*Tips & Techniques* "DESSERT"

In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits, gelatin, pastries, ice cream, pies, and candies. Fruit may also be eaten with or as a dessert.

Variations of desserts can be found all around the world, such as in Russia, where breakfast foods such as bliny, oladi, and syrniki served with honey and jam are also popular as desserts. Desserts are sometimes eaten with a dessert spoon, intermediate in size between a teaspoon and a tablespoon.

**Cheesecake**
North America has several different recipes for cheesecake and this usually depends on the region in which the cake was baked, as well as the cultural background of the person baking it.  These cheesecakes are typically baked before serving. One can also buy premade cheesecake from stores all around the United States and Canada.

• New York-style cheesecake relies upon heavy cream. Usually, cheesecake is made from cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks to add a richness and a smooth consistency. It is baked in a special 13–15 cm (5–6 inches) tall springform pan in many restaurants. Some recipes use cottage cheese and lemon for distinct texture and flavor or add a drizzle of chocolate or strawberry sauce to the basic recipe. Because cheesecake can be made kosher, the feature is often used to market the cakes to Jewish customers and to others concerned with authenticity and quality.
• Sour cream-style uses sour cream instead of heavy cream. This makes the cheesecake more resilient to freezing and is the method by which most frozen cheesecakes are made.
• Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of cheese with larger curds and less water content, called pot or farmer's cheese.
• Philadelphia-style cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York-style cheesecake.
• Farmer's cheese cheesecake is the contemporary implementation for the traditional use of baking to preserve fresh cheese, and is often baked in a cake form along with fresh fruit like a tart.
• Country-style cheesecake uses buttermilk to produce a firm texture while decreasing the pH (increasing acidity) to extend shelf life.
• Lactose-free cheesecake may be made either with lactose-free cream cheese or as an imitation using vegan recipes combining non-dairy cream cheese alternatives with other lactose-free ingredients.
• Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis variant that has a layer of regular cake with a cheesecake top.

In the United States, July 30 has been unofficially declared National Cheesecake Day.

*Pumpkin Cheesecake*

The cheesecake layer in this delicious pie is spread over a fabulous baked pecan crumble crust. The pumpkin layer, made from pumpkin puree, vanilla pudding, and whipped topping, is spooned over the cream cheese and topped with more whipped topping and chopped nuts.      

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 5 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, butter or margarine, and 1 cup chopped pecans. Beat until thoroughly combined. Press mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. In a medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 2 cups of the whipped topping, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled crust.
5. In a large mixing bowl combine pudding, milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and 2 more cups of whipped topping. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining 1 cup of whipped topping. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped pecans if desired. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

*Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake*

"This recipe becomes a favorite as soon as it is tasted. It was once referred to as 'sinfully rich and velvety smooth'. Best if made a day before serving."      

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter one 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
2. Combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, softened butter, 2 tablespoons white sugar, and the cinnamon. Mix well and press mixture into the buttered springform pan, set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup white sugar mixing until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat at low speed until very smooth.
4. Melt the 8 ounces semisweet chocolate with 2 tablespoons whipping cream in a pan or bowl set over boiling water, stir until smooth.
5. Add chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend well. Stir in sour cream, salt, coffee, 1/4 cup coffee liqueur, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
6. Bake in the center of oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Center will be soft but will firm up when chilled. Do not over bake. Leave cake in oven with the heat turned off and the door ajar for 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and chill for 12 hours. Just before serving top cake with mounds of flavored whipped cream and garnish with chocolate leaves. Yields 16 servings.
7. To Make Flavored Whipped Cream: Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form, then beat in confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur.
8. To Make Chocolate Leaves: Melt 1 ounce semisweet chocolate in a pan or bowl set over boiling water, stir until smooth. Brush real non-toxic plant leaves (such as orange leaves) on one side with melted chocolate. Freeze until firm and then peel off leaves. Freeze chocolate leaves until needed.

*Vanilla Bean Cheesecake*

"If you like restaurant vanilla bean cheesecake, then try this! The cookies make this one much more special and far more yummy. Pure vanilla bean extract is a must.  Use Tahitian vanilla beans and extract. This also makes more than enough batter for a 10 inch pan, so you can make cupcakes too."

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies (such as Oreo Golden Original Sandwich Cookies)
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and lightly butter a 10 inch springform pan.
2. Place the sandwich cookies into a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl, and mix with the scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean. Drizzle the crumbs with melted butter and stir to combine. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan, and set aside.
3. Place the softened cream cheese and sugar into the work bowl of an electric mixer, and beat for about 3 minutes on Medium speed, until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one. Add the scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans, the vanilla extract, sour cream, and heavy cream, and beat on Medium-High speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is blended and smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the cookie crumb crust, leaving about 2 inches of space from the top of the pan for the cake to expand as it bakes.
5. Place a baking dish onto the bottom rack of the preheated oven, and fill it halfway with boiling water. Place the cheesecake onto the middle rack, above the pan of boiling water, and bake until a small knife inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
6. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool down inside the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.               

**Clafoutis*
When you have fresh berries around, a clafoutis is a great way to showcase them. A clafoutis is a French dessert that is somewhere between a cake and a custard. It is just firm enough to slice easily, as cakes are, but it is based heavily in milk and egg, and has a lovely custard flavor and texture to it. The vanilla-scented batter is a great backdrop to all kinds of fruit.

*Cherry Clafoutis*
This cherry clafouti recipe, also know as clafouti aux cerises, is the most well-known version of the traditional puffed French custard cake. In France, it is customary to serve clafouti with cherry pits intact. For ease at the table, and to ensure dental safety, make sure to pit the cherries or forewarn your guests of the tradition.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups dark cherries, preferably pitted
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (powdered)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch by 9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch deep-dish pie round with the softened butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt until it forms a smooth, thin batter. Spread 3/4 cup of the batter onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish and bake it for 2-4 minutes. Watch the batter closely and remove it before it cooks through completely. It should just start to thicken and set when it is removed from the oven.

Transfer the dish to a heatproof surface and arrange the cherries over the hot batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cherries and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar over the finished clafouti and serve it warm.

*Blueberry Clafoutis*

Ingredients:

butter as needed

pint of blueberries

1/2 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

3 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

pinch of salt

**Cookies**

Cookies are broadly classified according to how they are formed, including at least these categories:

• Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. Chocolate chip cookies (Toll House cookies), oatmeal (or oatmeal raisin) cookies and rock cakes are popular examples of drop cookies.
• Refrigerator cookies (also known as icebox cookies) are made from a stiff dough that is refrigerated to become even stiffer. The dough is typically shaped into cylinders which are sliced into round cookies before baking.
• Molded cookies are also made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or cookie shapes by hand before baking. Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are examples of molded cookies.
• Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Gingerbread men are an example.
• Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various decorative shapes before baking. Spritzgebäck are an example of a pressed cookie.
• Bar cookies consist of batter or other ingredients that are poured or pressed into a pan (sometimes in multiple layers), and cut into cookie-sized pieces after baking. In British English, bar cookies are known as "tray bakes".
• Sandwich cookies are rolled or pressed cookies that are assembled as a sandwich with a sweet filling. Fillings may be with marshmallow, jam, or icing. The Oreo cookie, made of two chocolate cookies with a vanilla icing filling is an example.

*Chocolate Mint Cookies*
"This is a melt in your mouth chocolate cookie that has a chocolate mint frosting. It's delicious and it's easy!"

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 36 chocolate mint wafer candies

Directions

1. In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.
2. At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie.

*Anise Biscotti*
"Delicious, with a hint of licorice flavor. You can store these in an airtight container for over a month."

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup almonds
• 2 tablespoons anise seed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine brandy, anise extract and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add dry ingredients and brandy mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the almonds and aniseed.
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto prepared sheet, forming two 2 x 13-inch long strips on each sheet. Smooth dough into logs with moistened fingertips.
4. Bake about30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Place cookie sheets on racks and cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
5. Cut cooled logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices on cookie sheets.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until dry and slightly brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

*Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies*

*Molasses Sugar Cookies*

"These are a wonderful chewy spice cookie. They are drop cookies that keep very well. Make them at the beginning of the holiday season and they keep all the way to New Year's!"

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool.
2. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to the pan. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight.
4. Form into walnut-size balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

*Peanut Butter Cup Cookies*
"These cookies have a sweet peanut butter cup center."

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

         Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.