Just Desserts

For elegance and ease in entertaining there is nothing that equals a dessert party. “Come for dessert.” It could be a casual gathering of a few friends on a weeknight, thereby making it an early evening and featuring some hearty desserts like bread pudding or a substantial pie. Or you could pull out all the stops with a more formal, elegant gathering and set your table with beautiful linens, crystal, silver and china and a buffet for sampling bite-size sweets that dazzle both the eye and the palate.

Just desserts is not only versatile but can be very easy on the cook or allow him/her to do some elaborate dishes seldom bothered with for family or self. Since we serve dessert at the Candlelight Inn B&B for breakfast and sometimes in the evening, I am always looking for wonderful new recipes to fit the season—they are really fun to make—and eat!

For that casual gathering, here’s a bread pudding sure to please and a little heavy on the calories, so you might warn your guests to eat a light supper before coming and make dessert the main course.

Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce

1 1-pound loaf challah or Hawaiian bread (or other slightly sweet, eggy bread), crusts removed and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes (about 12 or 13 cups).
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
1 cup chopped pecans (4 oz.)
4 cups whole milk
1 ½ cups sugar
6 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter, cooled

Sauce:

½ cup (packed) brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. brandy
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp. rum
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped pecans

For pudding: Preheat oven to 350. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread bread cubes in dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over. Whisk milk, sugar, and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in melted butter. Pour custard over bread mixture in dish. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour. Bake pudding until top puffs—about 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. (Watch carefully, if pudding starts to get too brown remove from oven). Cool at least 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and warm praline sauce.

Praline Sauce;

Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, brandy, cinnamon sticks, rum, vanilla and nutmeg in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until brown sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute. Mix in pecans.

The new (Nov/Dec ’07) Victoria magazine (a former wonderful magazine that stopped publication and has now started again) has a lovely, Victorian small-dessert buffet that caught my attention—beautiful! They suggest that you serve a chilled Champagne and perhaps espresso and coffee to accompany these delicacies. Here is one that looked wonderful:

Cranberry-Cherry Linzertortes

1 (2.25-ounce) pkg. chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1 (2.25-ounce) pkg. slivered almonds, toasted
2 1/3 cups flour, divided
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup chilled butter, cubed
3 large egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. butter extract
½ cup cranberry preserves
½ cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray 14 (4-inch) barquette or round tart pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Combine hazelnuts, almonds, and 1/3 cup flour in a food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining 2 cups flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend. Add butter and using an electric mixer at low speed blend ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolks, vanilla and butter extract; beat just until combined. Gather dough into two balls. Wrap one ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Using remaining dough, divide into 14 balls and evenly press into bottoms and up sides of prepared tart pans. In small bowl combine cranberry and cherry preserves. Evenly divide cranberry mixture among tarts. Place remaining dough between two sheets of parchment paper; roll into a rectangle approximately 18 x 7 inches and ¼ inch thick. Freeze rectangle approximately 5 minutes to firm. Cut 14 ½-inch-wide strips lengthwise from rectangle. Cut strips into thirds horizontally. Cut each third in half. Arrange 3 3-inch strips diagonally across tarts in opposite direction, forming lattice. Seal ends of strips to dough edge, trimming excess. Once cooled, gently squeeze tart pans to remove. Tarts can be made up to 2 days ahead, covered tightly and stored at room temperature.