DESSERT

Dessert is a course that concludes a main meal. The course usually

consists of sweet foods and beverages, such as dessert wine or liqueurs, but
may include coffee, cheeses, nuts, or other savory items. In some parts of
the world, such as much of central and western Africa, and most parts of
China, there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.

The term "dessert" can apply to many confections, such as cakes, tarts,
cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings, custards, and
sweet soups. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its
naturally occurring sweetness. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more
commonly savory to create desserts.

The Importance of Dessert

Dessert is fine as long as it's healthy. Fruit and berries are good but chocolate
pudding and ice cream are a different story!

Dessert is recommended
Dessert is highly recommended after both lunch and dinner But that doesnt
mean ice cream, pie or chocolate pudding Pured fruit or berries, a smoothie
or a fruit salad are yummy and provide a real vitamin injection Vitamin C
helps the body absorb iron which is so important at this age
Fruit or berries are also good with porridge But choose unsweetened fruit
pure and save jam for later
CLASSIFICATION/TYPES OF DESSERTS

1. Custards and Puddings- Creamy custards and puddings typically

include a thickened dairy base. The thickener used determines whether
it is a custard or a pudding. Generally, custards are cooked and
thickened with eggs. Crme brulee and flan are both baked custards.
Puddings are thickened with starches. Two common types of puddings
are rice and tapioca. Variations on puddings include vegan puddings
made from silken tofu and instant pudding.
2. Frozen Desserts- Nothing beats the heat on a summers day
than a cooling ice cream. Ice cream consists of cream slowly stirred
in a churn to freeze it to a creamy consistency. Gelato uses a milk
base instead of cream and has less air mixed into it than ice cream.
Frozen custard uses a cooked base of egg yolks. For a dairy-free
dessert, try a sorbet, which is made from churned fruit purees.
Frozen yogurt uses yogurt rather than the heavier cream base of ice
cream, which also makes it a lower calorie treat.

3. Cakes- Cakes are not just for birthday parties. These desserts
resemble tender, sweet breads. Examples of cakes include angel
food cake made with egg whites, sponge cake, flourless cakes like
the sacher torte, German chocolate cake, pavolva cake made with a
meringue base, pound cake and fruitcake. Petits fours, cupcakes and
snack cakes are single-serve sizes of larger cakes.

4. Cookies -Cookies originated as small cakes. The name cookie,

comes from the Dutch word koekje meaning little cake,
according to the Nibbles website. They were spoonfuls of cake
batter cooked to test the oven temperature before ovens had
thermometers. Cookies vary in their size, shape and texture, but
many cookies share variations of basic ingredients of sweetener,
eggs, butter or shortening and flour. Varieties include chocolate chip
cookies, soft sugar cookies, crunchy gingersnaps, tender shortbread,
chewy oatmeal cookies, crispy meringues and cakelike bar cookies.

5. Pies - The simplest form of pie involves a crust with a filling. The
crust can be on the top and bottom of the filling or just on the
bottom, made from pastry or graham cracker crumbs. Pie fillings
include custards, puddings, nuts and fruits. Chocolate cream pie,
lemon meringue pie, shoo-fly pie, pecan pie, apply pie and tarts are
pie and tarty examples. Tarts use a baking pan with straight sides
and do not have a top crust.

6. Chocolates and Candies - Chocolates and candy involve the

crystallization of sugar for their creation. The size of the sugar
crystals determines the texture of the candy. Rock candy has large
sugar crystals and a crunchy texture, but fudge contains small sugar
crystals, giving it a smooth taste. Candy and chocolate desserts
include fudge, caramel, lollipops, taffy, marshmallows, fondant,
pralines and cotton candy.
 7. Pastries - The same flaky pastry used to make pie crusts is
applied to other sweet pastry desserts such as cream puffs, baklava,
eclairs, Danish pastries, palmiers and profiteroles. This pastry
consists of an unleavened dough with a high amount of fat. During
preparation, the pastry dough is handled lightly to keep the finished
pastry light and airy in texture.

DESSERT SAUCES

A dessert sauce contributes flavor and moisture to a particular dessert.

1. Crme Anglaise- A classic dessert sauce, versatile, can be base to

ice.

2. Chocolate Sauce- Has two different types: hot and cold and has
two methods to make. Most well known is ganache. Ganache is a
chopped chocolate and boiling hot heavy cream.

3. Caramel Sauce- Starts with a prep of caramel, which is a sugar

cooked to 320 degrees, after making caramel you must add liquid to
prevent from turning into a candy.

4. Fruit Sauces-Easiest to make, most prepare are raspberry,

strawberry, mango, apricot, mixed berry.

Proper Handling and Storage

Desserts that contain uncooked eggs should be handled with extreme

care since dangerous bacteria such as salmonella can increase in raw
eggs. You have to be really careful with food containing eggs such as
chocolate mousse and uncooked cheesecakes.

Food like egg custards contains protein that provides good food for
bacteria. If custards are not heated and cooled properly and quickly,
bacteria in the custard can grow quickly that might be dangerous for
food consumption
 Any dessert that is not necessary to be consumed immediately must
be cooled rapidly and stored in a cool room until needed.

In keeping a pre-prepared dessert hot until service, make sure that the
temperature of the food is over 65 C. Any dessert that is kept hot in
the Bain-Marie or hot water bath for a while should be discarded at the
end of the service.

Desserts that were made using milk and cream should not be left to
stand at room temperature for any length of time. They should be kept
inside the refrigerator until they are needed to avoid the risk of food
poisoning.

Make sure to follow organizational requirements since many desserts

have a limited shelf life.

Flamb (French: [fl be]; also spelled flambe), is a cooking procedure in

which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. The word
means 'flamed' in French.[1]

Flambing is often associated with tableside presentation of certain liqueur-

drenched dishes, such as Bananas Foster or Cherries Jubilee, when the
alcohol is ignited and results in a flare of blue-tinged flame. However,
flambing is also a step in making coq au vin, and other dishes and sauces,
using spirits, before they are brought to the table. By partially burning off the
volatile alcohol, flambing reduces the alcoholic content of the dish while
keeping the flavors of the liquor.