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Archive for the ‘Dessert’ Category

Honeydew-Kiwi Smoothie

This smoothie is a little tart and acidic but very refreshing. Kiwi is one of my favorite fruits. It tastes a little like a cross between banana and pineapple. If you don’t do well with the seeds from the kiwi, run smoothie through a fine mesh sieve before enjoying. The original recipe called for mint but since I am not really a mint lover it was an easy decision to leave it out. I hope you enjoy this.

Lets blend

Ingredients:

2 cups honeydew melon, seeded (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 1/4 cups kiwi, peeled (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups ice cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Serve cold.

Honeydew-Kiwi

Source: adapted from Bon Appetit

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Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

Memorial Day – it marks the beginning of summer, the end of school and a time of remembrance and observance. Strawberries are in season and the weather is turning hot, so what better time for a delicious cold Strawberry Sorbet.

Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients: 

1 pound fresh strawberries

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (optional)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon

pinch of salt

Directions:

Rinse, hull out and slice strawberries. Place in medium bowl with sugar and raspberry liqueur (if using), stirring until sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place strawberries in a blender with their liquid, lemon juice and salt and blend until smooth. Press mixture through a strainer to remove seeds. Chill mixture for an additional hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacture’s directions.

Serve frozen with a big dollop of Whipped Cream. Delicious!

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats originally from The Perfect Scoop

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Kiksekage

Kiksekage

This is another cake from my childhood. I actually don’t think I’ve had this cake more than a few times but it definitely made an impression on me. It’s creamy, chocolaty and a very rich dessert. Serve it with a dollop of Amaretto Whipped Cream and it’s like a piece of heaven. It’s typically made with a type of Crisco and egg which doesn’t sound too good to me, considering it’s a no bake cake, but then I came across this recipe and I’m so glad I tried it. It’s just like I remember it!  This was one of the desserts I served for my Danish Tea Party and also for my Mother In-law Mary Helen for Mother’s Day and just about the entire cake disappeared. Trust me on this one, it is delicious.

Making Kiksekage

Making Kiksekage

Kiksekage

Ingredients for Kiksekage:

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (227 grams)

1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (10 oz. or 295 ml)

3/4 cup confectioners sugar (3 oz. or 85 grams)

7 tbsp butter (3.5 oz. or 100 grams)

7 oz butter biscuits (ex. Leibniz)

Ingredients for Amaretto Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

Directions:

Line a 9 x 5  in. loaf pan with parchment paper by placing one big piece of paper across bottom and long sides and cut two smaller pieces of paper for the ends of the pan. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour whipping cream and confectioners sugar in to a small cooking pot, stirring occasionally bring to a simmer. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Stir the mixture until shiny and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut butter into small pieces and add to chocolate mix, stir until completely melted. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Cover bottom of loaf pan with chocolate, then place a layer of biscuits, repeat chocolate, biscuit, ending with a layer of chocolate. Cover the top of chocolate with cling wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. The following day gently and slowly lift the cake out of the form. Invert cake onto a plate and slowly peel off parchment paper. Decorate the top of cake with your choice of topping, serve with Amaretto whipped creme, if desired.

Making Amaretto whipped creme: In a small bowl combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and Amaretto. Whisk until desired consistency. Serve with Kiksekage.

Source: madgal.dk

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Kyskager - Meringue Cookies

Kyskager – Meringue Cookies

Who doesn’t love Meringue cookies. Light, fluffy, crunchy and oh so sweet little tasty treats and good for you and they contain no fat what so ever 🙂 Meringue cookies are called Kyskager in Danish and they are always a popular cookie on the coffee table, especially with the children.

These cookies are really fun to make. Yeah you get all sticky, at least I did, but the piping is awesome. Helpful hints: it’s easier to separate the egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold. Once separated make sure egg whites are brought up to room temperature before making the meringue. Make sure your bowl and beaters are very clean. If there is grease on your equipment it will prevent the egg whites from expanding. Store meringue cookies in a dry airtight container.

Kyskager - Meringue Cookies

Kyskager – Meringue Cookies

Ingredients:

 4 whole egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

10 drops food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electrical mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Beat in extract and food color until blended. Spoon meringue into pastry bag and pipe out cookies onto parchment paper about 1 inch apart. If you don’t have a pastry bag with tip attachments, you can use a ziplock bag by snipping off one corner of the bag or you can simply drop the meringue onto the parchment paper by the teaspoon full. The meringue cookies will fill up 2 large baking sheets. Bake both sheets of cookies at the same time for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off. Let the meringues stay in the oven for 1 hour or until cool.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

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Danish Napoleonshat

Danish Napoleonshat

These delicious little Danish cookies are called Napoleon Hats (remember Napoleon Bonaparte, the French dude with the funny hat). Napoleon Hats were some of my favorite cookies growing up, still is. Whenever we go home to visit I always pick up some of these cookies at the local Bakery, along with a lot of other Danish pastries. These cookies are really easy and fun to make, oh and did I mention that they’re delicious.

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Napoleonshat dipped in chocolate

Ingredients:

7 oz Marzipan (Odense)

1 3/4 cup flour

1 stick + 1 tbsp. butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 egg yolk

1/2 stick vanilla bean

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Break up butter into flour and place in a food processor. Pulse to blend. Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla seeds to flour mixture. Blend until a smooth powdery mix. Remove mixture from food processor and press it together to form a dough ball. Place dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool. Place dough in between two pieces of cling wrap and roll out to 3 mm thickness. Cut out circles using a glass approximate 2 1/4 inch in size. Roll a small ball of marzipan and place in center of round dough. Lift up dough circle and marzipan ball and gently squeeze edges closed using your thumbs and index fingers to form three points (like a Napoleon Hat). Place on parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.

Melt 5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate over a water bath. Once cookies are cooled, dip each corner and bottom of cookie in the melted chocolate. Place on baking rack or parchment paper to let chocolate set.

Making Napoleonshat

Making Napoleonshat

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Fresh Fruit Tart With Vanilla Pastry Creme

Fresh Fruit Tart With Vanilla Pastry Creme

When I first saw this Fruit Tart I just knew I had to make it and the perfect event was coming up. I get together with a group of Danish ladies once a month and it was my turn to host the party. So I decided on having an afternoon tea party. This in one of the desserts that I made that day and it was a huge success, everyone loved it. The pastry cream with the fresh fruit is simply delicious.

Making Fresh Fruit Tart

Making Fresh Fruit Tart

Ingredients:

For the tart dough:

1 large egg yolk

1 tbsp. heavy cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

For the pastry cream:

2 cups half-and-half

½ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

5 large egg yolks

3 tbsp. cornstarch

4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:

2 large kiwis, peeled and sliced

2-6 oz. raspberries

1-11 oz. mandarin oranges in water, drained

Apple jelly, for glazing

Directions:

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture, process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than one hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edges, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from oven and carefully remove weights and foil. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

To make the pastry cream, heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off he heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

To assemble the tart, spread the cold pastry cream evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the fruit on top of the pastry cream as desired. Heat the jelly in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just until slightly melted and easy to stir. Using a pastry brush, paint a light layer of jelly over the fruit. Serve.

Source: slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats

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