Trifle



Trifle is a dessert dish made from thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in alternating layers in a glass pedestal bowl.

Some add a small amount of alcohol like port or sweet sherry to moisten the cake. Non-alcoholic syrups, sweet juices or fruit flavored syrup instead, as the liquid also can be added to moisten the cake layers.

On most occasions a trifle is used for decoration just as for taste, adding the bright, layered colors of the fruit, jelly, custard, and whipped cream is sure to please any ones eyes as well as tastebuds.

Meringues



These are delicate sweet cookies that melt in your mouth.  So easy to make that they need very little attention once they are  ready to bake.  Below is a recipe for quick and easy meringues.

2 egg whites(room temp.)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of cream of tar tar.
color.
flavor.

Warm oven to 200 degrees. Line cookie tray with parchment paper.  Beat egg whites until peaks form.  Keep adding sugar little at a time with cream of tar tar until all the sugar is added and stiff peaks form.  add color and flavor of choice.  Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with star nozzle and pipe star forms on to ungreased parchment paper.  Dry in 200 degree oven for about an hour.  Let cool outside the oven.

Agar - Agar Jelly



This is a type of jelly that is made from sea weed.  It comes in many forms such as powdered, made into strings or cubed.  All that need to be done is soaking for about a good couple of hours and boil it down.  Then add preferred flavor and color to make a delicious desserst.



(Agar - Agar Jelly in string form)



Unlike other Gelatine or Jelly (Jello) this do not require refrigeration at all.  And it can be molded into almost any shape without difficulty.  Adding fruit or fruit puree makes it a great dessert that can be enjoyed at any occasion.

This vegetarian Jelly can be bought at any asian store, sometime color added.

Gallette



Galette is a term used in the French cuisine on different types of flat, round or freeform crusty pies.  These pies are filled with any kind of fruit mixed with a little sugar.

An easier way to make gallette is to use store bought pastry dough or pie crust.  Lay the pie crust down on a cookie tray, fill it with chopped fruit of your choice mixed with a little sugar and a teaspoon of corn flour or tapioca flour to thicken the juices.  fold in the edges, brush with a little milk and bake in a 325F degree oven about 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Almond Croissants

The first time I tried this delicious pastry was when I was at Patrick's Bakery and Cafe inside Bachman's in Richfield. 

This is a light pastry was filled with ground sweetened almonds and dusted generously with powdered sugar nothing more, nothig less.  You can eat this delicoius pastry as it is or by picking up it's layers of buttery pastry mixed with sweet almond filling.  The dusting of sugar gives eough sweetness that it won't overwhelm you taste buds. It also is a great accompaniment for coffee or tea.

So next time you go to Bachman's to pick up some flowers, try this delicious almond flavored pastry. 

Raspberry Filled White Cake

Today I will share with you how to make a delicious fruit preserve filled cake in no time at all.

You should start with a white cake from package.  Bake it according to package instructions in a circle cake pan.  Slice the cake in half, so that you end up with 2 circles from one cake. 

Frost the top of one circle with heavy whipped cream and top with raspberry preserves.  Layer the other half of the cake on top of the frosting and preserves, so that it looks like a sandwich.  Frost the top and sides with more whipped cream or whipped butter cream. 

Drizzle lightly with storebought strawberry or raspberry ice cream syrup.  Refridgerate until ready to use. 

This is an easy, elegant dessert that you can whip up in very short notice.

Éclair (pastry)
 

Éclairs are most commonly served as a dessert and it could be bought at any bakery or patisseries.

It is made with choux  pastry dough filled with a cream and topped with icing, preferably chocolate.  The dough is piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. When cooled it is filled with, custard or whipped cream and the top iced with chocolate butter cream or fondant icing.

The word éclair comes directly from a French word meaning "lightning".  Probably because of the lightness of the cream puff and its soft filling, and or because of its oblong shape.  You can easily hold it in one hand, and eaten in a flash.

Either way this dessert is sure to please anyone with or without a sweet tooth.