Desserts - Double-Post Thursday

Yes, here it is, Double-Post Thursday. Here are six yummy dessert recipes to help you through the rest of the day. Enjoy!

WARM BROWNIE WEDGES WITH JAVA CREAM

This recipe begins, “Dense wedges of chewy chocolate are paired with a sweet coffee-flavored cream and fresh berries.”

Yield 8 servings

Serving size 1/8 brownie, 2 tablespoons cream and 1/4 cup berries

Source: "The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen" by Chef Nancy Hughes

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1263

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1263.shtml

Watch video on how to make it: http://diabeticgourmet.com/media/67.shtml

Ingredients

Wedges

Canola oil cooking spray

2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar substitute blend

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup egg substitute

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

4 ounces fat-free whipped topping

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup blackberries or blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F.

Coat 9-inch, nonstick springform pan or cake pan with canola oil cooking spray.

Combine flours, cocoa and baking powders, 1 tablespoon coffee granules and salt in medium bowl.

Combine sugar, canola oil, egg substitute and vanilla in another medium bowl; mix well. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Batter will be very thick.

Spoon into bottom of pan; spread evenly by coating the back of a spoon with cooking spray. Bake for 11 minutes or until slightly puffed. (Mixture will not be completely cooked at this point, but it will continue to cook while standing without overcooking and drying out.)

Place pan on a wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove sides of the pan and gently remove from bottom or leave on bottom and place on a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. When cooled completely, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To make cream, combine water with 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules in a medium bowl, and stir until dissolved. Add whipped topping; whisk until a sauce consistency is reached. For thinner sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk.

Refrigerate until needed. To serve, cut into wedges, spoon mocha cream on top, and sprinkle with berries.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 260; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 10 g; Sodium: 145 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g

PEAR CRANBERRY CLAFOUTIS

This is from the fall issue of UnitedHealthCare's magazine, Renew. It begins, “A Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert — a cross between a flan and a German pancake. Whole grain flour adds a nice nutty flavor and blends well with the pear, cranberry and almonds.”

1 teaspoon softened butter

3 medium pears (any kind)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen (drained) cranberries, divided

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 tablespoon sugar substitute

1⁄2 cup whole grain flour

1⁄2 cup sliced almonds, divided

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie plate. Peel, core and slice pears into 12 slices each and toss with the lemon juice and zest. Arrange pears in the buttered dish. Sprinkle pears with 1⁄4 cup of the cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk together. Add almond extract, sugar substitute and whole grain flour. Finely chop 1⁄4 cup of the sliced almonds and stir into the batter.

Pour batter over the pears and sprinkle with the remaining cranberries and almonds. Bake for 35–40 minutes until golden brown on the edges and set in the center.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Serves 8.

Calories: 142, Total Fat: 6.2g, Saturated Fat: 1.3g, Cholesterol: 82mg, Sodium: 52mg, Carbs: 19g, Dietary Fiber: 3.7g, Sugar: 8.4g, Protein: 5.6g

ROASTED APPLE AND RAISIN PIE WITH ORANGE YOGURT CUSTARD

This is from the fall issue of UnitedHealthCare's magazine, Renew. This recipe begins, “Many pie recipes rely on sugar and starch to thicken up a pie filling. Roasting the fruit before filling the pie reduces excess moisture and concentrates the natural sugars in the fruit so adding sugar isn’t necessary. A light, creamy yogurt custard balances the fruit and spice. The oatmeal crust holds up well with the addition of ground flax seed, which acts as a binder and adds fiber and crunch.”

Filling:

6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cubed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

zest and juice of one orange, zest used for custard topping

2 tablespoons raisins

Oatmeal Pie Crust:

1 cup quick oats

4 tablespoons ground golden flax seed

1⁄2 cup walnuts

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Custard:

3⁄4 cup plain Greek non-fat yogurt

2 eggs, beaten

reserved orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar substitute

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss cubed apples with cinnamon, salt and orange juice in a 9-by-9-inch baking pan and roast until tender, about 35– 40 minutes. While apples are roasting, prepare crust by blending the oats, flax seed, walnuts and salt together in a food processor (or blender) until crumbly. Stir in applesauce and mix until oats are evenly moistened.

Butter a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Press all but 2 tablespoons of the crust mixture into the dish, evenly along the bottom and up the sides. Reserve remaining 2 tablespoons of crust for the streusel topping.

Bake crust at 375 for 10–12 minutes, until lightly browned. When the roasting apples have softened, remove from the oven and stir in the raisins. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before spooning into the pre-baked pie crust.

Whisk yogurt, eggs, orange zest, vanilla, sugar substitute and cornstarch together in a small bowl and pour over the apple filling. Bake until custard is set, about 20–25 minutes. Allow pie to cool for at least an hour before cutting.

Serves 8.

Calories: 229, Total Fat: 8.2g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 175mg, Carbs: 36g, Dietary Fiber: 6.5g, Sugar: 19g, Protein: 7.5g

SWEET POTATO PIE WITH CASHEW CREAM

This is from the fall issue of UnitedHealthCare's magazine, Renew. This recipe begins, “When roasted, the “sweet” in sweet potatoes intensifies. Dates add more natural sweetness, with a low glycemic index. The “silken”-style tofu is usually found in the Asian section of most grocery stores and generally doesn’t need to be stored in the refrigerator.”

1 prepared pie crust

Pie Filling:

3 medium sweet potatoes

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

4 dates, pitted and chopped

1 (12.5 ounce) package extra firm silken tofu

pinch sea salt

Cashew Cream:

1⁄2 cup raw cashews

2 dates, pitted

1⁄4 cup water

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork and place on a baking pan. Roast the sweet potatoes until tender, about 45–50 minutes. Remove peels when cool enough to handle.

Place sweet potatoes in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and add the remaining filling ingredients. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally.

Pour filling mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake pie in the oven at 375 degrees for 45–50 minutes, until it no longer jiggles.

While the pie is baking, soak cashews and dates in 1⁄4 cup water for at least an hour. Blend in a blender or food processor with the vanilla extract and sea salt until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The pie will slice best when cooled at least two hours at room temperature and then refrigerated for at least another hour. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of the cashew cream.

Serves 8.

Calories: 284, Total Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 0g, Sodium: 383mg, Carbs: 35g, Dietary Fiber: 5.2g, Sugar: 17g, Protein: 7.6g

TIP: If you are using a frozen pie crust that comes in an aluminum tin, but still want to bake your pie in a pretty ceramic pie plate, just transfer the crust over while it’s still frozen.

MEYER LEMON TART

This is from Amanda Hesser at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, “The Meyer lemon has always been something of a California secret, and every year when its brief growing season begins there, eager cooks sigh with relief. The Meyer is not as assertive as the common supermarket varieties, but it offers so much more in nuanced flavor that it is unforgettable. And these days, the Meyer's secret is finally out. A Meyer lemon contains about four times the sugar of a regular lemon, but it can be used almost interchangeably with the traditional varieties, adding a rounder edge to both sweet and savory dishes. And you can use the whole thing – from pulp to peel. This gorgeous tart is the ideal way to showcase its seductive fragrance and flavor. (Regular lemons will work well in this recipe too, but you'll likely want to add a bit more sugar.)”

Yield: One 10-inch tart; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “All Perfume, No Pucker” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Crust

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tablespoon milk

12 ounces (about 2 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Lemon Curd

1 1/4 pound (5 or 6) Meyer lemons

1 cup sugar

5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan

7 large egg yolks

5 large eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Make the crust: in the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and the milk, and beat to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture, stirring until completely blended. Gather dough into two balls. Freeze one for future use, chill the other for at least 1 hour.

Heavily butter a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, and place the shell in the freezer for 30 minutes.

While shell is in freezer, prepare lemon curd. Grate zest of lemons. Squeeze lemons to extract 1 cup of juice. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine juice and zest. Add remaining sugar, butter and salt. Place over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.

In bowl of a mixer, combine eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly add hot lemon mixture to eggs until blended. Return mixture to saucepan, and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency; do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat, and continue to stir to stop the cooking. Strain lemon curd into a bowl. Adjust sugar to taste; the curd should be tart, but may need additional sugar if the lemons were unripe. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it right against the surface of the curd. Allow to cool.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart shell from freezer, and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spoon lemon curd into tart shell, and smooth the top. Bake until filling has puffed around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cover edges with foil, if necessary, to prevent over-browning. Cool to room temperature before serving.

PEACH AND RASPBERRY CRUMBLE

This is from Diabetes Self-Management

Yield: 6 servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Baking time: 30-35 minutes.

Butter-flavor cooking spray

1 can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained

1 package (12 oz) unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed

1 C quick-cooking oats, uncooked

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbs reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted

2 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8”X8” baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange peach slices evenly in bottom of the pan. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over peaches. Set aside. In bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mix with fork, breaking up brown sugar clumps. Add margarine & honey; stir to combine. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake uncovered for 30 – 35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly. Portion into 6 equal servings. Serve alone or over low-fat, no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream.

Per serving: Calories: 185; Carbs: 33g; Fat: 4 g (sat. fat: 1 g); Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat