Dessert

[Deleted]

We don't seem to have ever had a thread devoted specifically to dessert. Do you consider it to be essential? In my own family, we rarely had dessert at least not right after a meal. Sometimes we would have ice cream while watching TV later.

I am writing this just after having eaten a big bowl of vanilla ice cream covered in Cointreau.

[bixaorellana]

Dessert just sets out there, always at the edge of my perception, always calling me. Knowing better does not help.

[htmb]

We only have it on special occasions such as holidays or birthday celebrations.

However, it is my understanding that there are many positive benefits to eating dessert while on vacation. In fact, those who are spending their days traveling really NEED a good dessert from time to time.

[bixaorellana]

That sounds dangerously close to neeeeding a cigarette or neeeeeeeding a drink.

[htmb]

Some of us will probably want all three at times this summer.

[Deleted]

I prefer to watch people having dessert, but sometimes it makes them uncomfortable.

[breeze]

I predict a long run for this thread. I have a bag of Lindt chocolate balls in various flavors that have been my dessert for the past week but that feels like cheating. I feel I should be baking something delicious for our dessert.

[Deleted]

Rarely, rarely have a dessert. Growing up, dessert consisted of a can of peaches or fruit salad once or twice a month. Now, I make occasional baked treats for my husband, which I also share in (see: Baking thread). However, if we go out for a fabulous French meal, we often can't resist splitting a crème brulée, as long as it isn't some crazy flavour like coconut or pine.

However, I am a great voyeur of pastries; I will go out of my way to gaze in the window of a French patisserie. They are so beautiful and jewel-like.

[lagatta]

I rarely eat sweet desserts; admit that the flaky, fatty aspect of those pastries described does appeal. I'll have a bit of dessert sometimes at a fancy meal, but in general I prefer savoury foods, even in terms of indulgences: CHEESE!!!

[bjd]

At home we have dessert after every lunch and dinner. But not flaky pastries or stuff like that -- usually a fruit or a yogurt or similar. I only prepare a special dessert if we have company and then it's usually a fruit tart or something. Of course, we sometimes have ice cream in the summer.

We always end the meal with a piece of chocolate though and that doesn't count as dessert.

[Deleted]

my dessert tonight at the restaurant (crème brûlée)

[Deleted]

Oh! I so enjoy sharing a creme brule after a fine meal.

We' have been imbibing in a small dish of vanilla ice cream topped with a smidgeon of lemon curd.

[bixaorellana]

Dessert after lunch today: 1/2 of a black sapote. First photo is of it nekkid, & the second is after I decided it would be nicer splashed with aged tequila & sprinkled with sugar. I was right.

          

                     

After deciding that the world needed to see my dessert, I walked back over to the fruit stand to capture a pile of the sapotes for sale. Most of them were hard as cannon balls, but the dark one on top is somewhat over-ripe. Since the main use for them here is for sapote-ade, that doesn't matter ~


In this picture, you can see the resemblance to a regular persimmon ~
                     

[Deleted]

Technically, this wasn't really dessert since it seems to have replaced dinner for everybody in the group.

[amboseli]

I'm not a dessert person. This was an excellent crema catalana, though.

free upload image

[chexbres]

My mother used to make all our cakes from scratch - we always had one every Sunday, and of course, on birthdays and holidays. Then, my family developed an unhealthy obsession for those neon-colored supermarket cakes, so that's what we ate from then on. It was a shame, too, because my mother made really good cake.

There are so many choices in Paris that I find it very hard to decide what kind of birthday cake I want when the day arrives. Luckily, many cakes come in individual portion sizes - about the size of a normal cupcake. This year, I chose 5 different little cakes, and nibbled on them all day long. One of them was very similar to the photo kerouac posted.

I think this might be the dawning of a new tradition...

[bjd]

Chexbres, if you like little cakes, there is a salon de thé/chocolatier in Rue Ledru Rollin. Walking north of Faubourg St Antoine, on the right hand side of the street. In summer there are little tables outside. Although a bit expensive their cakes are really delicious, especially any with chocolate.

[rikita]

i love rich, chocolatey desserts. unfortunately, i can't eat them too often for calory-reasons, but i will usually still have a not-so-rich dessert and rather eat a little less dinner than have no room for dessert ... though in the weeks mr. r. has late shift and a. and i have our dinner without him, i don't eat dessert. half the time it is a sweet dinner then anyway (sweet dumplings, milk rice, semolina pudding or similar). growing up, we didn't have dessert that often, though we always asked if there is one ...

[kerouac2]

I have eaten two tubs of durian ice cream in the past two days. Just having it available again drew me to it.

[kerouac2]

I bought some more durian ice cream yesterday, but I have managed not to touch it so far. I also bought jackfruit ice cream.

Here is the previous durian ice cream.

[bixaorellana]

Coincidentally I saw my first ever jackfruit today. I had to ask what it was -- jaca, pronounced hacka, in Spanish. The man who had it said that it grew all over the southern, hot & humid part of Oaxaca.

[kerouac2]

I have no idea what it tastes like, but I will soon find out.

[bixaorellana]

The man told me that "some people say it tastes like papaya, some say like mango, others that it tastes like melon".

I would have bought it, but it was huge.

[kerouac2]

Yes, I've seen lots of photos and they are indeed huge, but I don't know how much is just the husk.

Here is an idea, so it is probably best to like them.



If the dogs like them, it is even better.

[kerouac2]

Well, I ate some of my jackfruit ice cream tonight (prevented myself from eating the whole tub), and I found it surprisingly similar to the durian ice cream. Then again, the flesh of both fruits looks pretty much identical, so the main difference would be the smell.

I need to investigate more. I think there is a 3rd flavour of this Thai ice cream available, so I need to check it out as well. If it turns out to taste the same, I might suspect a fraud, just like vanilla overwhelms many occidental ice cream flavours.

[lagatta]

And in most cases, it is no longer real vanilla, which is expensive and delicious.

I'm not a dessert person either, but I do like things like crema catalana.

[kerouac2]

I made a cheesecake the other day for the first time in years.





Dr. Oetker told me that I had allowed my vintage package to age just long enough to fully bring out the flavour.

[tod2]

Oh hell, I would love to dig into a slice Kerouac! I adore cheesecake but I think I had to toss my Dr.Oetker ingredient some time ago. BUT, I have back up I'm sure in another product that assists with cheese cake. Going to the store cupboard now!

[bjd]

That can't be just cream cheese if it expired in 2004! Didn't you clean out your cupboards when you had the kitchen redone a couple of years ago?

I do like cheesecake though.

[kerouac2]

The mix contains two vacuum bags -- one for the crust (to which you add melted butter) and one for the filling to which you add fromage frais and fresh cream which you have to whip yourself, so it's not at all like the instant mixes that one can find for certain other concoctions which provide everything in the box ("just add water!").

On television yesterday that was a lengthy report about expiration dates of products. Obviously a lot of products must be used as fast as possible once they have been opened. But things like yogurt are just fine 2 months after their expiration date. Most canned goods are fine 3 or 4 years after their expiration date, and one product was mentioned that never expires and which you can keep for your entire life -- honey!