Okay, so the weather in Pittsburgh today is BEAUTIFUL. Spring, finally!! Since the sun is out and it's actually warm, I was reminded of an old favorite recipe that features lots of spring and summer fruit. Ever heard of fruit pizza? The "crust" is actually made out of sugar cookie dough and you top it with cream cheese and whatever fruit you want. It's pretty fantastic and great for this time of the year. It's one of those recipes that looks fairly impressive to take to a picnic or party...but it's actually very simple to make. Enjoy!
Fruit Pizza
(serves 8)
1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, mandarin oranges, bananas (whatever fruit you want!)
Glaze:
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice cookie dough and arrange on greased pizza pan, overlapping edges. Press dough flat into pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl, soften cream cheese, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. You can chill for a while at this point, or continue by arranging the fruit.
Begin with strawberries, sliced in half. Arrange in a circle around the outside edge. Continue with fruit of your choice, working towards the middle. If bananas are used, dip them in lemon juice so they don't darken. Then make a sauce to spoon over fruit.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, corn starch, orange juice, lemon juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, and add grated orange rind. Allow to cool, but not set up. Spoon over fruit. Chill for two hours, then cut into wedges and serve.
Today's recipe is almost embarrassingly easy. Yet, people always go crazy for this pie! I made this several times in college since it was pretty difficult to bake anything ever, and my friends loved it. It's like taking a no-bake cookie and turning it into a frozen, creamy pie. It reminds me a little bit of an ice-cream cake...minus the cake part. This makes a great spring/summer dessert AND it's pretty inexpensive to make. I always decorate mine with some extra whipped cream and chocolate chips or Reese's pieces. Enjoy!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
(serves 6-8)
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 (8 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (4 ounce) packages single serve ready-made, fat free, chocolate pudding
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust (I use the Oreo crusts instead)
1/2 cup chocolate & peanut butter chips for garnish (optional, but recommended!!)
In a mixing bowl, combine pudding and peanut butter; stir until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; stir until completely blended.
Pour filling into pie crust. Freeze pie until firm. Top with optional chocolate & peanut butter chips. Partially thaw in refrigerator, for about 2 hours or so, before serving. You can store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.
There's a famous NYC restaurant called "Serendipity 3", featured in the movie, "Serendipity" (go figure) and the place is known for it's extravagant desserts. I've never been there myself, but I'd heard about there $1,000 dessert made with real gold shavings...which I believe was part of a recent 30 Rock episode. That said, this recipe is one of Serendipity's most ordered...probably because it's a heck of a lot cheaper than most other items on the menu. AND it's easily replicated in the home kitchen. I figured it would be a good one for warmer weather. All the richness of hot chocolate, but in smoothie form.
Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate
(makes 1 huge serving)
6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups ice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both!
This is coffee cake at its best. I didn't know what a "buckle" was in relation to baking until I found this recipe...and it's basically a coffee cake with fruit and a crumb topping. Even though it's not blueberry season yet, you can still buy average store-brand blueberries and this still tastes great. I'm posting this recipe because I'm more than ready for warm weather and fresh summer berries! I found this one on allrecipes.com and it was a hit with my family. When I make this, I replace the shortening with butter, use EggBeaters and SplendaBlend to lighten it up and I sometimes add some oatmeal to the topping. You could easily substitute raspberries here too, but I think the blueberries are hard to beat!
Blueberry Buckle
(serves 10)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup shortening (I use butter instead)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch pan.
Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, shortening, and egg.
In a separate bowl mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan.
To make topping: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Bake at 375 degree F (190 degrees C) for 25-30 minutes.
Even though I was going to post a savory recipe to counteract yesterday's cheesecake, I just can't wait any longer to post this little gem. It looks so simple that most people wouldn't try it because they'd probably figure it wasn't anything special. They'd be wrong, though. This is a favorite of mine because I am a huge whipped cream fan and pineapple is one of my favorite fruits. Oh and did I mention there are pretzels in it? All of this equals a winning combination.
While it sounds like a summer dessert, you really can make it any time of year since it takes canned pineapple. And since Spring is around the corner...I hope...all the more reason to make this dessert. (Warning: you can't just have a small amount of this...it's very addictive!)
PIneapple Fluff
(Serves 6)
1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar, divided
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a bowl, combine pretzels, butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes. Cool.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until creamy. Fold in pineapple and whipped topping; chill until serving. Break pretzel mixture into small pieces; stir into pineapple mixture.
Don't let the word "cheesecake" scare you from making this one. I speak the truth when I say this is an extremely easy dessert to make--even if you're not good at baking! It's basically three steps and you arrive at cheesecake heaven. And it's a crowd-pleaser. I've made it for dinner parties and have been told by several people that it's one of the best desserts they've ever had! The nice thing about this cheesecake is that you don't even need a springform pan. Just a plain old pie plate will do! It's especially lovely if you garnish it with fresh raspberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
(serves 8)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 (1 ounce) squares BAKER'S White Baking Chocolate, melted
1 (6 ounce) OREO Pie Crust
3 tablespoons raspberry preserves
Garnish:
1 cup of fresh raspberries
1 (1 oz.) square white chocolate (or white choc. chips), melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Stir in white chocolate. Pour into crust.
Microwave preserves in small bowl on HIGH 15 seconds or until melted. Dot top of cheesecake with small spoonfuls of preserves. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Top with fresh raspberries and drizzle melted white chocolate over the top.
Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
Happy Mardi Gras! To celebrate, make some crepes. This is something that sounds difficult and is impressive to guests, but is actually very simple to make. The batter is sturdy enough to not break apart when you flip it in a pan. This crepe recipe is perfect as a dessert or a fancy breakfast. Serve with fresh fruit, cream, a bit of chocolate, cinnamon & sugar, etc. I didn't actually make these today but that doesn't mean you shouldn't! Bon appetit!
Sweet Crepes
(serves 8)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.
Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately with toppings of choice.
This recipe goes out to Jake, who shares my love for Indian cuisine and considered this one of the best ice creams he has ever had. And if you like the flavor of chai tea, you will enjoy this! Also, it's quick to make, requires very few ingredients, and tastes absolutely amazing. I made this for an Indian dinner party and it was a huge hit. Definitely make this a day ahead so it can freeze overnight. And yes, the recipe is correct in listing bread as an ingredient. It gives an unbelievable texture and flavor to the ice cream! Serve it with pistachios and a bit of reddi-whip and you're good to go.
Kulfi
(serves 24)
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 slices white or wheat bread, torn into pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Combine first 3 ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Add bread pieces and spices and blend again until smooth.
Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan or 2 ice cube trays. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if necessary. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight.
Top with pistachios and extra whipped cream to serve.
This recipe came from "Cheesecake Extraordinaire" cookbook and I took a chance on it, having made baklava so many times in the past. It turned out quite well and I took liberty of garnishing it with baked strips of phyllo dough. Suggestions would be to put more layers of phyllo on the bottom or do an almond cookie crust instead since the phyllo gets a bit soggy on the bottom. Also, go easy on the rose water! All in all, this was an impressive crowd-pleaser!
Baklava Cheesecake
(serves 12 to 18)
Crust:
3 sheets frozen phyllo dough (thawed)
3 T. butter or margarine (melted)
Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on bottom of cheesecake pan, folding to fit. Brush with some melted butter. Repeat layering and brushing with remaining dough. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
5 tsp. cornstarch
4 eggs
1/4 cup (or less) rose water
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flaked coconut
2 T. chopped toasted almonds
Combine cream cheese, sugar, honey, & cornstarch in large bowl. Beat w/ electric mixer until smooth then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in rose water and lemon peel. Stir in walnuts, coconut, and almonds. Pour mixture over crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Lower temp to 225 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or till center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove cake from oven, run a knife around the inside edge of pan. Turn over off and return cake to the oven for an additional hour. (This prevents cracking.) Chill uncovered, overnight.
Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 T. honey
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. rose water
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 T. chopped toasted almonds
a few sheets of baked phyllo (optional)
In a small saucepan, stir sugar, water, honey, cornstarch, and rose water together. Cook and stir till thick and bubbly. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread warm mixture over the cake and garnish with crumbled pieces of baked phyllo dough, if desired. Chill until serving time.
