Dissertation on Desserts: 11 Simple Recipes to Try

The quickest of all desserts, and one of the best after a hearty meal, is compounded of a bowl

of fresh fruit, sharp knives, and finger bowls. Next comes store-bought ice cream with some

type of sauce or dressing. This in turn is followed by fresh fruit in combination, and/or

dressed in one way or another. After these three, the field is wide open, ranging from sweet

omelettes to fancy cakes and tarts made of esoteric doughs and decorated with figures in

sugar of skiers slaloming down the Tyrolean Alps.

After fruit the most useful ingredient of quick desserts is alcohol in its more potable forms,

vodka excluded. One might as well use ethyl spirits. Brandy, rum, various liqueurs, and a few

of the sweeter wines are important items in many desserts, and should be kept handy to the

kitchen. The emphasis, then, in this section is on desserts made with those two principal

ingredients: fruit and liquor. The simple combination of the two—peaches and rum,

strawberries and Marsala, grapefruit and kirsch, tangerines and Cointreau, apricots and

Pernod —will provide scores of excellent dishes for bringing any meal to a fitting conclusion

and lead deftly into that best of all possible gastronomic periods when, replete with

enchanting food and wine, the diners enjoy coffee, cognac, and genteel conversation.

I have tried to keep the desserts as rapid and simple as possible. There are a few which will

require time to chill, but not to prepare for chilling. This does not seem a bad fault; perhaps it

is even a good one. Desserts usually must be made well before a meal in any case, or

prepared very quickly indeed immediately afterwards, and then, normally, at the table in the

presence of the guests.

The dozen recipes which follow will not only produce good dishes but may also be used in

many instances as guides in concocting others. If, for instance, you are planning Green Mint

Glacé for dinner and discover that one of your guests is allergic to mint but loves chocolate,

substitute crème de cacao and give him a red maraschino cherry rather than a green one and

he will be as happy as the Glad Girl.

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BANANAS SENEGALESE SERVES 4

A Swiss gentlewoman, married in Tangier to an American army officer, and now living in

Dakar, sent me this recipe from darkest, or nearly darkest, Africa with the admonition that it

should be made only to the deep beating of tom-toms and the high thin wail of a conch-shell

horn. If you can arrange the necessary musical accompaniment and have the ingredients, you

can make a pretty, sweet, mildly alcoholic, and, therefore, desirable dessert. In the absence of

authentic African instruments, I have successfully used an old recording of Ravel's "Bolero."

The bananas should be firm.

4 BANANAS, PEELED

½ CUP GREEN CRÈME DE MENTHE

3 TABLESPOONS BROWN SUGAR

l6 MARASCHINO CHERRIES

½ TEASPOON BUTTER

Grease a large shallow baking or ovenproof serving dish lightly with butter. Cut the bananas

in half lengthwise, and lay them, flat side down, on the dish. Pour the green mint over them,

and sprinkle lightly with brown sugar. Garnish with the cherries. Place the dish under a

medium broiler flame (400 degrees) for about seven minutes. Serve hot.

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CHERRIES JUBILEE SERVES 6

One of the great classic desserts, with no superior and few peers, Cherries Jubilee is an ideal

recipe for this type of cookbook. It is quick, it has glamour, it is good, and, because it should

always be prepared at the table, it allows the chef to demonstrate his skill with a chafing dish,

a euphemism for showing off. To this end he should equip himself with a long-handled or

"devil-eating" spoon and a high-proof rum. This is a spectacular dessert which can be made

even more spectacular by darkening the room while it is being prepared and served.

1 LARGE TIN BING CHERRIES

1 QUART VANILLA ICE CREAM

½ CUP BRANDY

¼ CUP RUM

Photo owned by Stu Spivack

Drain the cherries and discard the juice. Place the cherries in the top pan of a chafing dish.

Pour the brandy and rum over them, cover, and bring slowly to a boil. While the liquor is

heating, serve the ice cream in six individual dishes. As soon as the liquor has reached the

boiling point, uncover and set it alight. Let it burn for a few seconds, while you spoon it over

the cherries. Ladle them, with a goodly quantity of the flaming liquid, over the ice cream, and

serve at once.

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EVE'S DESSERT SERVES 4

There was a sweet teacher named Eve whose virtues you'd never believe the apples she got

from the polishing lot never got one a reprieve. The fact that this dessert contains an apple

might lead to the erroneous impression that its name somehow derives from that. The dish

was invented by a charming teacher named Eve, who—being the sort of person she is—

receives many apples, all highly polished. She seldom uses these apples for making her

dessert but keeps them on her desk to throw at recalcitrant children, hoping thus to prevent

the spread of juvenile delinquency. The dessert itself—made with apples charged to her

husband—she has served to the equal delectation of PTA members, casual diners, and

gourmets.

1 CUP CHERRIES

1 APPLE

1 CUP MELON BALLS

1 CUP STRAWBERRIES

¾ PINT SOUR CREAM

6 LARGE MACAROONS

3 TABLESPOONS BROWN SUGAR

The macaroons should be stale rather than fresh so they will better reduce to large crumbs. Pit

the cherries and chop the apple coarsely. Place all the fruit in a serving bowl. Put the sour

cream into a mixing bowl, add the crumbled macaroons and the brown sugar. Mix the

ingredients well, and pour the mixture over the fruit, stirring it thoroughly. Place the bowl in

the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving.

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CHOCOLATE WHIFFLE SERVES 4

This dessert is called "Chocolate Whiffle" to distinguish it from plain Whiffle and because it

has chocolate in it. Strictly speaking it probably has no place here, as it requires at least six

hours' refrigeration and is better if chilled for twenty-four. The wafers must be allowed time

to absorb the cream; otherwise it is nothing but whipped cream on chocolate wafers, which is

not much. On the other hand it is quick and simple to prepare before chilling—fifteen

minutes, or less with an electric beater. And it will be ready to serve at dinner next day—or

any time after six hours—without further attention. It will keep, mature, and improve with

age for at least three days after it is made. Over and above these advantages, Chocolate

Whiffle is abundantly good if you like abundant chocolate. I have included it because I like it.

1 PINT WHIPPING CREAM

1 PACKAGE CHOCOLATE WAFERS

1 TABLESPOON CHOCOLATE SHOT

1 MARASCHINO CHERRY

Beat the cream in a glass serving bowl or other suitable container until it is quite stiff. Insert

the chocolate wafers edgewise into the cream, very close together and standing on end. Cover

the wafers completely with cream. Using your fingers or a serving spoon, smooth the top and

sprinkle it with the chocolate shot or crumbled cookies—if you are out of shot at the moment.

Place in the refrigerator to chill. Just before serving, garnish with a single maraschino cherry

in the center.

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CHOCOLATE CHEESE SERVES 4

Some people like to finish a meal with a sweet, others like to finish a meal with cheese, still

others prefer to do it both ways. Chocolate cheese is an effort to please the last group by

combining cheese and a sweet. Cheese is not too much used as a dessert, except in

cheesecake, which has now become an art form, so that this dish will be a little on the

unusual side.

Like Chocolate Whiffle it requires chilling, the longer the better, and should be made well in

advance of its use. Creamy cottage cheese may be substituted for Ricotta if the latter is hard

to come by.

1 POUND RICOTTA CHEESE

½ CUP MILK

¼ CUP RUM

4 TABLESPOONS GRANULATED SUGAR

4 TABLESPOONS GRATED SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE

1 TEASPOON POWDERED CINNAMON

Put the cheese in a bowl; add the milk and rum. Beat the mixture well until almost smooth.

Add the sugar gradually, stirring as you put it in. Put in the grated chocolate, and stir some

more until it thoroughly impregnates the mixture. Pour into individual serving bowls, and

place in the refrigerator to chill for at least three hours. Sprinkle the powdered cinnamon over

the top of each bowl just before serving.

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FRAGOLE MARSALA SERVES 6

Strawberries and Marsala have an affinity for each other greater even than that of

strawberries and sour cream. For this dessert to reach its absolute zenith you should use fresh

the tiny wild strawberries which grow in the Alban Hills near Rome. Those being

unavailable, as they probably will be, the domestic and local variety will give you the next

best thing, and a very good thing it is, too. Remember, however, that wild berries are superior

to the cultivated. On no account put sugar on them.

1 QUART STRAWBERRIES

1 CUP MARSALA

Clean the berries. If they are large, halve them. Put them in a serving bowl, pour the Marsala

over them, and place the dish in the refrigerator to marinate for about an hour, or while you

are eating the earlier courses of your meal. Serve cold with small sponge cakes.

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GINGER CHING SERVES 6

For centuries the Chinese have used ginger to add zest to their cooking, and Canton ginger

seems to have been made especially for desserts. How it tastes with the whipped cream of

yaks I do not know, but with the stiffly whipped cream of cows it makes a dessert which

should be served only in Ming porcelain. If you have no Ming, serve it in glass saucers as it

was served when I discovered it in a London teashop.

1 JAR CANTON GINGER

l½ PINTS WHIPPING CREAM

Whip the cream until it is quite stiff, almost ready to turn to butter. Divide it: into six equal

portions. On each place two or three pieces of Canton ginger and a tablespoon of syrup from

the jar. Serve with petits fours or macaroons. In lieu of whipped cream, you may use French

vanilla ice cream, but the result does not compare with that of the original recipe.

GREEN MINT GLACE SERVES 4

Except for a bowl of fresh fruit, or plain ice cream, there is no quicker dessert than this one.

Some people do not care for ice cream; some do not care for crème de menthe; few can resist

this combination. It is as good as it is fast. And it is as pretty as it is good.

1 PINT FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM

6 OUNCES GREEN CREME DE MENTHE

4 GREEN MARASCHINO CHERRIES

Divide the ice cream into four servings. Pour an ounce and a half of the liqueur over each.

Top with a cherry and serve.

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PEACHES TIBERIUS SERVES 4

The mists of antiquity hide the origins of this dessert, and in the mists of antiquity, Tiberius,

second Emperor of Rome, retired to Capri to devote himself, it is said, to loose living. He ate

well, drank deeply, sang loudly, and did not spare the dancing girls. There is no evidence that

he felt about peaches as Henry II did about lampreys or the Duke of Clarence about

Malmsey. There is, indeed, no evidence that he invented or even tasted this dessert, which is

a summer delicacy in modern Italy. But both peaches and almonds were and are plentiful in

the area around Naples, and there is no reason why Tiberius could not have enjoyed this

combination had he been so disposed. In the Emperor's day, of course, wine would have

replaced the rum. Either way it is excellent for ending a luncheon or a dinner. The dessert

may be served either hot or cold. The peaches should be well ripened but not soft.

4 LARGE PEACHES

2 OUNCES SHELLED ALMONDS

4 TABLESPOONS SUGAR

1 CUP RUM

8 MARASCHINO CHERRIES

Peel the peaches by dousing them for a few seconds in boiling water, and remove the skins

with the edge of a knife as you peel tomatoes. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones, and

hollow out each cavity a little.

Grind the almonds—blanched or not—in a Mouli grater, or crush them, and fill each peach

cavity with a heaping teaspoonful of the ground almonds. Sprinkle with sugar and arrange the

peaches in an ovenproof serving dish. Pour the rum over the peaches, and place in a moderate

oven (300 degrees) for about ten minutes. Remove, baste with juices from the baking dish,

and sprinkle with a little of the ground almonds. Garnish each half peach with a maraschino

cherry, and serve hot. Or place in the refrigerator until needed and serve cold.

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RASPBERRY FLUFF SERVES 6

This dessert I learned about, if not at my mother's knee, at least at her Victorian table, which

was always loaded with good, solid Victorian fare but seldom with anything which would

have made Escoffier leave home. How this quick, light, and pleasant confection ever found

its place among such items as prune whip, blancmange, floating island, and tapioca pudding

is not for me to say. But there it was and here it is: a simple and refreshing way to end a meal.

1 QUART RASPBERRIES

4 EGG WHITES

2 TABLESPOONS SUGAR

¼ LEMON

Pick over the berries and select about eighteen of the best. Reserve them. Put the remainder

through a sieve to remove the seeds. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff.

Add the sieved berries, the sugar, and the juice of the quarter lemon, and beat some more

until the mixture is well blended. Place in a large serving bowl or in individual dishes,

decorate with the reserved berries, and serve well chilled. Macaroons or ladyfingers go well

with this dessert.

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RUM OMELETTE SERVES 4

Regardless of what you call this dessert—"Sweet Omelette," "Rum Omelette," "Dessert

Omelette," or any one of several other names-it must rank with Crepes Suzette and Cherries

Jubilee as a spectacular final course to a meal. It may, of course, be made in the kitchen, but

half the fun of serving it is to make it at the table before your guests, an operation easy to

carry out in a chafing dish. I would suggest that you replace the regular blazer pan with a

skillet, preferably a heavy one about ten inches in diameter. Any rum may be used, but

Jamaica rum gives not only a fine flavour to the eggs but also more of it.

4 EGGS

4 TEASPOONS POWDERED SUGAR

Photo owned by Stef Yau

l½ TABLESPOONS BUTTER

3 OUNCES JAMAICA RUM

Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a large bowl, add the sugar, and stir it well in with a

fork, beating the yolks lightly at the same time. Place the whites in another bowl and beat

them until they are quite firm. Fold the beaten whites into the yolks. Meanwhile place the

butter in the skillet, and let it get hot over a low flame, but do not permit it to burn. Grease the

bottom and the sides well with the melted butter. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and let

it cook untouched over a moderate flame until the omelette is set. Using two spatulas, fold the

omelette once on itself, and pour the rum into the skillet. It will boil immediately. Ignite it,

and ladle the blazing rum over the omelette. Divide the omelette into four sections, and serve

while it is still flaming. Champagne goes well with this.

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ZABAGLIONE SERVES 6

Another delicious, not too difficult, and famous classic dessert is that pride of Italy,

Zabaglione. Like most simple desserts, it may be made in a chafing dish, but it is quicker,

easier, and less messy to do it in the kitchen where you can use an electric beater more

readily, when the process will take about fifteen minutes. If you want to be very fancy

indeed, you can turn out a variation by using the leftover egg whites to make a large

meringue; cover it with fresh strawberries, and pour cold Zabaglione over all. This is a fairly

complex undertaking, however, demanding of both time and space, so details are omitted.

Any basic cookbook will have recipes for making meringue. Zabaglione itself may be served

either hot or cold.

3 LARGE, RIPE STRAWBERRIES

6 EGG YOLKS

½ CUP SUGAR 1 PINCH SALT

2/3 CUP MARSALA

Photo owned by Stu Spivack

Cut the strawberries in half lengthwise. Place the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler. Beat

them, and gradually pour in the sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture becomes pale

yellow and fairly thick. Add the salt, and pour in the wine slowly, beating constantly. Place

the; pan over boiling water, and continue beating until the mixture thickens again. When it is

stiff enough to stick to the beater, it is done. Pour into sherbet cups or long-stemmed Rhine

wine glasses. Garnish each with a half a strawberry or a cookie on the side, and serve hot at

once, or place in the refrigerator to cool. It should not be kept for more than a few hours.

Ladyfingers make an excellent accompaniment.

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