Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Make Your Cake and Eat It, Too! By: Art Gib

You know, as much as I love a hearty home-cooked meal, I have to admit that sometimes, I love a rich dessert even more. I always love hearing people insist that dessert should always be eaten first because, in the event they were to die before dinner was served, they would at least go happily. What's more, my father was known to say that if there weren't chocolate in heaven, he wasn't sure he would want to stick around.

But here is a secret I would like to share if you haven't figured it out already: making dessert can be just as much fun as eating it! There are few things, if anything, which can be quite as satisfying as serving up a cake after you have put your time and energy into making it just perfect (plus you don't feel as guilty about the calories later)!

So let's talk about a few of my favorite desserts, and I must say each of them is sublime--the complex and the simplistic.

One of the best treats my mother made for my brothers and me wasn't just famous in our house--everyone in school knew about them, too! They are so good that I found I had crowds gathering around me to mooch like puppies hoping for scraps whenever I brought them in my sack lunch! But the best part is that they are so simple--I can even give you a precise recipe from off the top of my head.

Using a double boiler OR a pot placed in a skillet of boiling water, you combine a bag of butterscotch chips and a cup of peanut butter and stir until they are well-combined. Blend these in a large bowl with six cups of puffed rice cereal. Be sure all of the cereal is coated with the peanut butter-butterscotch mixture.

Then pour it all into a pan, like one you would use in baking brownies. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the mixture evenly and be sure not to spread it too thin. Refrigerate for several hours before eating, and continue to refrigerate anything remaining.

This is the perfect dish to make with children, as there is minimal mixing and much less chance for them to be burned because there is no baking required!

Making fudge is also a great pastime in the dessert world, and is a fantastic chocolaty project to undertake with children. It is so customizable, too, that you can create special types for special tastes. It is quick, so when busy holiday seasons demand small gifts for coworkers, friends, and distant relatives, you can make a batch in minutes, and it is still remembered as a thoughtful, homemade treat.

Until recently, I was never much of a cake baker, but I have just discovered the glory that is black-and-white angel food cake. This one is much more complex than the others, but it will make you go down in history with whoever takes a bite!

What makes the cake so special though is its "ganache," which is a fancy way of saying its topping. Using the double-boiler technique described earlier, combine a bag of chocolate chips with heavy cream to taste and stir until they are mixed together. Easy, huh?

Using the internet to get recipe ideas and tips is great. Always be willing to try new things and even mess up from time to time in the kitchen. But above all, remember that a dessert doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious!

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
If you are looking for the best tools and highest-quality ingredients to make some fancy (and delicious!) fudge --whether for yourself or for your bakery--be sure to check out Calico Cottage Inc. (http://www.calicocottage.com). Art Gib is a freelance writer.

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