bean pod. Pour pan syrup and lemon juice into skillet. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve peaches warm, topped with scoop of frozen dessert and drizzled with caramel sauce.

CREAM CHEESE DANISH HEART

Years ago, when my better half and I first got cable, I was channel-surfing, something most of us have done occasionally. I ran across a baking show on PBS called Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic”, featuring Fr. Dominic Garramone. I fell in love with the show, and watched it almost every time it was on. (Unfortunately, it only ran from 1999 to 2001.)

Anywho, this recipe was featured on his show; you might even find it in one of his many cookbooks (and yes, I’m planning to pick up a copy of at least one or two of said cookbooks).

Makes 1 heart.

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 envelope FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 large egg

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8-ounce) pack cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 drops red food coloring

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, sour cream and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator; roll to 16- x 8-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with Cream Cheese Filling (directions below). Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal. Form a large heart; pinch ends together. Place on greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut 1/3 through heart at 1-inch intervals, alternating from side to side to resemble a braid. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze (directions below).

Cream Cheese Filling: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.

Powdered Sugar Glaze: In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Add food coloring; stir until well blended.

APRICOT SEMIFREDDO WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "Semifreddo' means partially frozen—and that makes this the perfect treat for a hot-weather day." Serves 12

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/apricot-semifreddo-with-blackberry-sauce-recipe/.

Ingredients

Apricot Semifreddo

2 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1/2 cup dried apricots

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh apricots

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream

1/8 tsp. almond extract

1 pint fresh blackberries

Blackberry sauce

1/2 pint fresh blackberries

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

To make Apricot Semifreddo: Line 4-cup loaf pan with plastic wrap. Whisk egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl until thick and light yellow, about 1 minute. Bring milk to a boil in saucepan. Slowly pour hot milk over egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to saucepan; cook over medium-low heat (do not boil), stirring often, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain, and cool.

Meanwhile, place dried apricots in heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water, and let stand 15 minutes, or until softened. Drain, and cool. Put in food processor with fresh apricots, and purée until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Add custard, sour cream and almond extract.

Put egg whites in large bowl; beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into apricot mixture. Pour half of mixture into prepared pan. Place 3 rows of blackberries on their sides down the center of loaf pan; top with remaining mixture. Cover; freeze at least 4 hours.

To make Blackberry Sauce: Press blackberries through fine-meshed sieve into bowl. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

Remove Apricot Semifreddo from freezer; let stand 10 minutes. Unmold onto plate, and cut into 10 slices. Drizzle with Blackberry Sauce; serve.

ROASTED BANANAS WITH JAMAICAN ALLSPICE

This is from page 83 or the June 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, "To make this recipe vegan, simply substitute margarine for the butter and serve over soy ice cream." Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/roasted-bananas-with-jamaican-allspice/.

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

2 oz. (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled

4 large or 8 baby bananas

1 qt. vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine brown sugar, sugar, and allspice on large plate. Place butter in shallow bowl.

Halve large bananas lengthwise, then cut halves in half, or halve baby bananas lengthwise. Coat banana pieces in melted butter, then in sugar mixture, then set cut-side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast 10 minutes, or until sugar melts and turns to bubbly caramel sauce. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to plate, and scrape sauce into measuring cup with rubber spatula.

Scoop ice cream into bowls. Top each serving with 2 banana pieces, and drizzle with caramel sauce.

CHERRY-COLA DUMP CAKE

This yumminess comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Super easy to prepare: Just mix devil's food cake mix with cola and pour over cherries. Bake for one hour and voila!"

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 9

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 jar (16 oz) maraschino cherries with juice (without stems)

1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ devil’s food cake mix

1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, “dump” cherries with cherry juice.

In medium bowl, mix cake mix and carbonated beverage. “Dump” mixture over cherries.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake.

Expert Tips

Serve with whipped cream and additional cherries.

You could substitute cherry pie filling in place of the maraschino cherries and juice.