Cooking with Alison

Archive for the ‘Other Desserts’ Category

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Rice Pudding Recipe

In Other Desserts on December 3, 2010 at am

The first time I tried rice pudding, it was served cold, and I didn’t understand why anyone would enjoy bits of rice in their creamy custard.  I didn’t try it again until years later, when a friend of mine served it warm after dinner.  She completely changed my mind about rice pudding.  Then I came up with this recipe and turned Ed and Krystal into rice pudding fans too.  :)

Rice pudding is a simple dessert that you can serve all year round.  For example, you can serve it cold in the summer or use it as a refreshing finish to a spicy Indian meal.  I prefer to make rice pudding in the fall or winter, because a hot bowl of rice pudding makes for a very comforting dessert on a cold night.   Here is my recipe for basic rice pudding.  Note that the instructions differ depending on whether you’re planning on serving this cold or warm.  Also, try replacing some of the milk with evaporated milk or coconut milk, or try using sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar, but keep in mind that this may alter the cooking times.  (See my coconut and mango rice pudding recipe here.)

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Chocolate Bar Cheesecake Bites (Won 1st Place in a Baking Contest!)

In Other Desserts on November 16, 2010 at am

These bite sized treats are creamy, chewy, and chocolatey with a crunchy toffee crust.  They’re a great way to use up leftover halloween candy.

These won 1st place (out of 14 entries) at my sister’s company’s baking contest.  It was their annual fund raising event for charity (United Way).  The winner is determined by the employees’ votes.  Last year was my first time competing and I submitted caramel popcorn.  Unfortunately, only 3 people chose to sample it. :)   But of the 3 people that sampled it, 2 voted for it.  So I consider that a success.  :)   (See the recipe for my caramel popcorn here.)

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Quicky Sticky Biscuits

In Other Desserts on September 28, 2010 at pm

If you like sticky, caramel/toffee desserts, you’ll appreciate these.  I’ve made them for my family and for a dinner party and everyone loved them.  They are easy to make and since there are no rising periods, this is a relatively quick recipe.  They taste best fresh out of the oven as the toffee hardens when it cools.  But you can warm them up again in the microwave.  Also, keep in mind that these biscuits make a heavy treat.  Luckily, I discovered that they freeze well and can be re-heated in the microwave.

See the original recipe and a photo of these biscuits from the cookbook here.

Quicky Sticky Biscuits

makes 12 biscuits; adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor

for the sauce:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

for the biscuits:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces
2 cups cold buttermilk  (I used 2 tbsp lemon juice topped up to 2 cups of cold milk and I let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using.)

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Crêpes

In Other Desserts on July 26, 2010 at pm

I love dessert crepes (they’re on my top 3 favourite desserts list).  They’re easy to make at home and you can use any combination of toppings and fillings that you like.  There are several different ways to fold a crepe, so I suggest doing a google search to choose a method you like.  I usually copy my favourite dessert place, Demetre’s, Toronto, ON, by making large crepes and folding them in half over ice cream and fresh fruit.  I also love crepes that have been filled with a layer of nutella and sliced bananas.  And the next time I indulge, I’ll post a recipe for crepes suzette.

[The Tibos electric crepe maker (made in Germany) is on my wish list.]

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Favourite Funnel Cake Recipe

In Cakes, Other Desserts on May 8, 2010 at pm

For years, I bought the season pass for Canada’s Paramount Wonderland just so I could eat the funnel cake there.  I would eat two by myself each time I went.  I’ve tried funnel cakes elsewhere, but no one does it like they do at Wonderland.  After trying 4 different recipes, this version is my favourite.  It is best served with icing sugar, soft serve frozen yogurt (the kind you get at McDonald’s) and strawberry sauce, although just a plain funnel cake with icing sugar is good too.

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Deep Fried Chocolate Bar

In Other Desserts on April 27, 2010 at pm

We have the chip shops in Scotland to thank for the deep fried Mars bar.  I still remember the first time I saw one of these.  Several years ago, I was watching a news segment about the unhealthy eating habits in Scotland.  I knew that it was meant to turn people off but I remember thinking, “Deep fried Mars bars?  Oh my goodness, that’s the best idea ever!  That would taste sooo good!  I can’t wait to try it!”  And for some reason, I waited this long.  Maybe because my pile of recipes to try is taller than I am  :)   When I came up with the idea to throw a deep fried food party, I knew I had to make these.  They were everyone’s favourite at the party.

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Fruit Salad

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Other Desserts on April 16, 2010 at pm

I love fresh fruit salads.  I like serving them with brunch, or as a snack or dessert.  Instead of following a recipe, I usually choose fruits based on 2 textures and 4 colours.  I like to use one fruit that adds a slight crunch, so I usually use grapes (red or green) or apples (red or green).  Then I choose fruits of each of the colours: red, green, white, and orange.  For the red, I like to use strawberries or raspberries.  For the green, I like to use kiwis.  For the white, I like to use bananas or pears.  For the orange, I like to use citrus slices (orange, tangerine, and/or grapefruit), mangoes, peaches, or nectarines.  Sometimes I like to add blue or purple by adding blueberries or plum slices.  Use any fruits in any combination that you like.  You could try making an exotic fruit salad using fruits like papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, dragon fruit, etc.

If you’re eating the salad right away, there’s no need to dress it.  But if it’s going to sit for a while, then you should dress it with some freshly squeezed lemon juice (do not substitute with bottled lemon juice) and some honey or white granulated sugar to taste.  This will prevent certain fruits from browning.

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Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar

In Other Desserts on April 5, 2010 at pm

I first tried this unique combination of strawberries with balsamic vinegar 3 years ago.  I was hesitant at first, but was surprised at how much I liked it.  I ate it regularly for several months.  Then I got sick of it and completely forgot about it until now.  So when strawberries went on sale last week, I bought some and made this again.  I’ve tried this using white granulated sugar in comparison to icing sugar and I prefer the flavour of granulated sugar.  I love serving strawberries in balsamic vinegar with vanilla ice cream when entertaining.  I like eating them on their own too.

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Chocolate Fountain (100th Post!)

In Other Desserts on March 30, 2010 at pm

When I moved into my apartment in 2008, I got a Rival chocolate fountain (and a poker table) before I even had living / dining room furniture or curtains in my bedroom.  I had to go through the hassle of returning 2 machines that did not work before I finally brought one home that did.  As you can tell from my persistence, I was really set on owning one of these things  :)   Clearly, the Rival model isn’t of the best quality, but I’ve used mine more times than I can remember, so I still recommend it.  The motor is just now finally starting to die.  It’s perfect for parties of Any occasion and you can dip strawberries, banana slices, pear slices, shortbread cookies, marshmallows, cookies, large pretzels, rice krispies squares (recipe here), etc.  To make the chocolate, I buy bags of Hershey’s chocolate chips from Costco and follow the instructions that came with the machine.  I tried using this as a cheese fountain too but it didn’t work as advertised.

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Butterscotch White Chocolate Brownies

In Other Desserts on March 19, 2010 at pm

I’ve made these twice now and I love them.  I love their chewy texture and I love that they’re not the standard chocolate brownie.  Note that these come out thin.  If you prefer them thicker, you could try baking this in a 9 x 9 inch pan and adding a few minutes to the baking time.

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Rice Krispies Squares

In Other Desserts on February 28, 2010 at pm

I was invited to a friend’s house for a spontaneous weeknight dinner with very short notice.  So the challenge was to use ingredients that I already had to make dessert in under an hour.  Luckily I had a bag of Kraft Jet Puffed marshmallows leftover from making fondant (recipe here) and I almost always have a box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal because I love Rice Krispies squares so much.  Whenever I make them, I eat them until my mouth hurts…. and then I eat some more.

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Cinnamon Buns

In Other Desserts on January 22, 2010 at pm

My new (as of October 2009), and first ever, kitchenaid stand mixer came with a recipe for cinnamon buns.  I tried it and they were pretty good.  I especially like the icing.  But, like all cinnamon buns, they were only good for the first day.

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