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Top Ten Exotic Desserts

  • Spence Cooper
  • August 14, 2009
Dessert Tray
Yup, even me

On those days when you decide to cast caloric reason to the wind and enjoy dessert after dinner, or just for fun with a cappuccino, be extra bold and try something different. Here are ten unusual desserts from FriendsEat.

1. ALMOND PLUM BUCKLE
Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup whole almonds
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus
4 tsp sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
8 medium plums halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
9 inch circumference cake pan (2 inches high)
parchment paper
Food processor
Electric Mixer

Directions
1. Position rack in center of oven
2. Preheat to 350F.
3. Spray the cake pan with nonstick spray.
4. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
5. Grind almonds in processor.
5. Transfer to medium bowl; whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Using electric mixer, beat the butter in large bowl until fluffy.
7. Add 1 cup sugar; beat until well blended.
8. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
9. Beat in vanilla and almond extract, then flour mixture just until incorporated.
10. Transfer batter to the pan.
11. Press the plum slices, flesh side down, into batter close together.
12. Mix cinnamon and 4 teaspoons sugar in small bowl.
13. Sprinkle over plums.
14. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
15. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes.
16. Run small knife between cake and pan sides to loosen.
17. Invert cake onto platter; remove parchment paper.
18. Place another platter atop cake.
19. Using both hands, hold both platters firmly together and invert cake, plum side up.
20. Cool cake completely.

2. TANGERINE GRANITA WITH VANILLA BEAN CREAM
Ingredients
3/4
cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp plus 2/3 cup sugar
3 cups tangerine juice

Directions
Place cream in a small bowl.
Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons sugar.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Put in the fridge overnight.
Combine juice and 2/3 cup sugar in a metal baking pan.
Whisk until sugar dissolves.
Put in the juice mix in the freezer for 1 hour.
Stir it well.
Cover and freeze overnight.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture into each of 6 serving plates. Scrape juice mixture into flakes.
Put the granita on top of the cream

3. WINE SORBERT
You can alter this recipe by using red wine. Either way it tastes great and spices up any party that you may have.
Ingredients
1/2
cup water
1/2
cup sugar
3/4
cups riesling (if making red ice try malbec)
3/4
cups white grape juice (make sure it has no High Fructose Corn Syrup – that will give your ice an artificial flavor)
1/3
cup lemon juice
Ice trays

Directions
1.
Bring water, sugar and wine to a boil in a saucepan.
2.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 min.
3.
Let the mixture cool and then add the grape juice and lemon juice.
4.
Place into ice trays and freeze.
5.
When frozen, place in food processor and make slushy.
6.
Serve and garnish with grapes, blackberries and mint.

4. BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS
Ingredients
16
ounces cream cheese, softened
2
large eggs
3/4
cup sugar
1
tsp vanilla
3/4
cup blueberry or other fruit preserves
Hot shortbread base
1
1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
2
cups all-purpose flour
1/2
cup packed light brown sugar
1/2
tsp salt

Directions
1.
Base:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.
Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces. In a food processor, process all ingredients until mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with a metal spatula, pressing evenly onto bottom. Bake shortbread in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes.
3.
Bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4.
In a bowl whisk cream cheese until smooth and whisk in eggs, sugar and vanilla. Evenly spread preserves over hot shortbread and pour cream-cheese mixture over it. Bake in middle of oven until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan and cut into 24 bars. Bar cookies keep, covered and chilled, for 3 days.

5. BERRY TIRAMISU
Ingredients
1
quart strawberries
1
quart raspberries
1
quart blackberries
1
quart blueberries
2
packages lady fingers
16
oz mascarpone cheese
2
cups heavy creme
2
cups chambord
1/2
cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions
1. Prepare berries by removing any stems. Keep a few berries of each variety for the top. Add 3/4 cup of Chambord to the berries and set aside to let them maserate.
2. In a separate bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, 1 cup of heavy creme and 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar. Mix until smooth.
3. Prepare a trifle serving dish for the tiramisu.
4. In a shallow bowl, pour the remainder of the chambord. Place the lady fingers gingerly into the liqueur and remove. Place in the bottom of the trifle dish in a single layer.
5. Add a small portion of the mascarpone on top of the lady fingers.
6. Add a layer of the mixed berries over the cheese.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 until trifle bowl is full.
8. Whip the remaining heavy creme and confectioner’s sugar until fluffy being careful not to beat too long or you will have butter. Pour over the top of the fruit, mascarpone and ladyfinger layers.
9. Top with the fruit that you kept for the decoration.
10. Chill for about 1 hour before serving.

6. POACHED PEARS with RASPBERRY COULIS WHIPPED CREAM
Ingredients
Pears (2)
Sugar
Lemon(rind)
Water
Cardamom pods(2)
Cloves(opt.)
Raspberries(frozen is good too)
Thickened Cream
Vanilla Essence/Extract

Directions
1. peel, core and coat pears in lemon juice. add 200g sugar to 3/4 small saucepan of water.
2. Add Cardamom pods, lemon rind strips and cloves.
3. Boil(poach) for approx. 30 minutes or until soft (but not TOO soft)
4. Blend raspberries with 500g sugar in blender, until no lumps remain. (only about 2 minutes)
5. Whip cream, caster sugar + vanilla extract until peaks will form.
6. Present how you like. done!

7. PORTO FIGS STUFFED with ALMONDS and CHOCOLATE
Ingredients
2 oz. slivered blanched almonds
20 whole blanched almonds
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
10 large dried calimyrna figs, soaked in Porto for two hours.

Directions
1.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the slivered and whole almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until they are toasted and aromatic. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the almonds aside to cool. Separate the whole almonds from the slivered almonds. The whole almonds are to be used as a garnish at the end of the preparation of the figs.
2.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade (or a small “nut chopper” which is smaller and easier to clean), combine the chopped chocolate pieces and toasted slivered almonds. Process this mix until it is very coarsely chopped.
3.
Remove the stems from the figs with a small knife and open up each fig using your finger so that there is a round cavity formed inside each fig and the hole is top-side up. Using a small spoon, stuff each fig with the almond and chocolate mixture and place each one on a baking sheet with the fig opening on top. Bake for approximately 5 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or the fig will lose its soft, supple quality and become hard and dry. When the figs are removed from the oven, place two whole almonds in each opening and arrange on a serving dish. As a serving hint, you may want to place a toothpick in each fig for guests to easily pick up and put on their plates without getting their fingers sticky. Serve immediately while warm or at room temperature.

8. KHEER
Kheer (Sanskrit: Payasam, Oriya: Kheeri) is a traditional dish in the Indian subcontinent, a rice pudding typically made by boiling rice with milk and sugar. It is often flavored with cardamoms and pistachios. While the dish is traditionally made with rice, it can also be made with other ingredients such as vermicelli (semiya)
Ingredients
1/4th
cup Long grain Rice (washed and drained)
4-5
cups Milk
2-3
cardamom seeds (crushed)
2
tbsp. almonds (blanched silvered)
A pinch of saffron threads, soaked in a little hot milk
1
tbsp skinned pistachio nuts (chopped)
1
tbsp raisins (optional)
2-3tbsp.
sugar or as desired

Directions
1.
Put the rice, milk and cardamom in a pan, bring to boil and simmer gently until the rice is soft and the grains are starting to break up.
2.
Add almonds, pistachio, saffron and raisins and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
3.
Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
4.
Remove from heat and serve either warm or chilled.

9. BAKLAVA
Ingredients
For syrup
2
cups sugar
2/3
cup water
1
lemon, halved
1
orange, halved
1
1/2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2/3
cup honey
For baklava
3
1/4 cups whole almonds with skins (1 lb), finely chopped
2
1/3 cups walnuts (1/2 lb), finely chopped
1
1/4 cups sugar
1
tbsp cinnamon
2
tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4
tsp ground cloves
1/4
tsp salt
3
sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1
(1-lb) package phyllo dough (17 by 12 inches; about 28 sheets), thawed if frozen

Directions
1.
Make syrup:
2.
Combine sugar and water in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan. Squeeze juice from lemon and orange into sugar mixture. Add fruit halves and cinnamon sticks. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, then simmer 10 minutes. Stir in honey and return to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour through a sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing hard on, then discarding, solids. Chill, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour.
3.
Assemble and bake baklava:
4.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F.
5.
Whisk together almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until combined well.
6.
Generously brush a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise and stack sheets. Keep stack covered with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened clean kitchen towel. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of baking dish and brush top sheet generously with butter. Continue to layer 2 sheets at a time, staggering sheets in each double layer slightly to cover bottom of dish, then brushing every second sheet generously with butter, until you have used 10 sheets of phyllo total. After brushing top layer of phyllo with butter, spread a rounded 1 1/2 cups of nut mixture over it. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter.
7.
Repeat layering 3 more times. Top with 10 more sheets of phyllo. (You will use 50 sheets of phyllo total.) Butter top and let baklava stand at room temperature to harden slightly (to facilitate cutting), 10 to 15 minutes.
8.
Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into 16 equal rectangles, then cut each piece in half diagonally. (Be sure to cut all the way through.)
9.
Bake baklava until golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer dish to a rack to cool, then slowly pour cold syrup around edges of hot baklava, in between all cuts, and over top. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours. (Cover once baklava is at room temperature.) Do not chill.
10.
Cooks’ notes:
Syrup can be made up to 5 days ahead and chilled, covered. Baklava keeps in an airtight container up to 1 week.

10. CURRIED BANANAS
This dessert warms you from deep within and it’s perfect for a late-night snack. It’s also deceivingly good for you with all the citrus juices in it. Be sure to stick to fresh curry, as well as organic ingredients. Coconut cream is a nice touch to add since this dish is best served hot. Don’t worry if you’re out of dry white wine. Consider substituting sherry cooking wine instead. I ended up mixing the two wines when I first made this dish and I used fresh-squeezed orange and lime juices. It was nothing short of delicious.

Ingredients
1/2
cup dark brown sugar
1/2
cup dry white wine (or sherry cooking wine)
1/2
cup orange juice
2
tbsp lime juice
3
tbsp melted coconut oil or butter
3/4
tsp curry powder
4
bananas peeled

Directions
1.
Mix everything except bananas. Lay whole peeled bananas side by side in a baking dish. Pour on combined mixture. Bake 300 degrees for 30 minutes, basting bananas frequently.

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