WHO doesn't love a warm, comforting homemade dessert that brings back memories of our childhood?
Imagine the smell of cinnamon or chocolate wafting through the kitchen on a cold rainy night. But with our busy lifestyles these days there's not often time to bake a dessert during the week - we often make do with a scoop of ice cream or a piece of fruit.
Digging into a yummy dessert every night probably isn't a good idea anyway, but why not make one for Sunday dinner as a weekly treat? All three of the triedand-true recipes below are super-delicious, don't need any exotic ingredients and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.
GINGERBREAD WITH LEMON SAUCE
Instead of the lemon sauce, you could serve this with the Honey Poached Pears from the Oct. 19 column (recipe available on North Shore News website).
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter
2 ?3 cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses (or Lyle's Golden Syrup for a lighter taste)
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
2 ?3 cup boiling water
Lemon Sauce:
4 tsp cornstarch Pinch of salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups boiling water
2 tsp butter
1 tsp grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Gingerbread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees; grease an eight-by-eight-inch pan. Mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices together. Cream the butter; gradually add the brown sugar and cream thoroughly. Stir in molasses.
Beat egg until thick and beat into the creamed mixture; stir in vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture a third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add the boiling water, stirring well.
Turn batter into prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until centre springs back when gently touched. Serve warm with lemon sauce. Makes six servings.
Lemon Sauce: Whisk together cornstarch, salt and sugar in a small saucepan; slowly whisk in boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth and thickened. Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, about five to seven minutes or until no raw starch taste remains.
Remove from heat; stir in butter and lemon rind and juice. If sauce is too thick add a bit more lemon juice or hot water.
BROWNIE PUDDING
Another gem from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Save this for a special Sunday, it's oh-so-rich.
1 cup butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¾ cup good quality cocoa powder (like Ghirardelli)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees; lightly butter a twoquart baking dish (an oval dish nine-by-12-by-two-inch is perfect). Melt the one cup of butter and set aside to cool.
With an electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high for five-10 minutes, until very thick and pale. Meanwhile, sift cocoa and flour together and set aside. When the egg mixture is ready, reduce speed to low and add vanilla and the cocoa/flour mixture. Mix only until combined. Slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again on low just until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough very hot tap water to come halfway up the side of the baking dish containing brownie mixture; bake for exactly one hour (a cake tester inserted two inches from the side of the pan will come out almost clean, with some moist crumbs on it). The centre should look underbaked, since the dessert is half brownie, half pudding. Allow to cool until just warm and serve with vanilla ice cream. Makes six servings.
BAKED LEMON PUDDING CAKE
This was one of my mother-in-law's specialties, and it's nirvana for lemon lovers like me.
2 large lemons
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 1 ?3 cups homogenized milk
Icing sugar to sift over cake when baked
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely grate one tablespoon zest from lemons, then squeeze ¼ cup plus two tablespoons juice. Whisk together flour, salt and ½ cup plus two tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together egg yolks, milk, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl and add to flour mixture, whisking until just combined. Beat egg whites in another large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining ¼ cup sugar a little at a time, and continue to beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks. Whisk about a quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining whites until no large white streaks remain (batter will be quite thin).
Pour into a buttered 1½ quart shallow baking dish; place dish in a larger pan and pour hot water in the larger pan until it comes halfway up the dish containing pudding. Bake until puffed and golden, about 45 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature; sift icing sugar over top before serving.
Makes six servings.
