Two readers wrote with tempting summer dessert recipes I just had to try and pass along. I'm sure they will end up in a lot of reader files.
Norma A. Orovitz of Bay Harbor Islands, Fla., sent her recipe for Pound Cake-Plus with this note: "Your column featuring Jacques Pepin's Lemon Delice so reminded me of a short-cut dessert recipe shared by my sister-in-law Felicia Deutch some 40 years ago. So, when I needed a quicky sweet to serve to my Spanish class last week, I made it for the first time in ages and everyone loved it! There are no specific measurements, and one ingredient may be omitted so it can be made to taste."
I added measurements and the summer-fruit suggestion. With mangoes in season in South Florida, I couldn't resist the combination.
POUND CAKE-PLUS
1 frozen loaf pound cake, such as Sara Lee, defrosted
1 stick butter
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup shredded or flaked sweet coconut (optional)
Fresh sliced mango, berries or peaches (optional)
Heat broiler and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Slice the pound cake horizontally into pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Place cut side up on cookie sheet. Melt butter, and add brown sugar, nuts and coconut, stirring until thick. Spread over cake slices. Broil, watching carefully, until cake is toasted and topping is slightly caramelized, about 1 1/2 minutes. Serve warm with fresh fruit on top. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 363 calories (60 percent from fat), 25 g fat (13 g saturated, 5.8 g monounsaturated), 113 mg cholesterol, 3.6 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 264 mg sodium.
Jean Miazgowicz of Hialeah, Fla., sent this note along with her recipe for Snowball Cake: "My late mother (in Michigan) used to make this cake in the summertime, probably in the '70s. Very light and refreshing! Although it calls for boxed Dream Whip, I'm sure it would be even better with real whipped cream."
I hadn't thought about Dream Whip in years. For those who don't know, it's a nondairy powder you beat with milk and vanilla like whipped cream. It is still available (I found it on Amazon and at Wal-Mart) for those who want a bit of nostalgia. I substituted whipping cream, but you could use 6 cups of a frozen whipped topping, defrosted.
SNOWBALL CAKE
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
3 envelopes (from a 5.2-ounce box) Dream Whip or 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 large angel food cake (baked or purchased)
Coconut (optional)
Dissolve gelatin by sprinkling over 4 tablespoons cold water. Add 1 cup boiling water and mix well. Stir in pineapple, sugar, salt and lemon juice. Refrigerate until partially jelled. Whip 2 envelopes Dream Whip or beat and sweeten 1 cup cream; stir into gelatin mixture.
Remove all brown from cake and break into small chunks. Line a 4-quart bowl with wax paper and fill with alternate layers of cake and gelatin mixture, starting with cake. Refrigerate overnight.
Invert onto platter, remove wax paper and frost with remaining whipped cream or Dream Whip. Sprinkle with coconut. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 350 calories (3 percent from fat), 1.3 g fat (1.2 g saturated, 0 monounsaturated), 0 cholesterol, 6.4 g protein, 80 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 529 mg sodium.
I thought my grilled foods were being cheated of flavor after I switched from charcoal briquettes to gas, but I had no idea how to incorporate wood chips into the process. That's why I'm enamored with "Weber's Smoke: A Guide to Smoke Cooking for Everyone and Every Grill" by Jamie Purvance (Sunset, $21.95).
This cookbook tells you the best type of grill for each recipe, gives the degree of smoke intensity and even suggests what type of wood chip will work best. It is also full of tips, such as this one for the Hickory Barbecued Chicken recipe here:
Grill the chicken with the skin side down first to melt the fat under the skin. This will help the skin develop a somewhat crispy texture even when you brush the sauce all over it.
Best of all, while there are a few over-the-top recipes (smoked duck with cherry sausages), this is a cookbook that uses basic backyard grills and standard pantry ingredients to produce memorable food.
HICKORY BARBECUED CHICKEN
Rub:
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
12 teaspoon ground pepper
4 chicken legs (10 to 12 ounces each), cut into thighs and drumsticks
Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 large handfuls hickory wood chips, soaked in water at least 30 minutes
In a small bowl mix the rub ingredients. Season the chicken with the rub.
Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium heat.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Brush the cooking grates clean. Cook the chicken, skin side down first, over medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Move the chicken over indirect medium heat.
Drain and add the wood chips to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer's directions. Close the lid and continue cooking until the juices run clear and the meat is opaque all the way through to the bone, about 35 minutes, basting with the sauce and turning several times during the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
Remove from the grill and let rest 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 412 calories (59 percent from fat), 27 g fat (7.3 g saturated, 11 g monounsaturated), 155 mg cholesterol, 28.3 g protein, 13.7 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 1,283 mg sodium.
Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/02/4604564/cooks-corner-cool-dessert-recipes.html#storylink=cpy
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